GUIDELINES FOR THE DUTIES AND ACCREDITATION OF JURORS IN
FIP WORLD AND SPECIALISED EXHIBITIONS
CHAPTER I
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
Article 1: Introduction
1.1 These General instructions cover the administrative procedures for the implementation of the FIP program for Jurors, Team Leaders, Experts and Jury Secretary and for apprentices in the FIP World- and Specialized Exhibitions with FIP Patronage or Auspices, in accordance with articles 33.1, 38.3, 39.2 and 41.2 of the GREX.
1.2 They do not apply to exhibitions for which only Recognition has been granted but the relevant provisions are recommended for use at such exhibitions.
1.3 The following Articles cover, inter alia, the following :
- Accredited jurors, general provisions
- Apprentice jurors, requirements
- Apprentice jurors, form of nomination
- Apprentice jurors, accreditation
- Accredited jurors, cross accreditation
- Accredited jurors, privileges, responsibilities and limitations
- Team leaders, responsibilities
- Team leaders, apprenticeship
- Jury Secretary, responsibilities
- Jury Secretary, apprenticeship
- Expert Group team leader, responsibilities
- Expert Group, members
- Jury Presidents, duties
CHAPTER II
ACCREDITED JURORS
Article 2: Period of Service
2.1 Jurors shall remain on the accredited list for a period of ten years after which they may be required to be reassessed unless:
- they have served at least twice in the previous eight years
2.2 Reassessment shall be carried out by the Commission Chairman or his nominee and shall ensure that the juror is familiar with current GREX, GREV, SREV and Guidelines for the disciplines in which he is qualified.
2.3 Jurors who fail reassessment shall be required to attend a seminar in the discipline for which they are accredited and to be interviewed by the Commission President or his nominee and, if thought necessary, judge selected exhibits.
Article 3: Newly accredited jurors
3.1 A report by the Team Leader endorsed by the Jury President shall be submitted on the first occasion a newly accredited juror serves as a full member of a jury. This shall cover the competence and diligence of the juror.
Article 4: Retirement of jurors
4.1 A juror who has been delisted by his National Federation shall be automatically delisted. He may only be reinstated by serving as an Apprentice Juror on the nomination of his National Federation.
4.2 A juror who fails to take the actions required in 2.1 above within two years shall be delisted.
4.3 A juror who does not serve nor is proposed for service by his National Federation in a period of 11 years shall be delisted.
4.4 A juror over the age of 70 who has not been nominated at least once during the subsequent four calendar years shall be asked if he wishes to be deemed to have retired.
Article 5: Juror Emeritus
A new category is established for senior jurors who have served a minimum of 6 times who may apply to be placed on the Emeritus list. Such Juror Emeritus would not be considered for service as full jury members but may serve as Senior Consultants. This is considered to be an honor and shall not be granted automatically. The FIP Board may nominate jurors who have not served the minimum number of times for this distinction.
Article 6: Cross accreditation
Service in a different jury group to that in which he is accredited does not qualify a juror in that discipline. He shall be required to qualify as set out in Chapter IV below.
Article 7: Team Leaders
Service as an acting Team Leader does not qualify a jury member to become an approved Team leader. He shall be required to qualify as set out in Chapter VI below.
Article 8: Expert Group
8.1 Service as a member of the Expert Group does not qualify an accredited Jury member as a regular Expert Group member. He shall be required to qualify as set out in Chapter VIII below.
8.2 Approved persons who serve as a regular or additional member of a FIP Expert Group may not describe themselves as an Expert unless they are an accredited member of the AIEP or a recognized National Expertising body. In any case they may not describe themselves as ‘FIP Expert’.
Article 9: Jury Secretary
Service as Assistant Secretary at a FIP jury shall not qualify a FIP accredited juror as a future Jury Secretary unless he has been previously nominated as Jury Secretary Apprentice and passes the evaluation required under Article F.1.2 or the FIP Board deems him to be suitable to act as Jury Secretary.
Article 10: Disciplinary Measures
10.1 A juror who breaks the confidentiality requirement shall be automatically delisted. This applies to any information on jury deliberations given while the jury is in session.
10.2 A juror who reveals the nature of discussions during jury sessions subsequent to the end of jury work may be delisted. Jurors who take part in the exhibitor seminars, which are recommended features of exhibitions, should take care not to reveal disagreements or other matters confidential to the working of the jury.
Article 11: Appeals against Disciplinary measures
Appeals against disciplinary measures enacted by the FIP Board can only be lodged by a National Federation on behalf of the alleged offender. Any appeal must be accompanied by mitigating information. The appeal will be heard by a panel drawn from the FIP Board and chaired by a former President or his nominee.
CHAPTER III
APPRENTICE JUROR
Article 12: Requirements
12.1 To serve as an Apprentice at a FIP Exhibition an Apprentice Juror shall:
a) Have been an exhibitor in a FIP exhibition and must have received at least Vermeil Medal within the last 10 years from the application date in his specific selected Competitive Class.
b) Have served as a juror in at least two national exhibitions or of equivalent standing.
c) Know at least one of the FIP recognized languages, and have proficiency in English
d) Preferably be under sixty years at the date of the nomination.
e) Preferably have served as an apprentice juror or juror in at least one Continental Exhibition.
f) Have attended and actively participated in at least one seminar in the required class.
g) Have an understanding of all of the FIP recognized branches of philately.
h) Be fully conversant with the GREX, GREV, SREVs and Guidelines and be prepared to implement them.
