FIRST Impact Award — Submission Checklist¶
Print at Week 0. Tape on Awards Lead's wall. Cross off in ink.
Verify current-year rules against FIRST portal — character limits, video length, and questions change year to year.
Week 0 — Prep¶
- Awards Lead named + published to team
- Interview team candidates identified (target 5, cut to 3 by Week 3)
- Prior 3 years of Impact submissions read
- Prior 3 years of judge feedback reviewed
- FIRST portal account confirmed active
- Submission deadline written in three places (board, calendar, wall)
Week 1 — Data Gathering¶
- Outreach log for prior 12 months compiled
- Sponsor list for prior 3 years compiled
- Student demographic + retention data compiled
- FLL/FTC teams mentored/founded listed
- Alumni tracker updated (where do team grads go?)
Week 2 — Draft¶
- Executive Summary — 10 questions, ~500 chars each, first draft
- Essay outline — 5–7 sections mapped to team's real story
- Video storyboard — shot list, interview subjects, b-roll needs
- Dean's List nominees selected (2 primary + 1 alt)
- Woodie Flowers mentor selected
Week 3 — First Cut → GB2 Impact Draft¶
- Essay draft, full 10k chars
- Executive Summary complete
- Video first cut, ≤ 3 min
- Read by Business Mentor
- Read by one non-FRC adult (teacher, parent, alumnus)
- Interview team of 3 confirmed
- Mock interview #1 run
Week 4 — Review¶
- External review round complete (2+ reviewers outside the team)
- Essay revised against feedback
- Video revised (music cleared, captions added, sponsor logos correct)
- Dean's List essays drafted + reviewed
- Woodie Flowers essay drafted + reviewed
- Mock interview #2 run
Week 5 — Lock + Submit → GB3 Impact Submission Lock¶
- Essay final, character count under limit
- Executive Summary final, each answer under limit
- Video uploaded (correct format, length, captions)
- All artifacts uploaded to FIRST portal
- Submission confirmation screenshot filed
- Dean's List uploaded
- Woodie Flowers uploaded
- Mock interview #3 run
Week 6 — Interview Prep → GB4 Event Media Kit + Interview Ready¶
- Interview team knows Executive Summary answers cold
- Interview team has 3 stories per prompt category, memorized as bullets
- Q&A drill against likely judge questions (30+ questions)
- Pit handout printed
- Media kit packed (photos, sponsor logos, one-pagers, business cards)
At Event¶
- Awards Chair Presentation scheduled with judges (day 1)
- Interview slot confirmed + calendared
- Interview team dressed + present 15 min early
- Post-interview debrief same day (what surprised us?)
Post-Event¶
- Judge feedback captured verbatim (if provided)
- Retro entry filed under 10_retrospective.md
- Handoff notes to next year's Awards Lead