Participation in competitions and activities is a sign of holistic growth and development. Children learn to participate and involve themselves in various activities starting from their early education period. Children from all age groups take part in almost everything from giving examinations, tests, sports, art and craft, cultural activities, etc. Schools, colleges, universities, and the workplace hosts many competitions not to compete with one of the other contestants but, to give a sense of responsibility and sportsmanship. Participation implies engrossing oneself to think creatively and act wisely. Winning and losing are secondary.
Rules of Participation
Exploring the environment is very important and learning from the experiences is the most important principle of being a competitor. People from all age groups in their lives participated in one or the other competition. Also, they are judged based on performance and their abilities. Being fair and loyal is the most important rule of participation. It is a very difficult task for the host or the judge to make the judgment and to choose who is the best. Several factors have to be taken into consideration.
How Is Judgement Done?
Competitions involved various steps. From hosting the event, organizing and to declare the results is the most difficult process. Various factors are involved and interlinked as the capability of each talent has to be taken care of. Few organizers choose the judges’ panel to decide the winners, but few choose public voting as an option.
Public Voting
Voting is the most common form of the decision-making process. Individuals who are used to participating in various activities, including cultural, Sports, etc. have to cross various competitions to become winners. The various host of competitions choose public voting as an option to decide the winner. In this process, competitors are made for sharing their videos and media files publicly on various social media apps or sites. Those who will get more likes or comments are decided to be the winner, and those who couldn’t get adequate likes or comments may lose the race.
Sponsor or Commercialization
Sponsoring the event or competition is the act to support the event providing the organization financial help involving terms and conditions in return. This sponsoring of the event is called a sponsorship deal. As the internet is zooming with the game of likes and followers, all the organizations small or big need fan following and publicity. Various competitions are organized to achieve. For example, a preschool hosts a competition of fancy dress for toddlers. On one side, they are giving the participation certificates and winning momentos to the winners and on the other hand, they are solving dual purposes for themselves. One is to gain fame and name of their XYZ organization or institution. Second, they may arrange a competition free of cost once. Still, after getting a list of candidates, they can offer free admission charges or any discount with virtual coupons and take children for their preschool admissions. Thus this is one hand give and take the relationship from both sides. Again, they have a panel to choose the winner of the public voting as another option. Sponsorship can be individual, team, association, or event sponsorship depending on the need of the time. Many organizations, NGOs, etc., conduct these events for a social cause and don’t involve any monetary benefits. Mostly the activities, events, etc. are organized free of cost for the contestants.
Positive Aspects of Public Voting
Choosing public voting as an option to decide the winners, helps the organizers to increase their followings and likes. The more people visit the page or media files to view the content, the more is the increase in the subscribers and their page. This helps them to promote their business or services they provide. For example, hospitality sectors or play way schools organize art and craft competition free of kids’ cost. Some organizers charge nominal registration fees for hosting competitions depending on the type of activities being organized. They also provide e Certificates to mainly all the participants and other winning gifts or mementoes to the winners.
The process follows with the event’s advertisements followed by the call for the registration till the assigned date. After that, the entries are entertained and invited. With the checking of the entries, the judges’ panel decides the winners or public voting is chosen as an option to decide the winner. Sometimes the winners are chosen on a two-term basis where one winner is decided by the judges and the other one with the maximum number of likes. Choosing the winners is the most difficult task as every contestant is creative in themself. Then comes the prize and Certificates distribution.
Virtual Competitions and Contest
With the Corona pandemic’s outburst, various organizations and institutions have started virtual competitions and online contests to make lockdown and pandemic situations worth utilizing for children, adults, or any age group. There are various categories to perform virtually live or to make videos and submit online or through Google response form. Contestants take part while following the promotions on social media applications and enrol themselves with the choice to get at least the participation certificate. This gives a sense of participation and eagerness to get involved. On the one hand, the participants get motivated, but they get the chance to utilize their spare time in something useful. Various competitions are hosted like singing, dancing, instrumental, drawing and painting, fancy dress, etc.
Online platforms provide enough opportunities to the contestants to showcase their hidden talent, and virtually it has opened the way for the talents to come out. Either child from the junior or sub-junior category, seniors, elders, housewives, working, senior citizens almost everyone has a chance to choose the competition category or the opportunity according to their age groups. The best among all is selected and personified.
Negative Aspects of Public Voting
When the whole process of inviting and receiving the entries is completed, the next turn is the result’s declaration. For these judges, a panel is invited, and the best are shortlisted. On the other hand, few organizers choose Public voting as an option to choose the best. The public includes all knowing the content and without having any knowledge of the content. For example, if dance videos are uploaded on social media apps to be shortlisted or to gain maximum likes from the public, there are those people also who have zero knowledge of the dance forms or the dance style the contestant is trying to showcase. They can even like or dislike their performance as per their interests or moods. This will directly lead to the loss of votes. Even a single loss of vote will lead to the competition’s loss even if the candidate is deserving. This is somewhat a biased approach directly or indirectly.
Contestants participate in learning and gaining knowledge. Few participate to let them engrossed in something useful. Also, few have the dream to accomplish and win. But somehow, this negative aspect of asking and requesting likes is difficult as many of them may not have sufficient friends to ask for votes on their performance. This brings more following and subscribers for the organizers but loss for the contestants’ dream leading to socio-emotional breakdown and disturbance for many. The vigour to prove oneself and to show the world somehow may make them incomplete with shattered dreams.
Status of Judgments in Live Shows
Due to the corona pandemic, various virtual platforms are arranged by various institutions and organizations for all age groups to let the participants involve themselves in something useful and worthy. Earlier various live shows and talent hunt competitions take place regularly. The year 2020 brought everything to virtual mode. The live shows conducted every year have thousands of participants and contestants who come and showcase their creativity. Some contests are somewhat fixed or pre-decided where the winners are chosen based on prefix judgments, personalized decisions, etc. Modelling, singing, dancing shows, etc., are all judged based on public votings and selections. No matter who wins, the contestants have to win the hearts of many by asking for favours and votes.
Loss of Hope or New Beginning
Competitions and participation always come with new hopes and beginnings. For some, it is the loss of the race, and for others, it is a motivational pull to be participative in one or the other activity. Hoping for the best is still the answer from many participants. Asking for votes and claiming to win with this method is not always the best way to decide the best. As what is showcased by the participant in their perspective is good, not good or best in another’s perspective. No one is judged based on general public opinion, but proper analysis and judgment with experienced faculty and panel of judges are needed.
The loss of the competition is not the loss of hope but can be the new beginning to learn and continue, practice and experiment, experiment, and experience. Participation is very necessary for the development of body, mind, and soul. It helps in the development of responsibilities in an individual as well as the growth of learning and practising skills. Being optimistic and hopeful is the basic rule involved in this.
“Working hard and having a dream with the vision is the key to victory”!