Article 13: Nominations
13.1 The FIP Board will ask for nomination of apprentice jurors from FIP Members two years in advance. This will be updated annually but nominations received after 1st of January in a calendar year will not be considered until the following year.
13.2 No more than one apprentice nominated by a FIP Member may serve in a World Exhibition. The host FIP Member is entitled to nominate a second apprentice when the maximum number of apprentices per jury has not been reached.
13.3 FIP Members are entitled to nominate an individual apprentice for more than one exhibition or more than one apprentice to serve at an individual exhibition to give the FIP Board greater flexibility in allocating nominations. If more than one apprentice is nominated for a particular exhibition they should be qualified in different disciplines.
13.4 All nomination must come with the following documents (application form under “Application”):
a) A copy of the official publications (Bulletin, catalogue and/or palmares) of the two exhibitions where he has qualified and/or has acted as a national jury member or equivalent. This copy must be certified by the Member Federation.
b) The form prepared by the FIP so as to propose the candidates must be correctly completed in all its points, signed by the candidate and the President or Secretary of the Member Federation.
c) The Organizing Committee, with the advice and consent of the FIP Consultant may select Apprentice Jurors only from the nominations made by FIP Members. The selection must be approved by the FIP Board before the apprentice is invited to serve.
d) A maximum of one Jury Apprentice may be attached to each judging team but normally only one apprentice will be attached to each class.
Article 14: Accreditation
14.1 Apprentices can only be accredited initially in the class in which they have obtained their qualifying medal, except Youth and Literature Class. A juror initially accredited in Youth or Literature who wishes to qualify in another philatelic class must first apprentice and seek the qualification only in that class in which the original qualifying medal has been received.
14.2 During the jury activities, the performance of the apprentice juror will be closely observed by the team leader and the apprentice will be required to justify his point and medal level conclusions.
14.3 The apprentice will be required to independently evaluate at least three exhibits not yet judged by himself and the results will be compared with those of the team. The apprentice will be subjected to an oral examination as to his general knowledge of the FIP GREX, GREV, SREVs and Guidelines.
14.4 An Apprentice Evaluation Report will be prepared by the team leader, submitted to the FIP Board Member responsible for jury matters and reviewed by the FIP Board.
14.5 An Apprentice can only apply for and be approved for one philatelic Class.
14.6 The apprentice must ultimately be approved by the FIP Board for acceptance as an accredited FIP juror. The National Federation and the apprentice will be notified of the Board’s decision.
14.7 A positive assessment as apprentice is a prerequisite for his inclusion in the list of the accredited FIP Jurors (GREX, Art. 31.2).
CHAPTER IV
CROSS ACCREDITATION
Article 15: Requirements
Any FIP juror, already fully accredited in one or more of the FIP judging classes, and who has served as a regular FIP juror at least twice subsequent to original accreditation, may qualify in another specified FIP judging class, under the following conditions:
15.1 The applicant must attend, or have attended, a FIP approved judging Seminar for the desired class before applying for accreditation in that additional class.
15.2 The applicant must have formed an exhibit in that class in a FIP Exhibition (other than for the youth or literature classes), and have received at least a Vermeil Award in the last 10 years from the date of the application.
15.3 Applicants for accreditation in either the youth or literature class need not compete as youth philatelists nor in any literature competitions. Instead, applicants in those two disciplines must submit specific documentation of any qualifications or experience they may have for judging such exhibits at the FIP level, together with a statement explaining why they wish to be so accredited.
15.4 The applicant’s National Federation must submit a formal request for additional accreditation to the FIP General Secretary (application form under “Application”). Such request must specify at which FIP accredited exhibition the applicant seeks to qualify for additional accreditation, and supply documentation to establish the applicant’s eligibility. Such formal request must reach the Secretary General not less than four months prior to the opening day of the specified exhibition.
15.5 The FIP Board Member responsible for jury matters, will review the request and evaluate the applicant’s qualifications. The applicant will be notified of the results of the evaluation and decision, in writing, through the applicant’s National Federation.
15.6 If the request is approved, the FIP Consultant for the designated exhibition, in accordance with the Board of the FIP, will choose the team to assess the applicant.
Article 16: Accreditation
16.1 At the specified exhibition the applicant must report to the designated Team Leader, at the beginning of the jury work. The Team Leader will assign to the applicant not less than three nor more than five exhibits to be judged independently.
16.2 The applicant will submit the results of the independent judging, including point breakdown and medal level, to the Team Leader and will also be submitted to an examination of his/her knowledge of the SREVs and Guidelines for the designated class.
16.3 The Team Leader will submit the results of the independent judging and examination of applicant’s knowledge to the FIP Board Member responsible for jury matters, who will submit the results to the FIP Board at its next meeting for approval/denial of accreditation of the applicant in the designated additional class. If approved, the accreditation in the additional class will be added to the official FIP jury list.
16.4 To cross accredit an applicant must participate as a Juror during the entire Exhibition. This can be accomplished by being present on the Jury without voting rights or other financial and social privileges given to voting Jury Members.
