The Inspire Award winner is an inspiration to other teams, acting with Gracious Professionalism® both on and off the playing FIELD. This team shares their experiences, enthusiasm and knowledge with other teams, sponsors, their community, and the JUDGES. Working as a unit, this team will have shown success in performing the task of designing and building a ROBOT. 

Requirement criteria for the Inspire Award:

1. The team must submit a PORTFOLIO. The PORTFOLIO must include engineering content, team information, and a team plan. The PORTFOLIO must be high quality, thoughtful, thorough, and concise. 

2. The Inspire Award celebrates the strongest qualities of all the judged awards. A team must be a strong contender for at least one award in each of the following judged award categories: 

   • Machine, Creativity, and Innovation Award

   • Team Attributes Award

   • Think Award 

3. The team must be positive and inclusive, and each team member contributes to the success of the team.

4. The team should be able to discuss, demonstrate, display, document, or otherwise provide more detailed information to support the information in the PORTFOLIO. 

This judged award is given to the team that best reflects the journey the team took as they experienced the engineering design process during the build season. The engineering content within the PORTFOLIO is the key reference for JUDGES to help identify the most deserving team. The team could share or provide additional detailed information that is helpful for the JUDGES.  

Requirement criteria for Think Award:

1. The team must submit a PORTFOLIO. The PORTFOLIO must include engineering content which includes at least one of the following: 

   • Evidence of use of the engineering process

   • Lessons learned

   • Trade-off analysis /cost-benefit analysis

   • Mathematical analysis used to make design decisions  

2. The team should be able to discuss, describe, display, or document the engineering content contained in their PORTFOLIO during the judging interview and/or pit interviews. 

3. Team PORTFOLIO may include information about technical resources which includes any number of the following examples:

   • How the team acquires new mentors

   • How the team learns from team mentors

   • Development plan for team members to learn new skills 

4. PORTFOLIO information is organized in a clear and intuitive manner 

This judged award is given to the team that connects with their local science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) community. A true FIRST team is more than a sum of its parts and recognizes that engaging their local STEM community plays an essential part in their success. This team has a team plan and has identified steps to achieve their goals. A PORTFOLIO is not required for this award. 

Requirement criteria for Connect Award:

1. The team must describe, display, or document a team plan that covers all of the following:

   • The team’s goals for the development of team member skills

   • The steps the team has taken or will take to reach those goals 

2. Provide examples of developing in-person or virtual connections with individuals in the engineering, science, or technology community. 

3.  Provide examples of how it actively engages with the engineering community. 

The Design Award celebrates the team that demonstrates industrial design principles, striking a balance between form, function, and aesthetics. The design process used should result in a ROBOT that is efficiently designed and effectively addresses the game challenge. A PORTFOLIO is not required for this award. 

Requirement criteria for Design Award:

1. A team must be able to describe or demonstrate how their ROBOT is elegant, efficient (simple/executable), and practical to maintain. 

2. The entire machine design, or the detailed process used to develop the design, is worthy of this recognition, and not just a single COMPONENT. 

3. The ROBOT distinguishes itself from others by its aesthetic and functional design. 

4. The basis for the design is well-considered (that is inspiration, function, etc.). 

5. Design is effective and consistent with the team’s game plan and/or strategy. 

The Innovate Award celebrates a team that thinks imaginatively and has the ingenuity, creativity, and inventiveness to make their designs come to life. This judged award is given to the team that has an innovative and creative ROBOT design solution to any specific components in the FIRST Tech Challenge game. Elements of this award include design, robustness, and creative thinking related to design. This award may address the design of the whole ROBOT or of a MECHANISM attached to the ROBOT and does not have to work all the time during matches to be considered for this award. A PORTFOLIO is not required for this award. 

Requirement criteria for the Innovate Award:

1. The team must describe, display, or document examples of the team’s engineering content that illustrate how the team arrived at their design solution.

2. ROBOT or ROBOT MECHANISM is creative and unique in its design. 

3. Creative design elements must be stable, and robust, and contribute positively to the team’s game objectives most of the time.

4. Creative designs often come with additional risks, the team should document or describe how they mitigated that risk. 

The Control Award celebrates a team that uses sensors and software to increase the ROBOT’s functionality during gameplay. This award is given to the team that demonstrates innovative thinking and solutions to solve game challenges such as autonomous operation, improving mechanical systems with intelligent control, or using sensors to achieve better results. The solution(s) should work consistently during MATCHES. The team’s PORTFOLIO must contain a summary of the software, sensors, and mechanical control but would not include copies of the code itself. 

Requirement criteria for Control Award:

1. The team must submit a PORTFOLIO. The PORTFOLIO must include all of the following:

   • Hardware and/or software control COMPONENTS  on the ROBOT

   • Which challenges each COMPONENT or system is intended to solve

   • How does each COMPONENT or system work   

2. The team must use one or more hardware or software solutions to improve ROBOT Encouraged 4 functionality by using external feedback and control. 

3. The control solution(s) should work consistently during most MATCHES. 

4. The team could describe, display, or document how the solution should consider reliability either through demonstrated effectiveness or identification of how the solution could be improved 

5. Use of the engineering process to develop the control solutions (sensors, hardware and/or algorithms) used on the ROBOT includes lessons learned. 

This award is optional and not given at all FIRST Tech Challenge events. During the competition, the judging panel may meet a team whose unique efforts, performance, or dynamics merit recognition, but does not fit into any of the existing award categories. To recognize these unique teams, FIRST offers a Judges’ Choice Award.  The Judges’ Choice Award recognizes a team for their outstanding efforts but does not factor into the advancement criteria. 

The Compass Award recognizes an adult coach or mentor who has given outstanding guidance and support to a team throughout the year and demonstrates to the team what it means to be a Gracious Professional. The winner of the Compass Award will be chosen from candidates nominated by FIRST Tech Challenge STUDENT team members, via a 40-60 second video submission. The video must highlight how their mentor has helped them become an inspirational team. The video should emphasize what sets the mentor apart. 

Requirement criteria for Design Award:

1. The team must be able to clearly articulate this mentor’s contribution to the team and explain what sets this mentor apart. 

2. Submission must be in video format and meet the following requirements:  

   • Submitted by the deadline established by the Event Director or local Program Delivery Partner instructions 

   • Be in one of the following formats:  .mp4, .mov, .avi, or .wmv (no links to streaming services will be accepted)

   • One video submission per team per event (videos can be updated or changed between events) 

   • All music must be used with permission from the copywrite owners and be indicated in the video credits 

   • Videos cannot be longer than 60 seconds, including credits