OPPA Juror Development Program

The OPPA Juror Development Program details the process of becoming an approved OPPA Competition Juror. These guidelines are used to establish a pool of qualified jurors for use in OPPA image competitions and are administered by the OPPA Juror Oversight Committee.

To enter the program the following prerequisites need to be met:

• Must complete Intent To Enter OPPA Juror Program application and return to the OPPA Juror Oversight Committee (currently led by Bryan Welsh).
  
• Be an OPPA member in good standing. 
  
• Attend “Competition Tips” class and “Seeing Through the Eyes of an Image Competition Judge” class or equivalent OPPA sponsored classes.
  
• Have earned at least 6 OPPA exhibition points.
  

Level 1 Juror

A Level 1 Juror is entitled to begin serving as a juror at OPPA competitions on a limited basis. This enables the Level 1 Juror to begin experiencing the judging process.

To become a Level 1 Juror the following criteria must be met:

• Perform at least two approved and evaluated front row judgings at OPPA competitions. 
  
• Must enter at least two OPPA or other PPA affiliate competitions during the past 12 months.
  

After this status is achieved, the Level 1 Juror can begin receiving real-world experience in the “hot seat” by being cycled through a competition juror panel on a limited, shared-seat (2 or more jurors-in-training alternating at each rotation) basis. Note: Neither OPPA merits (nor PPA merits) for judging are not granted to shared-seat judging.

Level 2 Juror

A Level 2 Juror may sit on a competition panel and perform the duties of a full juror. The Level 2 Juror will be evaluated and critiqued by the Jury Chair.

To become a Level 2 Juror the following criteria must be met:

• Be a Level 1 Juror for at least one year. 
  
• Be an OPPA member in good standing for at least one year.
• Serve as a Level 1 Juror on at least two competition panels.
  
• Receive at least two one-on-one evaluations from an active Jury Chair.
  
• Must compete in at least 2 OPPA competitions in the last 12 months.
  

Active Juror

An Active Juror may serve on unlimited OPPA competition panels with all of the rights and duties of a competition juror. Active Jurors may also begin the process of becoming a Jury Chair.

To become an Active Juror the following criteria must be met:

• Be a Level 2 Juror for at least a year.
  
• Judge at least three times at OPPA competitions (non-shared-seat judging)
  
• Earn the PPA Masters degree or the OPPA Associate Fellow of Photography degree.
  

To Maintain Active Juror Status

• Enter at least 1 OPPA/PPA Image Competition within the previous 12 months.
  
• Attend a juror refresher course within the previous 24 months/
  
• Judge in at least 1 OPPA/PPA competition in the previous 12 months.
  

Juror Selection is handled by the Juror Oversight Committee (JOC)

OPPA competition jurors will be selected from the following: OPPA active jurors, OPPA Jurors in training, PPA approved jurors and PPA jurors in training.