There are five judges who tour the sites and award points to each sculpture. The very first criterion is a 10-point maximum for the “WOW Factor”.
The next 40 points are awarded for Technical merits.
- Degree of difficulty
- Physical difficulty: Pushing structural limits of the ice. Sculptures whose construction requires much skill and knowledge of ice characteristics will score higher.
- Precision and surface finish. All surfaces should be complete. Joined pieces should be precisely fitted.
40 points available for Artistic Merit
- Balanced composition
- Appropriate proportions
- Emotional effect. Sculptures that express emotions in the subject will be scored higher than emotionally neutral ones
- Expression of movement. Expression of movement will be considered superior to static poses.
- Uses of detail
Last 10 points are given for originality
- Novel use of ice
- New subject matter
- New techniques advancing ice art.
The decision of the judges is final.