What is this?
JudgeBoard is a curated directory of competitions actively looking for judges and mentors. We aggregate opportunities from across the web — hackathons, startup pitch competitions, industry awards programs, science and engineering fairs, and government grant review panels — into one browsable, filterable list.
Who is this for?
- Senior engineers and designers who want to give back to the developer community by mentoring the next generation.
- Professionals building immigration portfolios — if you're pursuing an O-1A visa or EB-1 green card, documented judging at recognized events is valuable evidence of extraordinary ability.
- Industry experts curious about evaluating cutting-edge projects, startups, scientific research, or business innovations in their field.
Competition Categories
We organize opportunities into five categories so you can find the right fit for your expertise and goals:
- Hackathon
- Time-boxed building events (typically 24-72 hours) where teams create projects from scratch. Judges evaluate demos on creativity, execution, and impact. Includes university hackathons, MLH events, and corporate hack days.
- Startup & Entrepreneurship
- Pitch competitions, accelerator programs, and business plan contests. Judges evaluate startup viability, market potential, and team strength. Includes MassChallenge, Rice RBPC, Hult Prize, and Techstars Startup Weekend.
- Industry Awards
- Professional recognition programs where expert panels evaluate nominations and submissions. High prestige and often relevant for immigration portfolios. Includes Stevie Awards, Webby Awards, Edison Awards, and CODiE Awards.
- Science & Engineering
- STEM fairs, research competitions, and robotics events with rigorous judging criteria. Judges evaluate scientific methodology, innovation, and technical execution. Includes Regeneron ISEF, FIRST Robotics, Science Olympiad, and VEX.
- Grant & Research Review
- Institutional funding panels where experts evaluate grant proposals and research applications. Very high stakes for applicants. Includes NSF SBIR, NIH peer review, and DOE merit review. Often compensated.
O-1A / EB-1 Immigration
Serving as a judge for hackathons and competitions can be used as evidence for the "Judging the work of others" criterion in O-1A visa and EB-1A green card applications. We flag opportunities that are particularly relevant — typically larger, well-known events with formal judging panels.
Look for the O-1A badge on listings. Always consult with an immigration attorney about your specific case.
Submit an Opportunity
Know of a competition, awards program, or review panel looking for judges or mentors? We'd love to add it. Email us with the event name, dates, location, and a link to the judge/mentor application page.
Submit via EmailFor Organizers
If you're organizing a competition, hackathon, or awards program and need judges or mentors, send us your event details and we'll add it to the directory. It's free.
About this project
JudgeBoard was built to solve a real problem: finding judging and mentoring opportunities is unreasonably difficult. Whether it's hackathons, startup competitions, science fairs, industry awards, or grant review panels — opportunities are scattered across dozens of platforms, Google Forms, social media posts, and email chains. We're fixing that with a simple, well-organized directory.
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