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.