Article 17: Cross accreditation in Youth or Literature
The following regulations should be applied to applicants desiring additional accreditation in youth or literature classifications:
Applicants for accreditation in either the youth or literature classification need not have competed as a youth philatelists nor in any literature competitions. However, such applicants must first apply through their National Federation to the appropriate Commission President outlining any qualifications he may have for judging exhibits in that classification at the FIP level, and why they wish to be so qualified. The appropriate Commission President, or his designee, will examine the applicant as to applicant's knowledge of the GREV, SREVs and Guidelines for the designated classification and, in his sole judgement, determine if the applicant should proceed to seek additional accreditation as an FIP judge. If the applicant is approved by the Commission President, he/she should then proceed to seek the additional accreditation in accordance with regulations of Art. 15 and 16.
CHAPTER V
PRIVILEGES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND LIMITATIONS
Article 18: Responsibilities
18.1 As set forth in Art. 37 of the FIP Exhibition Regulations (GREX), all jury members, including apprentices, are required to respect the confidential nature of jury deliberations and decisions. The judging results must be kept secret until they are announced by the Exhibition Management.
18.2 The Apprentice Jurors have no voting rights. However, they will be expected to participate in team and group deliberations just as regular jury members.
Article 19: Privileges
19.1 As set forth in Art. 35.1 of the GREX, the Exhibition Management shall provide each jury member and, also, the apprentice jurors with the following at no charge:
- Two admission tickets for the entire period of the exhibition, one of them for a family member, to allow easy access during crowded conditions,
- Prior to the beginning of jury work, at least two exhibition catalogues
- Two copies of the jury report (Palmares), and
- Two invitations to the Palmarès Banquet and to all official exhibition events, one of them for a family member.
Article 20: Limitations
20.1 As set forth in Art. 36.2 of the GREX the apprentice jurors are not entitled to reimbursement or payment of travelling expenses, a sum for daily expenses or their hotel expenses.
20.2 Unless they are regular members of the jury, jurors seeking cross accreditation shall have no rights or privileges under these regulations.
20.3 An Accredited Juror can not be accredited in more than four categories. In order to accredit to another category he must have participated at least once as Juror in the last Class in which he has accredited. In particular cases the FIP Board may approve additional categories.
CHAPTER VI
TEAM LEADERS
Article 21: Responsibilities
Team leaders shall be responsible for, inter alia:
- ensuring that all members of the team participate fully in judging
- meeting the deadlines set by the Jury President and Secretary
- training and evaluation of apprentice jurors attached to the team
- assessment of the capabilities of first time jurors
- ensuring that the results of judging by the team are correctly entered in the awards program
- participating, if invited, in the appraisal of exhibits in the Championship Class for nomination for the Grand Award
- presentation of candidates for Grand Awards
- security of jury materials issued to team members
Article 22: Team leader apprentice
22.1 The Board of the FIP together with the Consultant will choose among the Accredited Jurors those who may be in considered suitable to act as Team Leaders according to a list prepared by the FIP Board.
22.2 In order to be selected as a possible Team Leader, the accredited Juror must:
- Have acted at least in three opportunities as a full Juror in the category in which he is accredited.
22.3 In the specified exhibition should present by himself to the Team Leader in which he has been designated. The Team Leader will examine him and give him the different activities he should carry out. The candidate will normally be a member of the exhibition jury.
22.4 The Team Leader shall submit the results of the evaluations to the member of the FIP Board in charge of the juror activities, who will also submit the results to the FIP Board so as to approve or not in the next meeting the accreditation of the selected person to act as Team Leader in the future. In case he is approved, his name will be added to the official list of accredited Team Leaders of the FIP that is annually updated.
22.5 The Team Leaders Apprentice will have the same rights, obligations and limitations that have been specified in the Chapter V of these Regulations.
22.6 To serve as a Team Leader Apprentice the applicant must be acting as a full Juror during the designated FIP Exhibition.
22.7 Any Juror who is already certified as a Team Leader in a Class and wishes to be designated as a Team Leader in another Class for which he is already certified as a Juror must send in a request to the FIP Board for consideration.
CHAPTER VII
JURY SECRETARY
Article 23: Responsibilities
The Jury Secretary shall be responsible for :
- checking that exhibits are properly qualified for the frames and classes for which they have entered
- ensuring that the equipment necessary for jury work has been provided and that the secretarial staff are aware of their duties. This includes confirming that the software used by the exhibition is compatible with the FIP awards program.
- producing a timetable for jury activity
- organizing the jury groups in collaboration with the FIP Consultant and Jury President
- arranging for entry of results into the awards file
- liaising with the Expert Group to ensure that their report is available when required by the Jury
- liaising with Commissioners as necessary
- managing the plenary sessions of the jury under the Chairmanship of the President of the Jury
- checking that the results have been correctly entered into the Palmarès
- announcing the minor awards at the Awards ceremony and managing, with the Organizing Committee the presentation of the awards.
- checking that all necessary paperwork and program files have been transferred to the FIP Secretariat at the end of the exhibition.
Article 24: Secretary juror apprentice
24.1 The FIP Board together with the Consultant will choose among the accredited jurors persons that they consider to have the skills for being Secretary in the future, to participate in an Exhibition.
