Judges are professionals and should be paid as such. If we cannot treat each other and pay each other as professionals for our time, how indeed, can we expect our students and parents to treat us as such. It's easy to build in the cost of paying the judges in the entry fees and you will get far better judging if you can pay the judges for their hard work. After the Application Deadline After allowing 5-7 days after the application deadline for all entry forms to come in, figure out the performance schedule for the competitors. In preparing the competition schedule, be sure to allow more than enough time for each competitor to perform their music, for the judges to write their comments, and to provide occasional breaks for the judges.
Nothing can be worse than to have underestimated the performance and judging time for a contest.
You will have a back log of stressed out people waiting to perform and harried judges trying to keep up with the flow. To estimate the necessary time allotment per contestant, play through the contest music yourself at varying speeds, allow enough time for the student to get settled at the piano, and add in time for the judges to do their job. It often helps to let the judges know how much time you have allowed per student, so that they can gear their writing time accordingly. When sending confirmation information to the students, parents and teachers for the performance times, be as specific as possible. Clearly inform them that if they are late for their scheduled performance time, there is no guarantee that they will be heard.