Which method of judging, the Point System or the Elimination System, do NQA judges prefer?
Answer – The Point System and the Elimination System are both popular judging methods used throughout the country. Although NQA doesn’t officially endorse one method over the other, most of its certified judges seem to prefer the freedom and flexibility of the Elimination System. In fact, that is the method used by the three-person team that judges the NQA Annual Show each June. Briefly, the Point System uses a predetermined set of maximum point values that must be considered for specific areas of design and construction. For example, no more than 20 points will be awarded for a quilt’s overall appearance, 10 for its use of color, 20 for its design, 10 for the quality of the quilting stitch, 10 for the borders, etc. The number of points usually adds up to 100. In this method, each quilt is judged on its own merits against the set of points. Problems arise when special or atypical quilts are among those being judged. For example, if the quilt has no borders, it automatically loses 10 po