24.2 In order to be selected as a possible Secretary of the Jury, the Accredited Juror must:
- Have acted in at least in three opportunities as a Juror in the category in which he is accredited.
- Have participated in courses or seminars that have been organized by the FIP
- Know more than one of the official languages of the FIP, and be proficient in English
- Know very well all the Regulations of the FIP.
24.3 In the corresponding Exhibition the designated individual will act as Jury Secretary Assistant (Apprentice) under the direction of the President and the Secretary of the Jury who will explain and give him specific responsibilities.
24.4 The Honorary President of the Jury together with the Secretary will evaluate the designated individual. This evaluation will be sent to the member of the FIP Board in charge of jury activities for approval and also will be presented in the next meeting of the FIP Board. If approved the name will be included as Jury Secretary in the annual list of FIP Jurors.
24.5 The Jury Secretary Assistants or Apprentices will have the same rights, obligations and limitations as other Jurors.
CHAPTER VIII
EXPERT GROUP
Article 25: Nomination of Team Leader
The FIP Consultant will be responsible for nominating the Expert Group Team Leader.
Article 26: Responsibilities of Team Leader
The Expert Group team leader shall be responsible for :
- ensuring that the equipment proposed for the expert group work is appropriate. Should there be any concern that this is inadequate he shall advise the FIP Consultant who shall make any necessary ruling.
- managing the activities of the Expert Croup including collaborating with the National Commissioners and the Organizing Committee during the opening of frames for further examination of exhibits
- collaborating with the Secretary of the Jury in handling the reports submitted by Jury Groups
- reporting on the activities of the Expert Group and submitting recommendation for decision by the jury (including recommendations from jury teams)
- appraising the other members of the Expert Group
- examining any expert group apprentices which are part of the expert team
- submitting a final report on the activities of the Expert Group to the President of the Commission.
Article 27: Expert Group Member
27.1 The FIP Board together with the Consultant will choose among the Accredited Jurors those who may be suitable to serve on an Expert Group as a regular member.
27.2 Members of the AEIP, although not an accredited FIP Juror, can be invited by the FIP Board to be part of the list of experts.
27.3 From this list will be selected the group that will participate in an Exhibition according to the Guidelines that rule that commission.
27.4 In order to be selected as possible Expert Group member, the accredited Juror should:
- Have acted in at least three opportunities as Juror in the category that he is accredited, in case he is not member of the AIEP.
- Have attended courses or seminars organized by the Commission for the of Fight against Forgeries.
27.5 The Expert Group Members will have same rights and obligations specified in Chapter V of these Guidelines.
Article 28: Expert Group Assistant
28.1 In order to be selected as possible Expert Group assistant, the accredited Juror should:
- Have acted in at least three opportunities as Juror in the category that he is accredited, in case he is not member of the AIEP.
- Have attended courses or seminars organized by the Commission for the of Fight against Forgeries.
28.2 In the specified exhibition the selected person will present by himself to the Expert Group Team Leader on the first day of work. The Team Leader will explain the things he has to do. He will normally serve as an additional member of the Expert Group.
28.3 The President of the Jury together with the Secretary will evaluate the selected person including his knowledge. This will be sent to the member of the FIP Board in charge of expert activities and also it will be presented at the next meeting of the FIP Board so as to approve or to deny the accreditation of the selected person to be put on the list from which Expert Group members are drawn. In case he is approved his name will be included in the FIP Expert Group list in the following year.
28.4 The Expert Group Assistants will have the same rights and obligations specified in Article D of these Regulations.
CHAPTER IX
PRESIDENT OF THE JURY
Article 29: President
29.1 The President of the jury shall preside over all plenary sessions of the jury. He chairs the Presidium.
29.2 He shall have a casting vote in the vote for Grand Awards.
29.3 The President of the Jury shall read the Report of the Jury at the Awards Ceremony.
Article 30: Honorary President
30.1 The Honorary President of the jury shall be the President of FIP or his designated alternative.
30.2 He shall be responsible for ruling on interpretation of the GREX, GREV or SREVS as may be necessary.
30.3 In cases of dispute he shall have the final decision which shall be binding over the jury.
30.4 He shall evaluate potential Jury Secretaries
CHAPTER X
FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 31: Formalities
31.1 In the event of any discrepancies in the text arising from translation, the English text shall prevail.
31.2 These Guidelines as soon as they are adopted will replace any other regulations that have been previously promulgated.
31.3 For those cases where there is no ruling provided by these Guidelines, the Board of Directors of the FIP will take a decision save as provided in Articles 29 and 30 above.
31.4 Exceptions to the provisions of the present Guidelines may only be made by the FIP Board.
31.5 The Guidelines for the duties and accreditation of Jurors in FIP World and Specialized Exhibitions were approved by the FIP Board at their 52d meeting on August 28/29, 1999, in Beijing, reviewed at their 84th meeting on October 25, 2009, in Rome, and at the 89th meeting on October 11, 2010, in Lisbon and came into force on 1st of January 2011.
Guidelines for selection and operation of Expert Groups at exhibitions
(Annex to the Guidelines for Jury Service)
1. General
1.1 Expert Groups will be appointed to serve at all FIP World and Specialised exhibitions granted Patronage or Auspices.
1.2 Continental exhibitions
The Exhibition Management of Continental Exhibitions may arrange for Expert Groups to be appointed to the exhibition. In this case it is recommended that the same procedure for examining items is followed as detailed in Articles 4 to 6 below.
