on the Syracuse University campus until they are taken to the judging sites, they are involved in a complex auditing system.
Auditors work long hours every day making sure that the entries are correctly entered and that the Tally & Payment Forms are correct based on the number of entries sent by each publication.
Auditors will do almost anything to save an entry -- it's their job to make sure all entries are placed in the proper category if the rules are followed.
"We do everything we can to not disqualify entries," said Shamus Walker, who has directed the audit crew for the past 18 years.
"It's not our job to disqualify entries if they can be saved," Walker said. "We'll correct errors that publications make, if that's at all possible."
The audit will continue right up to judging time, but the audit is always finished before it's time to take the entries to the judging locations.
It takes hundreds of hours to complete the audit, according to Marshall Matlock, a professor emeritus at the Newhouse School and director of the SND competition since the event moved to Syracuse University. He began working with the competition when the School became co-sponsor 20 judgings ago.
It's been terrific to have the honor of directing the annual competition for SND, Matlock contends. Some years have been more exciting than others but "I can't talk about what made them exciting," he said. All judging discussions are confidential and, as such, are not repeated, he said.
This is the second year the World's Best-Designed™ judging has been covered on the Internet because of the confidential discussions that continually take place, Matlock said. Again this year the Web reporting team will take you inside the judging room visually but viewers will not receive audio. Matlock thinks this approach will give viewers an idea of how the judging is done.
A description of what's going on will be included on this page in hopes of helping the Internet audience to better understand the tedious work that goes into the judging.
Hopefully the streaming video will work without problems. If the video coverage does go down, Matlock said the coverage would continue with text and pictures. "We're going to make this work again this year," he said.
Streaming video from the judging sites began several years ago and while it's limited to one room it will give viewers an idea of what's taking place at the judging sites, he said.
The video feed for the WB judging will come from the Sheraton Syracuse University on SU's campus. The general judging feed will come from the University's golf club, Drumlins.
The above movie that was taken in 2006 is an attempt to show what's happening in the entry audit room.
