Judge's Guide to Gymnastics Australia Women's Artistic Judging Ages 14+ 2026

From the Judge Accreditation Policy V1.5 (October 2021), the minimum age to enrol and the prerequisite for each course are:

• Beginner: 14 or older. No prior accreditation needed.
• Intermediate: 15 or older, and a Beginner accreditation (same gymsport) or an exemption from it.
• Advanced: 16 or older, and an Intermediate accreditation (same gymsport) or an exemption from it.
• Advanced Silver: 16 or older, and Advanced held for at least 12 months with at least five sanctioned events judged at Advanced level.
• High Performance (FIG Brevet): selected by expression of interest to attend a FIG judge course.

A new accreditation becomes active once your Technical Membership is current. If you are not already a Technical Member, GA applies the Technical Membership fee to your account within 15 days of registering you as having completed the Beginner course.

From the Judge Accreditation Policy V1.5 (October 2021):

• To gain any accreditation you complete all parts: attend the face-to-face course and successfully complete all assessment tasks, with no less than 80% for any one assessment task or section.
• If you do not complete every component, you have three months from the date of the initial face-to-face course to contact your State/Territory Association and complete the missing components. The first re-assessment is free. A second attempt incurs an administration fee set at the State/Territory's discretion.
• If you do not contact your State/Territory Association within the three months, you forfeit the right to re-sit and must re-enrol in the next course at the full fee.
• Anyone attending a face-to-face module that involves children must meet the relevant State or Territory Working With Children Check legislation. The host organisation of the module is responsible for making sure that is done.
• Courses are delivered by State/Territory Associations as training providers, using course material supplied by GA.

Possibly. The Judge Accreditation Policy V1.5 (October 2021) says a judge can be eligible for an exemption from the Beginner and Intermediate accreditations if they are a former gymnast, have extensive gymnastics knowledge, or have previous judging experience (locally or in another country). For Advanced and Advanced Silver, previous judging experience is the listed basis. You apply to your State/Territory Association.

Judges can also gain an accreditation through the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process if they hold a FIG Brevet. In most cases a judge enters the pathway at Beginner and moves up through each level.

From the Judge Accreditation Policy V1.5 (October 2021):

• The accreditation is only active while you are a current GA Technical Member.
• Renew Technical Membership every year online through the member portal (GOL). You get a renewal email one month before the renewal date. The fee is one annual amount combining the Gymnastics Australia and State/Territory Association fees.
• You must show evidence of professional development (updating) as described in the Updating Policy to be eligible to renew.
• When you renew you complete a Member Protection Declaration and acknowledge the Technical Member Obligations, Privacy Policy Declaration and Cancellation/Refund Policy. If you are unsure whether you need to disclose something, do not continue the renewal: contact childsafety@gymnastics.org.au or call GA on 03 8698 9700 to speak to the Integrity Team.
• You may be required to attend extra training when rules or judging change. If you do not reach the required level, you stop being accredited and can no longer judge.
• Insurance cover applies only while Technical Membership is current, for activities at affiliated clubs or GA/State sanctioned events.

From the Judge Accreditation Policy V1.5 (October 2021):

Advanced Silver: you must be 16 or older, have held the Advanced accreditation in the relevant gymsport for at least 12 months, and have judged at sanctioned events at Advanced level at least five times (an exemption needs the support of the State Gymsport Management Committee). You then attend the face-to-face course and score at least 80% on every assessment task or section. Advanced Silver is valid for up to four years, based on the Olympic cycle, and you re-accredit by attending another course each cycle unless advised otherwise.

High Performance (FIG Brevet): gained by passing a FIG judge course. To attend one you submit an expression of interest advertised through GA channels. GA decides who attends, working within FIG's criteria, in consultation with the Technical Director and Judging Coordinator of each National Commission, and its decision is final with no right of appeal. The brevet expires at the end of the year in which the summer Olympic Games is held. To renew, a judge passes a FIG course or downgrades to a lower accreditation. A judge from overseas holding a current FIG Brevet can apply to GA through the Recognition of Prior Learning process.