Unless requested in advance the Commission Chairman will not advise on Expert Group membership nor retain information on the conclusions of Expert Groups at Continental exhibitions. Such requests should be received by the Commission Chairman not less than four months in advance of the exhibition together with the name and address of the proposed Expert Group team leader. The actions detailed in Article 7 should then be followed.
Membership of Expert Groups at Continental Exhibitions are considered to be an opportunity for training future FIP Expert Group members.
2. Composition of Expert Group
2.1 The Expert Group will comprise three members. A Group Leader and an expert of a foreign country drawn from the list of experts maintained by the Commission Chairman. The third member will be a representative expert nominated by the host country.
Selection of the Group Leader and the expert of a foreign country will be the responsibility of the FIP Consultant to the Exhibition. This must be agreed prior to the approval of the Jury by the FIP Board.
The third member will be agreed between the FIP Consultant and the Exhibition Management. They should take advice from the National Federation in this appointment.
All members of Expert Groups should be recognised experts through membership of the AIEP or Nationally recognised organisations or members of a nationally recognised Expert Committee. There is no requirement for the expert to be a FIP recognised juror.
If a member of the Expert Group has to withdraw at short notice, a replacement must be arranged between the Exhibition Management and the FIP Consultant. Should the Group Leader be obliged to withdraw, the appointed Foreign Expert should be appointed in his place and another expert of a different country appointed.
2.2 Nomination of experts
2.2.1 The list of approved Expert Group members shall be reviewed annually by the Commission Chairman and the FIP Board member who is appointed to liaise with the Commission.
2.2.2 National Federations and members of the Commission Bureau may recommend additional experts be placed on the approved list and shall advise if any person should be removed from the list.
2.2.3 Additions to the list of approved experts may be made at other times should need arise. All additions must be approved by the Commission Chairman and the appropriate FIP Board member.
2.2.4 The list of approved experts shall be published in Flash at least once every two years and the names of any experts added under Article 2.2.3 shall be published following approval by the Board.
2.3 Relation with jury
2.3.1 The President of the Jury is responsible for the final decision of the jury and Expert Group.
2.3.2 The members of the Expert Group are members of the jury but without voting rights.
2.3.3 The Leader of the Expert Group reports to the Secretary of the Jury who is responsible for reporting their findings to the Jury Presidium.
2.3.4 The rules of confidentiality of jury proceedings shall apply to members of the Expert Group.
2.3.5 All members of the Expert Group shall attend the first, constitutional, meeting of the jury and such subsequent roll calls as the President of the Jury shall determine.
2.3.6 The work of the Jury has priority over that of the Expert Group. Jury teams should complete referral forms comprehensively but not attempt to carry out expertisation themselves.
3. Equipment
3.1 The Expert Group shall be provided with a separate room where they can set up their equipment. Such room shall be in the vicinity of the Jury room.
3.2 The Expert Group shall be provided with the following equipment:
- Microscope with 30x magnification, rear illuminated
- Scanner and PC with colour printer or digital camera
- UV lamp with long and short wave
4. Procedure prior to exhibition
4.1 The Commission Chairman shall maintain a list of all items which have been reported upon at previous exhibitions together with any subsequent action taken (eg Certificates received).
4.2 The Commission Chairman shall obtain from the Exhibition Management a list of accepted exhibits including the name and FIP number of the exhibitor, and the class and title of the exhibit no less than three months prior to the exhibition. The list should not include literature or youth classes and need not include first time exhibits. If practicable this list should be presented alphabetically by name of exhibitor
4.3 The Commission Chairman shall check the entries against the list of exhibitors who have items requiring action from previous exhibitions and on which no action has been advised.
4.4 At least three weeks in advance of the exhibition the Commission Chairman shall provide the Group Leader with a list, together with copies of the report forms and photocopies, of all items which have been reported on at previous exhibitions and upon which action has been required.
4.5 The Commission Chairman shall prior to the exhibition supply the Group Leader and the Jury Secretary with copies of the referral and report forms for the exhibition.
4.6 The Jury Secretary shall provide the Group Leader at least four weeks prior to the exhibition a programme showing the time allocated for Expert Group work and reporting.
5 Operation during exhibition
5.1 At the first meeting of the Jury the Group Leader will brief Jury team leaders on the completion of the referral forms and check that the Jury Secretary has sufficient forms for each jury team. A copy of the briefing note is annexed to these Guidelines.
5.2 Random check and control.
5.2.1 The Expert Group will control :
- all exhibits in the Championship Class
- all exhibits queried at previous exhibitions
- 15-20 exhibits randomly selected to include all competition classes. These will be selected by the Jury Secretary or the Group Leader.
5.2.2 Any faults found in the Championship Class shall be notified to the Jury Secretary prior to the selection of candidates for the Grand Prix by the Presidium.
5.2.3 In the case of exhibits which have items which have been queried at a prior exhibition the Group will check if the item has been withdrawn, the description corrected or if it now has an acceptable certificate. If a certificate is present this must be copied and attached to the report form. If the item is still present and no certificate has been provided this must be brought to the attention of the Jury Secretary and the exhibit put out of competition.
