It seems that a few Committee Members have been approached in order to establish the criteria fof Judging the Tarantula Competition (strangely, myself, Paul Carpenter or Andrew Smith have not - and we actually do the judging......!).
So I thought I would give some guidance on what we are looking for.
I can state categorically that a tarantula WILL NOT win simply because it is rare.
What we are looking for is simply an excellent example of the genus/species. It should be in pristine condition - no bald abdomens, rubbed areas on the legs and no lumps or bumps apart from where they should be (e.g. Ceratogyrus).
Please also bear in mind that if your spider is coming up for a moult, it may look a little "drab" when compared to the freshly-moulted specimen in the box next to it.
As has been stated before, your spider should be in a clear box so that it may be viewed by the judges from all angles.
Finally, judging the Competition is by it's very nature, very subjective. Everyone has a different opinion on what constitutes a great tarantula and it is very rare that all three of us unanimously agree on the specimen that ultimately becomes Best In Show. However, one with the majority will win. The decision of the judges is final, there is no right of appeal and if you are unhappy with any of the decisions we make, by all means come and politely ask me, Paul or Andrew (there's little point in asking any of the other Committee Members as they have nothing to do with the judging process!) about it.
If you have any more questions, please post them here.
So I thought I would give some guidance on what we are looking for.
I can state categorically that a tarantula WILL NOT win simply because it is rare.
What we are looking for is simply an excellent example of the genus/species. It should be in pristine condition - no bald abdomens, rubbed areas on the legs and no lumps or bumps apart from where they should be (e.g. Ceratogyrus).
Please also bear in mind that if your spider is coming up for a moult, it may look a little "drab" when compared to the freshly-moulted specimen in the box next to it.
As has been stated before, your spider should be in a clear box so that it may be viewed by the judges from all angles.
Finally, judging the Competition is by it's very nature, very subjective. Everyone has a different opinion on what constitutes a great tarantula and it is very rare that all three of us unanimously agree on the specimen that ultimately becomes Best In Show. However, one with the majority will win. The decision of the judges is final, there is no right of appeal and if you are unhappy with any of the decisions we make, by all means come and politely ask me, Paul or Andrew (there's little point in asking any of the other Committee Members as they have nothing to do with the judging process!) about it.
If you have any more questions, please post them here.
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