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I had the opportunity last week to serve as a judge for the Society of National Association Publications' EXCEL Awards, intended to recognize the best association publications--entries ranged from magazine covers to single-issue publications to blogs. Last year I served as a "virtual" judge, reading entries electronically and holding the judging discussion via conference call, but this year was the first year I volunteered as an in-person judge. It was a great and very interesting experience, and I thought I'd share a few thoughts about it:

1. Wow, motivated volunteers can get a lot done. There were 60 judges there, and we considered 800 entries in a day of work. (Another 450 entries were judged virtually.) The room was buzzing for hours as editors and designers passionately debated the merits of particular publications. And we got it all done before our scheduled quitting time.

2. Everyone who applies for an award should serve as a volunteer judge, somewhere, at least once. In a past life I was in charge of coordinating a much smaller awards program, but being a judge is a whole different experience, and it taught me a lot about what is effective for catching judges' eyes (as an award applicant) and what isn't. Not to mention the fact that I learned a lot from the other publications people on my judging team.

3. It doesn't matter what your association does--you can still write interesting, engaging stories about it. We judged entries on all kinds of topics that inherently weren't very interesting to me--but the right writers can make an article compelling no matter what it's about. I've always believed that, but I really saw it in action as I was judging.

4. It's important to take time to volunteer in this way. I love my job, but taking a day off to work with and talk to a group of people who love the same things I do was energizing. Thanks to SNAP for giving me the opportunity to recharge!