James,
Here is what is said about it from the MMSI show. Go to this link, then click onto the top section "Open System" and read the rest, much to long to post here.
http://www.mmsichicago.com/
JUDGING CRITERIA
The Chicago Show follows the International Judging Criteria as published in Campaigns #44. Copies of these criteria
are available upon request from the MMSI . One of the hardest things for newcomers to this system to understand is
how dioramas, vignettes, and single figures can be reasonably compared. The following excerpt from our "Instructions
for the Judges" may help to allay these misgivings:
Try to judge each piece on its own merits. Judge a diorama primarily for its success or failure as a diorama, and not so
much in terms of how much more work it represents than, say, a single foot figure. The difficulty of the job attempted
should certainly be a factor, but the sheer amount of work should not.
Grading the pieces on a scale of I - 100 or I - 10 might help. Ask yourself, "what is the modeler trying to do, how difficult
is it, and how well has he done it? What would I change if it were mine?" If you score the entries on this basis, you will be
surprised how easy it is to compare even the most dissimilar subjects.
You cannot be expected to judge the accuracy of such a wide variety of subjects, although a blatant error is bound to
shade your judgment. Generally, however, give the exhibitor the benefit of any doubt in such matters; he has done
more work on the figure than you have, and he just might be right. It is better to let a few culprits go free than to
penalize someone unjustly for research you were not aware of.
As a general rule of thumb, the best way to proceed is to go through your judging area, and pick the pieces that
impress you the most.
