Judging Portal
Welcome!
Judging is an essential part of not only the competition but also the learning process, and we're excited for you to be a part of the magic!
As a judge, you will be making your impact on K-12 student learning by evaluating student submissions and leaving feedback. All you need is your computer/laptop, internet access, and approximately 30 minutes (concurrently or in separate sessions). Below, you'll find information about the competition, instructions, and rubrics for your reference.
If you have any questions about judging or at any point during the judging process, email us at escomp@gatech.edu!
The Real Thing Remix Competition
What is The Real Thing Remix Competition?
Sponsored by The EarSketch Team from Georgia Tech in collaboration with The Coca-Cola Company’s Real Thing Records, The Real Thing Remix Competition challenged students to share their real self by coding their own hit with EarthGang's beats on EarSketch to win an exclusive World of Coca-Cola experience for their class.
Between September 16 through October 22, 2025, high school students in the City of Atlanta remixed sounds in EarSketch and submitted their songs to the competition. Now, it's time to judge their remixes for creativity and musicality!
What is EarSketch?
EarSketch is a code-to-compose platform, where students code in Python or JavaScript to remix sounds in their Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). Students have access to over 4,000 sounds and can create/share their scripts to collaborate or share their music. EarSketch also supports student learning through the in-platform curriculum and API function library.
How is judging conducted?
Judging will be conducted through RocketJudge, a virtual e-ballot platform. To ensure each student submission is judged equitably, please read through the following 5-step instructions for judging.
1
Find your RocketJudge ballot in your inbox & click "Open Ballot" within the judging period (10/28-11/02) to automatically open to your unique web-based ballot. Your ballot will show a list of your assigned student entries.
Don't see your email invitation? Check your spam/junk folders or search for RocketJudge (@rocketjudge.com).
Still can't find it? Email us at escomp@gatech.edu.
2
Select one of your assignments to expand the entry details.
Each selection will include the EarSketch Digital Audio Workshop Music Player to play their remix, a description by the student about their song, and slider scales to score each criterion. Please allow 30 to 60 seconds for RocketJudge to fully load EarSketch in your ballot. Once EarSketch is completely loaded in your ballot, there will be a flashing play button. [1] Click the button to hear the song.
Having trouble connecting? RocketJudge recommends using Chrome or Firefox. Other browsers should be fine, though there have been some reported issues with Safari.
Having trouble with the audio? Try refreshing the page or clearing your cache.
Want to listen directly on EarSketch to view the DAW or code? [1] Click on "Click here to view in EarSketch", which will open EarSketch in a different window. [2] Click the green "run" button on the right side of the code editor. [3] Click on the green play "triangle" on the top of the digital audio workstation to play the song.
3
For each of your assigned student entries, listen to their remix and read their reflection.
4
Use the following criteria/rubric to evaluate the remix and reflection.
You will be able to rate each criteria on a scale from 1 to 5.
1 indicates no evidence of the criterion and 5 indicates excellent evidence of criteria (a winning entry).
5
Leave a comment :)
Written feedback can provide students with more context about their music. Remember, our competitors are K-12 students and young minds can easily get discouraged, so keep feedback constructive and positive!
Thank you
for sharing your time and expertise! We appreciate your help in creating opportunities to grow the creativity and skills of the next generation of music creators and computer scientists.
