Grand Prix Pittsburgh 2015

Welcome!

Thank you for your interest in judging at Grand Prix Pittsburgh. Below, you will find all of the information needed to apply for the Grand Prix. If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact our Judge Manager, John Alderfer at rodetryp@gmail.com. Should you have questions related to the event itself, please contact us at questions@professional-events.com.

The Head Judge for Grand Prix Pittsburgh will be Jason Lemahieu with support from Jared Sylva.

The format of this event is Modern.

The event will be November 20 – 22, 2015. The event will be held in beautiful downtown Pittsburgh at the David L Lawrence Convention Center.

We are looking for judges for Friday – Sunday. We will need judges for events starting at noon on Friday and 8:00 AM Saturday and Sunday. We expect Sunday to end around 10:00 PM. 

We are NOT in need of stage staff for this event.

Applications will be accepted until September 20, 2015 with the Grand Prix Pittsburgh staff to be announced shortly thereafter. If an earlier notification of your application's status would facilitate making travel plans, please contact us at rodetryp@gmail.com once you have submitted your application.

Expectations

Judges at this Grand Prix are expected to prepare for the event by reviewing the Comprehensive Rules, Magic Tournament Rules, Infraction Procedure Guide, and Judging at Regular REL documents. These documents can be found at the Magic: The Gathering Document Center. Our expectation is for all staff members to act in a professional manner at all times.

Being on staff as a judge is more than making rulings. You may be asked to manage a line, push in chairs, clean trash off tables, hand out prizes, etc., etc. Flexibility is a necessity for judging.

Judges are expected to arrive in time and in appropriate attire to begin judging at the start of their assigned shifts. The Head Judge will be arranging main event shifts for Saturday and Sunday and Professional Event Services will assign the Friday schedule.

Judges at this Grand Prix will be in Magic Judge Program attire of Official Magic Judge shirt, black pants, black belt, and black shoes. You should select your shoes knowing that you will be on your feet a considerable portion of your shift. Judges when not on duty, should refrain from wearing Judge shirts.  If you need a shirt with the current Magic Judge logo, please indicate that in your application.

Compensation

Playmats 

Every Judge who works at least a day with us at Grand Prix Pittsburgh will receive the exclusive Steve Argyle Judge 2015 playmat. Every Judge who works two days or more will receive that mat plus the Grand Prix participation mat (Goblin Guide) from the event and one Grand Prix VIP/Side Event mat by Ryan Yee from the event.

Per Day

Judges will receive the following compensation program determined by their level:

Level 1 judges will receive $50.00 and 1 booster display per day worked.

Level 2 judges will receive $150.00 and 2 booster display per day worked.

Level 3+ judges will receive $300.00 and 3 booster displays per day worked.

Note:  L3+ judges will be provided the option to have their product shipped domestically at no additional cost.  

Please Note

All judges receiving payment for this event will need to fill out the appropriate tax paperwork (W-9 for US citizens and W-8BEN for others) and submit it onsite.  There will be no witholding onsite.  PES will be providing a $20 food stipend from the above in cash each day worked, with the remainder of the payment to be provided by check at the end of the weekend.

Standby

Standby judges are a special sponsorship class.  Standby judges may not be used to judge at all at the event.  If you are selected as a standby judge, you will be informed if you are needed to judge on Saturday and/or Sunday by Friday night.   If you work the event, you will receive the compensation package described above.  If you are not selected to judge, your portion of the Grand Prix entry fee will be covered by PES (registration is a base event entry).   

Hotel Block

PES has set up a room block for the event at: 

THE WESTIN CONVENTION CENTER

A MEMBER OF THE STARWOOD SALES ORGANIZATION

1000 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh PA 15222

T 412.560.6357 

Here is a link to the website to book your room:  https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/magicgathering

How to Apply

Simply click on the "Apply Now!" link toward the top of the page. Please answer all of the questions in the application form.

Note: If your judge level is currently incorrect on JudgeApps when you apply please mention this in your application.

Due to staff needs, judges may be accepted for one, two or three days. Please indicate your preference, and requirements to attend, in your application.

Judge Certification

Magic Judge Program certification for Level 2 is available at this Grand Prix.

Judges who wish to be considered for testing for Level 2 must apply to the event and email your judge testing request to our Judge Manager John Alderfer at rodetryp@gmail.com.