2018-2019 FIRST Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual
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2018-2019 FIRST ® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual
2 | 2018- 2019 FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual
Sponsor Thank You
Thank you to our generous sponsors for your continued support of the FIRST® Tech Challenge!
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FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual 2018-2019 |3
Volunteer Thank You
Thank you for taking the time to volunteer for a FIRST® Tech Challenge event. FIRST® and FIRST® Tech
Challenge rely heavily on volunteers to ensure events run smoothly and are a fun experience for teams and
their families, which could not happen without people like you. With over 5,500 teams competing yearly, your
dedication and commitment are essential to the success of each event and the FIRST Tech Challenge
program. Thank you for your time and effort in supporting the mission of FIRST!
Revision History
Revision Date Description
1 10/17/2018 Initial Release
1.1 11/12/2018 • Changes to required language for Engineering Notebook (pg 27).
• Updated Volunteer Training and Certification Instructions
• Appendix A – Update to on call event support line to include scoring system support.
• Appendix C
o Removed reference to PTC from Design Award
o Removed legacy requirements from Think and Connect Award
• Appendices H and J – Removed reference to PTC from Design Award
• Minor formatting changes throughout document
1.2 01/24/2019 • Logo Lockup Update
1.3 3/12/2019 • Removed track changes
Contents
Contents ........................................................................................................................................................ 3
Introduction........................................................................................................................................................ 7
What is FIRST® Tech Challenge? .................................................................................................................. 7
FIRST Core Values ........................................................................................................................................ 7
Gracious Professionalism® ................................................................................................................................ 7
Gracious Professionalism for Volunteers........................................................................................................ 7
FIRST Volunteer Rights and Responsibilities .................................................................................................... 8
NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION ............................................................................................................ 8
Volunteer Rights and Responsibilities ............................................................................................................ 8
Volunteer Code of Conduct ............................................................................................................................... 9
Tournament Organization Structure ................................................................................................................. 10
What is the FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual? ......................................................... 11
Job Description ................................................................................................................................................ 11
Physical/Technical Requirements ................................................................................................................ 11
Volunteer Training and Certification ............................................................................................................. 11
Training Requirements: ............................................................................................................................ 12
Volunteer Minimum Age Requirement .......................................................................................................... 12
Volunteer Judge Minimum Age Requirement............................................................................................ 12
Gracious Professionalism® - “Doing your best work while treating others with respect and kindness - It’s what makes FIRST, first.”
4 | 2018- 2019 FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual
Key Volunteer Role Minimum Age Requirement ....................................................................................... 12
Bring a Friend! ............................................................................................................................................. 12
FIRST Tech Challenge Philosophy of Judging ................................................................................................. 12
Overview of Responsibilities ............................................................................................................................ 13
Judge ........................................................................................................................................................... 13
During the event, Judges will: ................................................................................................................... 13
Judge Match Observer ................................................................................................................................. 13
Judge Advisor .............................................................................................................................................. 14
Judge Advisor Assistant ............................................................................................................................... 14
At the event, the Judge Assistant will:....................................................................................................... 14
Pre-Event Day Responsibilities........................................................................................................................ 15
Event Day Timeline ...................................................................................................................................... 15
Review Game Manuals ................................................................................................................................ 15
Confirm Additional Responsibilities (Judge Advisor)..................................................................................... 15
Confirm Awards ........................................................................................................................................... 16
FIRST Tech Challenge Award Eligibility and Advancement Criteria ............................................................. 16
Eligibility ....................................................................................................................................................... 16
Eligibility for Judged Awards ........................................................................................................................ 16
Inspire Award Eligibility ............................................................................................................................. 16
Eligibility for Advancement ........................................................................................................................... 16
Order of Advancement ................................................................................................................................. 17
Event Day Schedule ........................................................................................................................................ 19
Communicate with Judges (Judge Advisor) ................................................................................................. 20
Train Judges (Judge Advisor) ...................................................................................................................... 21
Create Formal Interview Panel (Judge Advisor) ........................................................................................... 21
Pairing Technical and Non-Technical Judges .............................................................................................. 22
Pairing Experienced and Inexperienced Judges........................................................................................... 22
Alumni .......................................................................................................................................................... 22
Managing Personality Types ........................................................................................................................ 22
Schedule for Judging Sessions (Judge Advisor) .......................................................................................... 22
Scheduling Tips ........................................................................................................................................ 22
Example Schedule.................................................................................................................................... 22
Judging Supplies.......................................................................................................................................... 24
Event Day Responsibilities .............................................................................................................................. 24
Morning Meeting .......................................................................................................................................... 24
Formal Team Interviews ............................................................................................................................... 25
Understanding Differences ........................................................................................................................... 26
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Autism Awareness ....................................................................................................................................... 26
Engineering Notebook.................................................................................................................................. 26
Engineering Notebook Requirements ....................................................................................................... 27
Judging the Engineering Notebook .............................................................................................................. 27
Engineering Notebook Requirements by Award ........................................................................................... 27
Award Criteria .................................................................................................................................................. 29
Inspire Award ............................................................................................................................................... 29
