Awards & Submissions¶
Judged awards recognize the program, not the robot's win-loss record. Missing a submission deadline forfeits the award for the year — no appeal. This doc defines what each award requires, who owns it, and when each artifact must be locked.
Award names + rules verified against FIRST Impact Award (post-2023 successor to Chairman's Award). Swap terms if using a different framework (VEX, FTC, district-specific). Deadlines are illustrative — verify against current-year FIRST season calendar.
Awards Covered¶
| Award | Scope | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| FIRST Impact Award | Team-level year-round program | Awards Lead |
| Dean's List | 2 sophomore/junior student nominations | Awards Lead + Team Lead |
| Woodie Flowers Finalist | 1 mentor nomination, student-written | Awards Lead |
| Judged robot awards (Innovation in Control, Excellence in Engineering, Industrial Design, Quality, Safety, etc.) | Robot subsystem narrative + interview | Awards Lead + relevant Subteam Lead |
| Rookie awards (if applicable) | Rookie All-Star, Highest Rookie Seed | Awards Lead |
FIRST Impact Award¶
Highest team award. Recognizes teams that best embody FIRST's mission through community outreach, program growth, and role-modeling.
Required Artifacts¶
| Artifact | Character/Time Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Executive Summary | ~500 chars each, 10 questions | Answers stock questions on team's mission, community impact, sustainability, etc. |
| Essay | 10,000 chars | Narrative describing team's impact. Prose, not bulleted. |
| Video | ≤ 3 min | Team-produced. Shows, doesn't tell. |
| Judged Interview | 7 min presentation + 5 min Q&A | Three students. Coached, not scripted. |
| Awards Chair Presentation | at event | Formal handoff to judges. |
Submission Timeline¶
| Milestone | Target Week | Gate |
|---|---|---|
| Impact team formed, prior-year artifacts reviewed | Week 0 | — |
| Executive Summary draft | end Week 2 | — |
| Essay outline + video storyboard | end Week 2 | — |
| Essay + Executive Summary + Video first cut | end Week 3 | GB2 Impact Draft |
| Mentor + external review round | Week 4 | — |
| Final lock, submission uploaded | Week 5 | GB3 Impact Submission Lock |
| Interview team named, prep begins | end Week 3 | — |
| Mock interviews (3+ rounds) | Weeks 4–6 | — |
| Judged interview at event | Event | GB4 Event Media Kit + Interview Ready |
Submission portal opens/closes on FIRST calendar. Confirm current dates at kickoff. Portal closes hard — no late.
Interview Team¶
- Three students. Not the same three as Drive Team.
- Ideally mix: senior + junior + underclassman for succession.
- Rehearse against real judges' questions (see prior-year FIRST rubric).
- Rotate through mock panels of parents, sponsors, non-FRC teachers. Outside eyes catch jargon.
Dean's List¶
Two nominations per team per event tier (district / regional / championship). Recognizes sophomore/junior students who exemplify FIRST values.
Required Artifacts¶
- Nominee resume (student-authored).
- Essay: 3 short-answer prompts (~1500 chars each). Written by student, mentor-reviewed.
- Interview at event (short, informal).
Timeline¶
| Milestone | Target |
|---|---|
| Nominees selected (2 primary + 1 alternate) | end Week 2 |
| Essay drafts | end Week 3 |
| Essays locked, uploaded | end Week 4 |
| Interview prep | Week 5–6 |
Selection is contentious. Publish selection criteria before soliciting nominees to avoid year-over-year drama.
Woodie Flowers Finalist Award¶
Mentor award, student-written nomination. Recognizes an outstanding mentor's communication of engineering + inspiration.
Required Artifacts¶
- Essay: ~3000 chars. Student-authored. Specific, story-driven, not a résumé.
- Optional supporting materials (photos, letters).
Timeline¶
| Milestone | Target |
|---|---|
| Mentor selected | end Week 2 |
| Essay draft | end Week 3 |
| Final lock | end Week 4 |
Rule: student writes without the mentor's input on their own award. Mentor does not review their own nomination.
Judged Robot Awards¶
Innovation in Control, Excellence in Engineering, Industrial Design, Quality, Safety, Autonomous, Creativity, Engineering Inspiration, etc.
Not a separate submission — pit interview at event. But the narrative is prepared.
Artifacts (per targeted award)¶
- One-page pit handout — subsystem highlights, safety features, control innovation, whatever fits the award.
- Interview talking points — 3 students who can speak to the target subsystem for 5 minutes without notes.
- Engineering notebook / build blog — the source material. This is why the blog exists.
Timeline¶
- Target awards selected end Week 4 based on what the robot actually does well.
- Handouts drafted Week 5.
- Interview students named + prepped Week 5–6.
Do not chase every judged award. Pick 2–3 that match the robot's real strengths. Judges see through resume padding.
Awards Retrospective¶
Post-season, Awards Lead documents: - Which awards submitted, which won, which finalist. - Judge feedback (if provided) captured verbatim. - What outreach evidence was thin — feeds next year's Outreach Lead. - Interview team retro: what questions surprised them.
Filed in 10_retrospective.md addendum.
Integration¶
- Outreach log (templates/outreach_event_log.md) — Impact essay draws from this exclusively. If it is not logged, it is not in the essay.
- Sponsor tracker — sustainability + funding sections of Executive Summary pull from here.
- Build blog — judged robot award interviews reference specific blog posts. Blog is not decoration.
- Board — every submission artifact is a card tagged
type:award-submission+deadline:<yyyy-mm-dd>.
Common Failure Modes¶
- Impact essay written by mentors. Judges spot it in five seconds. Students write. Mentors review.
- Video is a highlight reel of robot matches. Impact is not about the robot. Video shows outreach, students, impact.
- Interview team over-scripted. Sounds robotic under Q&A. Practice bullets, not paragraphs.
- Dean's List selection announced at last minute. Selection process must be public + fair before nominees are named.
- Woodie Flowers written the week before event. Reads generic. Start Week 2.
- Chasing every judged award. Dilutes narrative. Pick 2–3.
- No mock interviews. First real interview is with judges. Do 3+ mocks minimum.