Judgement Rules

Art. 1. Fundamental Principles

The jury activity is governed by the following principles: independence of evaluation; artistic excellence; procedural rigor; consistency and proportionality of scoring; confidentiality and professional ethics .

All evaluations must reflect a balanced integration of technical, stylistic, and artistic criteria specific to classical vocal performance.

Art. 2. Structure and Functioning of the Jury

The jury is composed of a President and an odd number of members, ensuring decisional balance.

The jury operates: individually during scoring; collectively only in structured deliberation sessions, when required.

No informal consultation between members is permitted during the scoring phase.

Art. 3. Duties of Jury Members

Each jury member shall:

1. evaluate independently, using the official scoring grid;

2. ensure proportionality between performance quality and assigned score;

3. avoid score clustering (uniform scoring without differentiation);

4. provide full attendance across assigned competition stages;

5. declare conflicts of interest in advance;

6. comply with all procedural instructions issued by the President.

Art. 4. Duties of the President of the Jury

The President ensures procedural coherence and has extended supervisory authority:

1. validates scoring procedures at each stage;

2. monitors statistical distribution of scores;

3. identifies anomalous scoring patterns (extreme deviations, inconsistencies);

4. authorizes corrective procedures (Art. 6–7);

5. moderates deliberations when necessary;

6. exercises the deciding authority in tie-breaking situations;

7. formally certifies final rankings.

Art. 5. Scoring System

Each performance is evaluated on a 100-point scale:

• Technical: 40 points

• Stylistic: 40 points

• Artistic: 20 points

Scores must be expressed as whole or half points (e.g., 8.5, 9.0, 9.5).

Art. 6. Elimination of Extreme Scores

To ensure objectivity and minimize subjective bias, the following procedure applies:

• For each candidate, the highest and lowest scores awarded by the jury are automatically eliminated;

• The final score is calculated as the arithmetic mean of the remaining valid scores.

Exceptions:

• If the jury consists of fewer than 5 members, extreme scores are not eliminated, and all scores are averaged;

• If multiple identical extreme values exist, only one highest and one lowest score are removed.

Art. 7. Control of Score Deviations (Advanced Mechanism)

A significant discrepancy is defined as:

• a difference greater than 20 points (out of 100) between two scores for the same candidate;

or

• a score that deviates by more than 15 points from the calculated median.

In such cases, the President may:

1. request written or verbal justification from the concerned jury member;

2. order a re-evaluation of the performance;

3. decide the exclusion of the anomalous score from the final calculation;

4. convene a formal deliberation session.

Art. 8. Tie-Breaking Procedure

In the event of identical final scores affecting ranking or prize allocation:

1. priority is given to the candidate with the higher Technical score;

2. if equality persists, the Stylistic score is considered;

3. if still unresolved, the President of the Jury exercises the casting vote.

The President’s decision is final and binding.

Art. 9. Deliberation Protocol

Deliberation sessions may be initiated only by the President and are limited to:

• tie-breaking situations;

• major score discrepancies;

• prize allocation decisions.

Deliberations are conducted in a structured and moderated format.

Art. 10. Conflict of Interest

Jury members must abstain from evaluating candidates with whom they have:

• a current or recent pedagogical relationship;

• ongoing artistic collaboration;

• personal relationships affecting impartiality.

Such cases are managed exclusively by decision of the President.

Art. 11. Confidentiality and Integrity

All scoring data, deliberations, and internal communications are strictly confidential.

Unauthorized disclosure constitutes a breach of professional ethics.

Art. 12. Final Authority

All jury decisions are final.

The jury reserves the right:

• not to award prizes;

• to divide prizes;

• to grant special distinctions.