A curated list of opportunities to judge your peers if you're a dev. Serving as a judge or reviewer for any of the following competitions should help you qualify for the judging requirement of the US O-1A visa / EB-1 green card. But in this case, make sure that you're going to be (1) evaluating other professionals in your field (e.g. college hackathons don't count), and (2) your opinion is used to influence which participants win.
DISCLAIMER: This list is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. Serving as a judge for these opportunities does not guarantee qualification for any visa or immigration benefit. Immigration requirements can change, and individual cases vary significantly. Always consult with a qualified immigration attorney for advice specific to your situation. The maintainers of this list make no representations about the immigration benefits of these judging opportunities.
Description: Recognizes and awards the best organizations from around the world in areas such as technology, education, etc.
Frequency: Biannual.
Judging: To enrol as a judge, fill out an application, complete their judging course, and pass an interview. Expect 1-2 weeks to get an accept/reject decision after application submission.
Description: Honors business excellence in companies across multiple categories including technology, leadership, innovation, and customer service.
Frequency: Annual.
Judging: You can apply here.
Description: Peer-recognized awards for technology professionals, established by the Software & Information Industry Association, that honor excellence in software, education technology, and digital content.
Frequency: Annual.
Judging: You can apply here, but even if you're approved to be a judge, there's no guarantee you will receive any assignments.
Description: International business awards that recognize professional excellence across multiple categories and programs.
Frequency: Annual, but each category has its own timeline.
Judging: Application link.
Description: Recognizing the best tech startups, managers, and employers across North America.
Frequency: Annual.
Judging: Application link.
Description: An online hackathon aggregator.
Frequency: At any given moment, you can find dozens of ongoing or upcoming hackathons.
Judging: Each hackathon administers its own judging process, but you can contact the organizers of a hackathon (a contact email is usually public on the hackathon page) to volunteer yourself as a judge. Here's a link to the platform.
Description: lablab.ai is an online platform that organizes AI-themed hackathons.
Frequency: At any instant, there's atleast one active hackathon.
Judging: The platform uses a centralized judging process for its community hackathons (as opposed to the corporate-sponsored ones), and leverages its team of volunteer mentors to score hackathon projects. You can apply to be a mentor using this form. Once you've submitted an application, expect a handful of interviews (you might have to take the initiative to schedule them) before being onboarded.
Description: Major League Hacking (MLH) is another online platform that organizes and supports hackathons worldwide. It provides resources, mentorship, and tools to organize and participate in programming competitions and learning events, while also offering workshops, mini-events, and fellowship programs to help people develop technical skills and connect with the technology industry.
Frequency: The platform is very active, with several hackathons that are live or upcoming (but most hackathons cater to college and high school students).
Judging: They have a central judging process with a rolling cast of judges. You can apply using this form.
Description: A US government funding program operated by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Small Business Administration (SBA), providing early-stage grants to small businesses and startups.
Frequency: Applications are accepted year-round.
Judging: Sign-up to become a reviewer.
Description: Nonprofit organization based in St. Louis, Missouri that provides equity-free grants to early-stage startups willing to relocate or maintain operations in St. Louis. The program aims to build St. Louis' startup ecosystem by attracting and retaining entrepreneurs, offering not just funding but also pro bono support services, mentorship, and connections to the local business community.
Frequency: Annual
Judging: Requires filling out an application, and then passing an interview. Once accepted, there's no guarantee that you'll be assigned proposals to review if the judigng panel is full.
Description: A startup accelerator program that provides funding, mentorship, networking opportunities, and access to investors.
Frequency: Bi-Annual
Judging: You can request to be a judge for their pitch competitions through their contact form.
Description: A global nonprofit startup accelerator that's equity-free and zero-cost to participants. It provides mentorship, office space, access to corproate partners and investors, resources, and prize money (for top performers only). It's composed of various programs, some industry-specific (eg. healthtech) or region-specific.
Frequency: Have several programs with different timelines.
Judging: Apply to be an expert and if selected, you can submit your interest to judge particular competitions, but there's no guarantee you'll be selected.
Description: A startup accelerator aimed at supporting the growth of the tech ecosystem in Canada. It focuses on helping early-stage technology companies grow and scale, providing mentorship and coaching, office space and resources, access to networks and potential investors, and business development support.
Frequency: Applications are accepted year-round.
Judging: You can offer to be a mentor through their contact form, and you may or may not get a chance to judge one of their pitch competitions.