5.2.4 Referral forms must be completed for all items queried during the random check.
5.2.5 The Group Leader shall determine how the Group members work during the control period. (ie: as a team or individually).
5.3 Referral by Jury Teams
5.3.1 Items which are referred to the Expert Group by Jury Teams must be checked by the Jury Secretary to ensure that the referral form has been correctly completed and the item properly identified and the reason for referral noted. The Jury Secretary shall initial the form before passing it to the Group Leader.
5.4 Inspection
5.4.1 All items which have been queried by the Expert Group or by Jury Teams must be checked and the frames opened. (see Article 8.2 below).
5.4.2 The procedure to be followed by the Exhibition Management and the National Commissioners during the opening of the frames shall be determined by agreement with the Expert Group team leader.
5.4.3 If a certificate has been provided this must be copied and the item returned to the frame. It is important that any defects noted on the certificate are reproduced in the description of the item.
5.4.4 If no certificate is present the item must be removed from the frame for further examination and record by the Expert Group.
5.4.5 All items examined by the Expert Group must be photocopied.
5.4.6 The Expert Group shall complete a report on all items examined.
5.5 Replacement of exhibits
The Expert Group shall arrange with the Exhibition Management when items may be replaced in the frames. The Exhibition Management shall decide if this be done while the exhibition is open or will be done out of opening hours.
5.6 Grand Prix candidates
5.6.1 The Jury Secretary shall advise the Group Leader as soon as the Jury has selected Candidates for Grand Prix.
5.6.2 The Expert Group shall carefully examine all nominations for Grand Prix. Arrangements shall be made with the Exhibition Management to open frames during this inspection should it be deemed necessary. (see Article 8.2 below).
5.6.3 If any exhibit is considered to have an item which is either considered to be a forgery or for which a certificate is to be requested this shall be brought to the attention of the Jury Secretary immediately.
5.7 Large Gold medal exhibits
The Jury may request that the Expert Group inspect all exhibits nominated for Large Gold Medals.
6 Jury’s responsibilities
6.1 The Expert Group shall submit their report to the Jury Secretary for presentation to the Presidium.
6.2 The Presidium shall propose the action to be taken and the President shall report this to the Jury.
6.3 The Expert Group shall be present during discussion of the recommendations of the Presidium and may be cross examined as to their findings.
6.4 The Jury shall determine the action to be taken in all cases, this may be :
- the item requires no action
- the item is to be certified or re-certified before it is exhibited again
- the item must be properly described or identified the next time it is exhibited
- the item should not be exhibited again
- the fault requires that the exhibit be downgraded, the Presidium shall recommend the number of marks to be deducted
- the exhibit shall be disqualified.
6.5 The Jury Secretary shall complete the Report Forms, noting particularly the action to be taken and any downgrading of the exhibit, and ensure that they are approved and signed by the President of the Jury.
6.6 The activities of the Expert Group are to be included in the Jury Report.
6.7 No further action concerning forgeries or questioned items shall be taken once the Expert Group’s report has been submitted to the Presidium and approved by the Jury. If such items are noted subsequently (for instance during critiques in front of the frames) they are to be brought to the attention of the Commission Chairman in a separate report and he will notify the exhibitor and the National Federation.
7 Follow up activities
7.1 All original forms, reports, photographs are to be passed by the Group Leader to the Secretary of the Jury who shall enter the jury decision and ensure that they are signed by the Jury President.
7.2 The Secretary to the Jury shall either forward them prior to the closure of the Exhibition to the Commission Chairman or, if there is sufficient time, arrange for the Expert Group Leader to copy them, hand copies to the National Commissioners at their final meeting and arrange for the Exhibition Management to post copies of the forms to the Exhibitors. The National Commissioners should sign a receipt recording that they have received the copies. These receipts shall be forwarded to the Commission Chairman.
7.3 The Originals and copies for the National Federations shall be sent to the Commission Chairman.
7.4 If approved by the FIP Consultant copies of the report forms may be placed with the returned exhibit.
7.5 The Commission Chairman shall advise exhibitors, Commissioners and National Federations of the findings of the Expert Group and decision of the jury as soon as practicable after the exhibition.
7.6 Copies of the report sheets together with instructions on action required shall be sent by mail or electronic means to Commissioners, (other than those who have received them under Article 7.2 above) and National Federations and by registered mail to exhibitors.
8 Responsibilities of Exhibition Management
8.1 The Exhibition Management shall provide the necessary working area and equipment described in Article 3 above.
8.2 The Exhibition Management shall provide the Commission Chairman with copies of all Bulletins, Catalogues and Palmarès when they are published.
8.3 They shall provide the necessary help and security at the time requested by the Expert Group leader when the frames are to be opened for removal and return of exhibits. A designated person shall be identified prior to the exhibition and his name conveyed to the Jury Secretary and Group Leader.
8.4 The Exhibition Management may provide either the FIP Consultant or the Expert Group Leader with a frame key so that they become responsible for opening the frames to remove and return exhibits. This is the recommended practice particularly during the inspection of Grand Prix candidates. In this case they shall be provided with any necessary assistance to remove the glass or other panel from the frames.
8.5 Before the closure of the Exhibition they shall provide or make available to the Jury Secretary and the Group Leader a list of addresses of all Commissioners and for the exhibitors who are required to take action. This will be passed to the Commission Chairman.
