Code of Conduct for GCCF Judges

Non-compliance with this code may be considered to be discreditable conduct under Article 12(1)b of the GCCF Byelaws.

1. Judges and Exhibits

a) Judges shall make the care, comfort, health and safety of the cat their priority at all times.


b) Judges must personally handle all exhibits entered under them to assess muscle tone and weight for their size.


c) Cats should be handled gently and not scruffed unless it is essential either to prevent the cat from escaping, or in self-defence. Care should be taken when examining tails; Judges should confine their examination of the tail to a firm but gentle examination by running the fingers down the tail to identify any obvious and probably fixed deviation. Should any minor swellings or knobbly growths be encountered, these should not be classed as a fixed deviation and therefore not come within the withholding instruction. Unless the circumstances are very unusual, both Full and Probationer Judges should come to their own conclusion as to the structure of the tail and avoid consultation and extra handling by other persons.


d) If using aids to attract the attention of cats during judging, ensure that these do not come into contact with the cats' mouths, to avoid the risk of infection being passed in saliva to other exhibits.


e) If a cat is unwilling to be handled after a reasonable attempt, it should not be judged.


f) Any cat not removed from its pen must be marked "Not judged".


g) In the event of the cat causing an injury, to a judge or their steward, great care should be taken to cover wounds quickly to prevent spillage of blood until such time as the wound can be washed and treated appropriately. All incidents of biting and/or scratching MUST be reported to the Show Manager. Medical attention should be sought for a serious bite or scratch; Show Managers can provide a letter from the GCCF to give information to nurses/doctors when the injury is assessed.


2. Judges and Show Management

a) Judges should not solicit judging engagements at specific shows.


b) Judges should reply promptly to invitations to judge and to requests for hotel accommodation information; changes to requirements should be notified to the Show Manager as soon as possible.


c) Once an engagement has been accepted a contract exists between the Judge and the Club concerned which should only be altered by mutual agreement. In the event of a cancellation becoming inevitable, the other party should be notified immediately. The Judge should also notify their Steward.


d) Show Managements normally pay travelling expenses, justifiably incurred, on show day in cash or by cheque, whichever is preferred. It is helpful to notify the Show Manager if cash is required as early in the day as possible. If there is any doubt about the scale of expenses to be claimed, the Show Manager should be consulted prior to the show, before making a claim that might cause embarrassment.


e) Accommodation, if provided, can sometimes be unsatisfactory. If there is any complaint about the accommodation, or any other facility provided by the host club, please make such matters known to the Show Management, so that they can take action where necessary to prevent a similar occurrence.


f) All queries on the day of the Show should be addressed to the Show Management and not table workers.


3. Judges and Exhibitors

a) Judges should not travel to shows in a private vehicle with exhibitors who have entered under them in Breed, Grand, Imperial Grand, Olympian, Intermediate, Assessment classes or for BOB etc.


b) Judges should not accept invitations to judge Breed, Grand, Imperial, Olympian, Intermediate or Assessment classes at shows if they have judged the same classes at shows in the same geographical vicinity within 3 months. Judging the same classes two weeks in succession is allowed. Failure to comply with this causes great disappointment and persistent failure could lead to disciplinary action. It is the responsibility of the Judge to keep an accurate diary to prevent bookings overlapping.


c) A Judge must remember that he or she represents the GCCF in the eyes of the public and must behave at all times in such a manner as to be above reproach. A Judge must behave diplomatically at all times, especially in dealings with other judges, show officials and exhibitors. Dress should be suitable for a judging engagement, including a clean white coat and no articles should be worn that might alarm or harm cats.


d) A Judge should discourage conversation with exhibitors before his or her judging engagement is completed, but should normally be available at the end of judging to answer questions from exhibitors.


e) Mobile phones should be on 'silent' and not used in the show hall.


4. Judges and Stewards

a) Judges shall participate in the training of stewards by imparting their knowledge, expertise, advice on handling different breeds and points of judging etiquette etc.


b) Judges should complete relevant certificates and return them promptly to the Guild of GCCF Judges/BAC Secretary etc. unless they have informed the candidate that they do not wish to complete such a certificate.


5. Judges and their Fellow Judges

a) Judges undertaking side classes should always ask permission to proceed if a Breed/Grand/Imperial Grand/Olympian/Intermediate or Assessment class judge requires the cat at that time.


b) Judges should not offer unsolicited opinions to fellow judges.


c) Judges should not confer with other judges whilst judging Best in Show. (Council 20.10.93)


d) Judges are expected to co-operate with BAC's to participate in the training of Probationer Judges by giving Tutorials and assessing candidates when practical.


6. Judges and the GCCF

a) Judges must know and comply with the GCCF Byelaws and Rules and should keep themselves informed of any changes to the Rules and Standards of Points.


b) Judges are expected to subscribe to updates on the GCCF website; seek information from affiliated clubs or BAC Secretaries and attend Seminars in order to keep up to date.


c) Judges should submit reports to the GCCF Webmaster within 28 days of a show (or as agreed by Council). The show report must be submitted to the website prior to copying elsewhere.


7. Certificates

Certificates should only be awarded if the cat is considered to be of sufficiently high quality for that level, not just because it is lacking any withholding faults.


a) Merit Certificates


Awarded at Championship shows to cats of breeds with Preliminary recognition which conform sufficiently to their Standard of Points to be considered an asset to the breed.


a) Intermediate Certificates


Awarded to cats of breeds with Provisional recognition only if the cat is of sufficient quality to be awarded a Challenge/Premier Certificate.

 

c) Challenge/Premier Certificates


After placing the cats in a Breed Class, the Judge should consider whether the 1st placed cat is of sufficient overall quality to warrant the title Champion or Premier before awarding a certificate.


d) Grand Challenge/Premier Certificates


To be awarded a Grand Challenge or Grand Premier Certificate, a cat should be of even higher overall quality than the expectation for a Champion or Premier.
NB. A Reserve Grand Challenge or Reserve Grand Premier certificate winner should also be worthy of the title "Grand" in its own right as it will move up should the Grand winner be disqualified.


e) Imperial Grand, Reserve Imperial Grand and UK Grand Certificates


An Imperial Grand Certificate should only be awarded to cats of exceptional quality.


NB. A Reserve Imperial certificate winner should also be worthy of the title Imperial Grand Champion or Imperial Grand Premier in its own right as it will move up should the winner be disqualified.


f) Olympian Certificates


An Olympian Certificate should only be awarded to cats of outstanding type, conformation, colour, pattern etc. It should virtually be a perfect example of its breed at its best, with the overall quality and "show presence" that would deserve a "Best in Show" award.


NB. A Reserve Olympian certificate winner should also be worthy of the title in its own right as it will move up should the winner be disqualified.