From the 2026 WAG Technical Regulations V1.1:

• International levels panels (Future, Developing and Senior International): qualified FIG Brevet judges and Advanced Silver judges. Other judging roles can be filled by Advanced judges.
• Australian Levels Program (ALP) panels at national events: qualified judges, with support roles (such as time and line) filled by Intermediate judges or higher. The minimum for support roles at the Australian Gymnastics Championships is Advanced.
• State/Territory events: a panel has a minimum of 2 qualified judges. Support roles can be done by qualified judges of any accreditation level.

At national events the National Judging Coordinator allocates panels in consultation with the National Technical Director, taking account of accreditation level, experience and declared conflicts of interest (for example, a judge with an International athlete may be allocated to Levels judging).

Under the 2026 WAG Technical Regulations V1.1:

Australian Gymnastics Championships (minimum judges per level entered by the State): VIC 4, NSW 4, QLD 4, WA 4, SA 3, ACT 3, TAS 2, NT 2. A State short of judges accredited at the relevant level can ask the National Judging Coordinator for an exemption before definitive entries close.

National Clubs Carnival: clubs must provide at least one judge per team per level with definitive entries. Clubs with two or fewer athletes in a level do not need to nominate a judge for that level. International levels are combined, so a club adds all its International athletes together to work out its requirement.

A club or State that cannot supply the required judges is charged a Judge Supply Levy as set out in the Event Bulletins (for the NCC, a judges fine). Judges must be nominated with definitive entries and be appropriately qualified and accredited.

This is the inquiry process for coaches at national events under the 2026 WAG Technical Regulations V1.1, which judges should know:

• What can be inquired: only an athlete's difficulty (D) score, or line and time deductions. Execution scores (including artistry) and comparisons between judges, panels, athletes or events are not accepted.
• Who: only a State/Territory Association or club coach for their own athlete. Each State (AGC) or club (NCC) nominates one coach per level to submit D score inquiries.
• How: give verbal notice to the National Technical Director or National Judging Coordinator, who provides the Inquiry Form. The form needs the competitor name, number, discipline and routine, plus the coach's name and signature.
• Timing: verbal notice by the end of the rotation. For the last gymnast of a rotation, before the first gymnast of the next rotation starts. For the last gymnast of the session, within one minute of the score being displayed. The written form is due within five minutes of the verbal notice.
• Outcome: the National Judging Coordinator responds, and a Jury (at least two of the National Technical Director, National Judging Coordinator and D1 of the apparatus, at AGC) can review it, including using the official video. Jury decisions are final.
• Fee: $200 per unsuccessful inquiry, invoiced after the event. At AGC each State gets four unsuccessful D score inquiries per level on Day 1 at no cost, and individual athletes additional to the State team have one on Day 2. At NCC there is no limit on D score inquiries. Line and time inquiries have no limit or cost.

The 2026 WAG Technical Regulations V1.1 set these requirements for judges at national events:

• Uphold Gymnastics Australia's National Policies and the Judges Oath, delivered at judges briefings or the opening ceremony: to officiate "with complete impartiality, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship".
• Be available for every session you are nominated to judge, and every session of a level if it is split across sessions.
• Complete the required GA integrity courses before the competition.
• Attend the judges' briefing and any other meetings listed in the Event Bulletins.
• Complete all pre-event requirements, including the Conflicts of Interest form and any event-specific online courses, presentations or webinars.

For serious incompetence or inappropriate behaviour, the National Judging Coordinator, National Technical Director, National Integrity Manager (or equivalent or delegate) or CEO (or delegate) can issue a Technical Member a formal warning. A second warning can lead to suspension from judging for the rest of the session or event. Warnings stay in effect for the whole event, and concerns are reported to Sport Integrity Australia under the National Integrity Framework.