9 Responsibilities of Commissioners
9.1 Commissioners are responsible for the safekeeping of exhibits for which they are responsible.
9.2 During reception of the exhibits they should check the number of certificates enclosed and if the exhibitor has followed the recommended procedure in placing a reference against an item for which a certificate is included. They should also check, so far as possible, that any instructions from expert groups at previous exhibitions to provide certificates has been followed.
9.3 They shall attend the meeting of Commissioners at which the Expert Group Leader explains the activity of the Group and identifies the frames which are to be opened for inspection.
9.4 They shall attend the opening of the frames if requested by the Expert Group Leader or attend during the inspection of the item if this is arranged.
9.5 They shall check the frames which have been opened to ensure that the remaining pages are secure.
9.6 They shall carefully check the exhibits once the pages have been returned.
9.7 They shall accept copies of the report forms if these are to be handed out at the exhibition.
9.8 If the report forms are sent to them by post or other means they shall check with the exhibitor that the instructions therein have been received and are being acted upon.
9.9 They shall make themselves available to exhibitors whose frames have been opened and may request clarification of the reason for this from the Jury Secretary once the jury has been discharged.
10 Responsibilities of National Federations
10.1 National Federations shall put forward candidates to serve on Expert Groups. They shall provide details of the candidate’s experience as an expert.
10.2 They must check that exhibitors are acting on the action required by juries.
10.3 They are recommended to inspect, or arrange for the National Commissioner to review exhibits prior to them being taken to an exhibition. If there are any items which are considered likely to be queried by the Expert Group, the exhibitor should be given the opportunity to replace such item in the exhibit.
11 Exhibitors' rights and duties vis a vis the Expert Group
11.1 Appeal
11.1.1 An exhibitor whose exhibit has been downgraded shall have the right to appeal against this decision within a period of six months after the Exhibition should the exhibitor prove (for instance by provision of an acceptable certificate) that the downgrading was unjust. The appeal must be made through the exhibitor’s National Federation.
11.1.2 The National Federation shall send all the documentation supporting the appeal to the Commission Chairman.
11.1.3 The Commission Chairman shall review the documentation and forward this, with his report, to the FIP Board for decision.
11.1.4 If the appeal is upheld the FIP awards list shall be amended to show the original marks and award for the exhibit.
11.2 Action during an exhibition
An exhibitor has no right to approach the Expert Group during an exhibition. Should the exhibitor note that a page has been removed for examination a meeting may be arranged with the National Commissioner so that the reason for removal may be made known once the Jury has been discharged. This will enable the exhibitor to expedite any application for a certificate or make any other changes which are required by the Jury decision.
11.3 Follow up action
11.3.1 An exhibitor who is required to obtain a certificate is recommended to supply information on the item, additional to that given on the exhibition page, to the expertising authority from whom a certificate is requested.
11.3.2 If there is no time for a certificate to be obtained or changes made before an ensuing exhibition the item must be removed from the exhibit.
11.3.3 If the item is being transferred directly from one exhibition to a subsequent one then the Jury Secretary of that exhibition is to be advised and the Jury Group be informed that they are to ignore the item during their appraisal.
11.4 Provision of certificates
11.4.1 If a certificate has been obtained for any item within an exhibit this, or a certified copy, shall be placed behind the album page and a discreet identification placed against the item on the page. If there are more than one item on the page the identification must be placed directly against the item so certified.
11.4.2 The presence of a certificate does not preclude the request for a new certificate where the Expert Group considers new information may alter the original conclusion. However the age of the certificate has no relevance in this respect. If the item has a certificate for which a new certificate is requested no downgrading of the exhibit may be entertained provided the item has been accurately described in accordance with the existing certificate.
11.4.3 Exhibitors may request advice from the Commission Chairman for names of experts or Expert Committees to provide the requested certificates. Such names should not include members of the Expert Group who have requested that a certificate be obtained.
11.5 Description of exhibits
11.5.1 The exhibitor must include in the exhibit identification of any major enhancements or defects not evident to the viewer.
11.5.2 The exhibitor should, when making statements of fact that are different than that which is common knowledge, indicate in the text that this is new information and, whenever possible, cite the source of the new information such as new archival research.
11.5.3 If the exhibit contains fronts this should be mentioned where the absence of postal markings which would have been struck on the reverse could affect the interpretation of such item’s routes or rates.
11.5.4 Qualifications to certificates must be included in the description of the item where this can not readily be seen by the viewer (eg ‘reperforated at right’ ‘markings enhanced’ must be noted, ‘missing corner’ need not be).
11.5.5 If an exhibit contains semi-postal or non-postal items these must be correctly described (eg ‘local carriage labels’ or ‘publicity labels’)
11.5.6 If postal or philatelic forgeries are shown in an exhibit they are to be clearly described as such.
12 Privileges of Expert Group members
The Expert Group members shall have the same rights and privileges as are given to Jury Members (GREX Articles 35 and 36)
13 Final provisions
These Guidelines have been approved by the FIP Board at their 57th meeting on 20th October 2001, reviewed at their 84th meeting on October 25, 2009, published in Flash and come into effect immediately.
