This thread is for discussing the article PPTQs - What to Expect by Brandon Borowicz

Editor's note - We on the articles team love for our hosted judge content to be useful beyond just judge education. We encourage you to share Brandon's insight with your communities/TOs and foster discussion for the upcoming PPTQ structure.

I'd like a little more perspective on negotiating fair compensation, and the implications of neglecting to do so.

I'll hope that Brandon will reply here as well, as he's very good at judge-TO relations. I'll throw in my 2 cents.

The implications of neglecting to negotiate fair compensation are basically these 2:

1. You don't get enough - you feel slighted and are reluctant to work with them again
2. You get too much - they feel slighted and are reluctant to work with you again

Negotiating fair compensation is a great topic that has come up a couple times with these types of articles. If anyone has good perspective, we'd really appreciate a good submission on how to approach the issue for those who haven't or could develop their skills.

My best advice is to engage in an open conversation and be honest. Any information you can provide (attendance and compensation for comparable events) helps give both parties perspective on numbers. If either party is nervous about discussing money, you need to address that and find a way to do so. It's business.

Yonatan,

I have hosted numerous events over the years such as Grand Prix Trials, PTQs, Prereleases & Star City Games events. Obviously this means I have had to put together judge staffs & determine how to pay them while being a judge myself (this can get awkward). In the past it was simple for organizers to pay judges because you would simply hand them a booster box, equivalent store credit, smaller cash value, or in the case of larger events judge foils. As you know this has all changed due to what has happened at larger events with judge foils not being given out except through the Exemplar Program. A reference for this can be seen with how events are compensating at the top:

(current advertisment for a GP hosted by Card Titan)
Judges will receive the following:
1 Current Booster Box per level per day
1 Compensation Unit per level per day
1 GP playmat (total not per day).
Examples:
A Level 3 that works 3 days will get:
9 Current Booster boxes
9 Compensation Units
1 Grand Prix Baltimore Playmat
A Level 2 that works 2 days will get:
4 Current Booster boxes
4 Compensation Units
1 Grand Prix Baltimore Playmat
A Level 1 that works 3 days will get:
3 Current Booster box
3 Compensation Unit
1 Grand Prix Baltimore Playmat
A Compensation Unit is your choice of either $75 cash, $100 in Cardtitan.com Store Credit, or a Current Booster Box. Judges choosing the cash option must fill out an appropriate tax form (typically a W-9) prior to receiving it. The cash option will be mailed as a check during the week following the event, no exceptions.

What this essentially breaks down to (if you consider that stores put a value of $75 wholesale on a booster box is the following:

Level 3: $45/hour
Level 2: $20/hour
Level 1: $15/hour

As an organizer (& Evan can attest to this) I find that great judges truly make a tournament & often this is where I spend the most on my events. If an individual decides to work for a store & agrees to work for a box then proceeds to work for 10 hours this is essentially working for $7.50 per hour not including travel, food/drinks. The main point I am trying to get across is that judges are paid for their expertise in rules knowledge first & then for the actual working of an event be sure not to sell yourself short. I understand it is always important to help a community but a judge should be compensated properly for their knowledge & especially if they are running events that require a judge.

The issue that I have seen in regard to judges not taking fair compensation has to deal with Judge A agreeing to help out a store & work for lets say $50 for an event. Then when Judge B comes along & tells the store he can work an event but they do not want to pay more than $50 because that is how the last guy did it. This type of action hurts everyone as Judge A doesn't get properly paid for services, Judge B is expected to work for less & the store has not learned the proper cost of compensation. Again I understand helping out communities but everyone has to be on the same page & receive proper compensation in order for the event to be great for everyone. The motto I have lived by is organizers need judges to run events, judges need organizers to host events, players need judges & organizers to play the game, & the game needs everyone to work.