Does peer review count as judging?

Yes, reviewing peers' work is the classic judging form for scientists. Confirmation from the journal or the review system matters. See the community question on judging via reviews for the details.

I judged a student hackathon. Will it count?

By chat experience - unlikely as strong evidence: the criterion is about assessing the work of established professionals in your field. Judging course students' training projects is rated weak by members and lawyers alike.

I was competitively selected as a judge. Is that judging or an award?

The judging itself goes to the judging criterion, and the competitive selection is a good extra recognition fact - attach the selection documents. Do not turn it into an award: awards must be for outstanding achievement, not for a role.

How many judging episodes are needed?

There is no quota: the event's weight and the documentation beat the count. One sustained track (say, a journal reviewer with a review history) is stronger than three one-off questionable juries.

Where to find judging for O-1 / EB-1A: 4 real paths

Updated: September 9, 2026Author: Alina Kanametova

What counts under the judging criterion is covered on the criterion page. This page answers the question the community asks more often: where to actually GET judging. Four paths members really used, how to document them, and which schemes to avoid.

The paths and judgments below are chat-member experience (2025), not a guarantee. Paid turn-key judging is a risk to the whole case: officers recognize templated schemes, and the event's quality is tested at the final-merits stage.

1. Peer review for journals

The working path for degree holders: field journals take reviewers based on a CV. By member reports, out of a couple dozen emails to editorial offices only a few reply - that is normal, write broadly. BE CAREFUL with "reviews in exchange for your articles" offers: a quid pro quo undermines the thing the officer values most - the independence of your selection as an expert.

2. Hackathons and professional contests

Hackathon and industry-contest juries are a common judging source in IT and adjacent fields. Two chat rules: you must judge the work of PROFESSIONALS, not students of training courses, and the event's standing must be proven - "judging by itself gives little, you have to show the hackathon's status".

3. Industry-award juries

Members did land juries of international industry awards - including via PR contractors. Honesty beats speed here: paid "insertion" into juries, and contests selling a "nomination + publications + judging" bundle for serious money, are called questionable in the chats - officers recognize these patterns, and a weak event drags the whole case down.

4. Expert committees and selection panels

Judging is not only contests: assessing others' work on selection and expert committees (grants, hiring panels for specialists, agency and corporate competitions) also fits the criterion - if you evaluated the work of people in your field and it is documented.

How to document judging

The set members actually filed (and that worked in RFE responses): the contest regulations, the jury's composition and standing, an organizer letter about your role, and media coverage of the event. For peer review - journal confirmations or review-system records with your name and dates.

FAQ

Does peer review count as judging?: Yes, reviewing peers' work is the classic judging form for scientists. Confirmation from the journal or the review system matters. See the community question on judging via reviews for the details.
I judged a student hackathon. Will it count?: By chat experience - unlikely as strong evidence: the criterion is about assessing the work of established professionals in your field. Judging course students' training projects is rated weak by members and lawyers alike.
I was competitively selected as a judge. Is that judging or an award?: The judging itself goes to the judging criterion, and the competitive selection is a good extra recognition fact - attach the selection documents. Do not turn it into an award: awards must be for outstanding achievement, not for a role.
How many judging episodes are needed?: There is no quota: the event's weight and the documentation beat the count. One sustained track (say, a journal reviewer with a review history) is stronger than three one-off questionable juries.