For those looking for a fun (semi)local judging experience, check out the IBC. This year it's Friday+Saturday, July 13 & 14, in Indianapolis. I have gone the past two years and will likely go again (with "likely" changing to "definitely" if carpooling can be arranged) this year.
Perks:-$100 stipend for out of town judges
-Many very experienced judges and can be a great learning experience.
-Both homebrew and commercial categories
-Decent food
-The awards ceremony is lot of fun. Features catered dinner, tons of beer from Indy craft breweries and homebrew clubs
-Did I mention that stipend? If you find a cheap hostel (or hell, I camped at the fairgrounds one year) it more than covers travel costs.
For non-judges: got some medals from the Boneyard Brewoff for your pet beer? Throw it in the IBC and compete in a larger pool. Did your favorite homebrew not fair well in our local comp? Well, what the hell do we know, anyways?; see what a separate set of judges think.
The judge registration and entry registration are both at this link:https://exhibitorscorner.indianastatefair.com/. You'll have to create an account.
-Jackson