Annex
- Referral form
- Report form
- Guidance to Jury team leaders
- Check list for Expert Group team leaders
- Guidance to President when reviewing Expert Group report
Zurich, February 2011
Exhibition : ..............................................................................................................................
Exhibit No ............................ Frame No................................ Page No ...............................
Name of Exhibitor ................................................................ Country ................................
Title of Exhibit ..................................................................... FIP Exhibitor No ................
Description of item and reason for review by Expert Group .................................................
.................................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................
Who detected queried item(s)
Expert Group ........... Name of Expert ...................................................................................
Jury team ................. Name of Juror ......................................................................................
Other person ............ Name ............................. Initials ......... Signature .............................
If item is deemed to be a forgery or a fake name of person who states this (other than Expert Group)
Name ................................................ Signature .................................................................
Opinion of Group (Tick all that apply)
Forgery or forged markings Fake including improved markings
Repaired or cleaned Not as described including stamp missing
Other comment Genuine
Was item removed from frame Yes ....... No ....... Photocopied ...... Photographed .......
Was a certificate provided Yes ....... No ...... (if supplied was it copied) ..........
Was the Commissioner present Yes ....... Name ............................................ No .......
Action recommended by Expert Group ..............................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................
Signature of members of Expert Group ..........................................................................................
Final decision of Jury
Genuine no action required ............ Item has to be certified before being shown again .........
Item must not be shown again ....... Exhibit has been downgraded by ................. marks
Exhibit disqualified ........................ Other action required ..........................................
Jury President (Signature) ..................................................................... Date .............................
Exhibition : ..............................................................................................................................
Referral to Expert Group
A SEPARATE FORM SHOULD BE COMPLETED FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL ITEM
This form should be used by Jury Team Leaders to advise the Jury Secretary of items requiring the attention of the Expert Group and by Expert Group members during the random check. It is the responsibility of the Team Leader to ensure that the form is correctly completed and signed before it is handed to the Jury Secretary.
Position of items requiring examination :
Exhibitors name ................................................ Frame N° .............. Page No .........
Description of item and brief reason for referral:
.................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
Nature of opinion sought (Please tick all that apply) :
Item is repaired Item is a forgery Item has been cleaned
Stamp did not originate on cover/lettersheet Stamp missing
Stamp has been added Markings have been improved
Markings have been forged Item is not as described
Other query (describe) ....................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................................
Team Reference ....................... Team member identifying problem .........................................
Team Leader Signature ............................................................................
Name ........................................................... Date ...........................................................
Check list for Expert Group Leaders
1. Check that documentation received from Commission Chairman in advance of the Exhibition is complete.
2. Confirm that all forms have been received by Jury Secretary and circulated to Team Leaders.
3. Check that equipment for use by Expert Group is present and in working order.
4. Confirm that arrangements are in place to open frames for removal and return of exhibits. It is recommended that Commissioners are asked to stand by the first frame for which they are responsible to be opened, they would then move to the next frame, if any. All pages requiring examination would be collected in frame order in one sequence. This procedure is much quicker than the previous system by which commissioners are called forward from their room and pages taken back to the Expert Team room as they are removed.
5. Select exhibits for random check and instruct members of Group on working procedure.
6. Instruct Team Leaders on completion of referral forms.
7. Present report on activities, not conclusions, to Commissioners. If facilities permit arrange for them to attend investigation of selected referred items.
8. Prepare Expert Group report and clearly identify items inspected under the following headings:
- considered genuine and on which no action is proposed giving reasons
- where expert opinions are required before items are shown again
- defective items and items which clearly have been repaired or improved
- items considered to be outright fakes or forgeries. The reason for this must be stated.
- items for which previously required action has not been taken.
9. Check with Jury Secretary that he has all papers, including exhibitors’ and Commissioners’ addresses ready to send to Commission Chairman on completion of jury work. Obtain a copy of these.
Guidance to Jury Team Leaders
1. If you suspect that an item is not what it purports to be, refer it directly to the Expert Group. The task of the jury is to appraise exhibits and award medals.
2. Complete the referral form as accurately as possible:
- write legibly, if necessary print.
- identify the exhibit, frame and sheet number and item on the sheet if there are more than one.
- state the problem in sufficient detail to guide the Expert Group in its investigations (eg ‘stamp may not belong’ is not sufficient, ‘stamp may not belong because appears to be wrong rate’ or ‘stamp may not belong because tie looks improved’ provides guidance to both Expert Group and, eventually, the exhibitor).
- it is not the Expert Group's responsibility to comment on incorrect factual, philatelic or historical information on the exhibit page unless it has a direct link to the reason why the item has been questioned.
3. If referral is due to specialist knowledge of a member of the jury team this must be noted on the referral form.
4. Hand the referral form to the Jury Secretary/Secretariat as soon as convenient (lunch or tea break, not at end of day’s proceedings).
Guidance to President when reviewing Expert Group report
1. Raise any questions on report with Expert Group prior to it being presented to jury. Particularly study any report which may result in deducting marks from the exhibit.
2. Permit limited interrogation of the Expert Group on their conclusions by the jury members who referred items for review.
3. Decide on the penalties to be recommended for exhibits being downgraded and seek agreement from the team responsible for judging exhibit. This should be based on the expected degree of philatelic knowledge of the exhibitor (eg a potential Large Gold medal winner is expected to be better informed than a first time exhibitor).