Required criteria for the Inspire Award:..................................................................................................... 29
Think Award ................................................................................................................................................. 29
Required criteria for the Think Award:....................................................................................................... 30
Connect Award ............................................................................................................................................ 30
Required criteria for the Connect Award: .................................................................................................. 30
Rockwell Collins Innovate Award ................................................................................................................. 31
Required criteria for the Rockwell Collins Innovate Award: ....................................................................... 31
Design Award .............................................................................................................................................. 31
Required criteria for the Design Award: .................................................................................................... 31
Motivate Award ............................................................................................................................................ 31
Required criteria for the Motivate Award: .................................................................................................. 31
Control Award .............................................................................................................................................. 32
Required criteria for the Control Award: .................................................................................................... 32
Promote Award (Optional) ............................................................................................................................ 33
Required criteria for the Promote Award: .................................................................................................. 33
Compass Award (Optional) .......................................................................................................................... 33
Required criteria for the Compass Award: ................................................................................................ 34
Video Award Submission Guidelines............................................................................................................ 34
Judges’ Award ............................................................................................................................................. 34
Gracious Professionalism and Award Eligibility ............................................................................................ 34
Observation ................................................................................................................................................. 35
Initial Deliberations ....................................................................................................................................... 35
The process for handling Judge Deliberations is as follows: ..................................................................... 35
Hard Luck Stories ........................................................................................................................................ 35
How to Advocate for the teams you nominate for an award.......................................................................... 35
Create Specialized Award Panel (Judge Advisor) ........................................................................................ 36
Pit Interviews and Match Observation .......................................................................................................... 36
Feedback from Field Personnel (Judge Advisor) .......................................................................................... 36
Final Deliberations ....................................................................................................................................... 36
Equitable Distribution of Awards .................................................................................................................. 37
Award Scripts ............................................................................................................................................... 37
Gracious Professionalism® - “Doing your best work while treating others with respect and kindness - It’s what makes FIRST, first.”
6 | 2018- 2019 FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual
Example: .................................................................................................................................................. 37
End of the Day ................................................................................................................................................. 38
Awards and Closing Ceremony .................................................................................................................... 38
Feedback to Teams ..................................................................................................................................... 38
Notes Taken During Judging ........................................................................................................................ 38
Appendix A – Resources ................................................................................................................................. 39
Game Forum Q&A ....................................................................................................................................... 39
FIRST Tech Challenge Game Manuals ........................................................................................................ 39
FIRST Headquarters Pre-Event Support ...................................................................................................... 39
FIRST Tech Challenge Event On-Call Support ............................................................................................ 39
FIRST Websites ........................................................................................................................................... 39
FIRST Tech Challenge Social Media ........................................................................................................... 39
Feedback ..................................................................................................................................................... 39
Appendix B: Sample Judge Questions............................................................................................................. 40
Here are some sample questions that Judges might ask a team: ................................................................. 40
Appendix C: Judge Summary Sheet ................................................................................................................ 41
Appendix D: Team Self Reflection Sheet ......................................................................................................... 43
Using the FIRST Tech Challenge Judging Session Self-Reflection Sheet .................................................... 43
Why Team Self-Reflection?.......................................................................................................................... 43
The FIRST Tech Challenge Team Judging Session Self-Reflection Sheet................................................... 43
Using the Self-Reflection Sheet ................................................................................................................... 43
Ideas for When and How to do Team Self-Reflection ................................................................................... 43
Appendix E: Pre-Event Checklist ..................................................................................................................... 45
Talk through the entire event ahead of time with Tournament Director......................................................... 45
As Judges are recruited, get their preferred “name”, email & cell! ................................................................ 45
Once you know how many Interview rooms will be available: ....................................................................... 45
Appendix F: Conflict of Interest ........................................................................................................................ 46
Conflict of Interest ........................................................................................................................................ 46
Parent/Relative/Alumni of a Team ............................................................................................................ 46
Appendix G: Supply and Print List ................................................................................................................... 47
Supply List ................................................................................................................................................... 47
Print List ....................................................................................................................................................... 47
Appendix H: FIRST Tech Challenge Award Record Sheet .............................................................................. 48
Appendix I: Judge Match Observer Sheet ....................................................................................................... 49
Appendix J: Sample List for Deliberations ....................................................................................................... 50
Appendix K: FIRST Dean’s List Award ............................................................................................................ 51
Overview ...................................................................................................................................................... 51
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Dean’s List Award Evaluation Structure ....................................................................................................... 51
Dean’s List Interviewer ................................................................................................................................. 51
Dean’s List Reviewer ................................................................................................................................... 52
Introduction
What is FIRST® Tech Challenge?
FIRST® Tech Challenge is a student-centered program that focuses on giving students a unique and
stimulating experience. Each year, teams engage in a new game where they design, build, test, and program
autonomous and driver operated robots that must perform a series of tasks. To learn more about FIRST® Tech
Challenge and other FIRST® Programs, visit www.firstinspires.org.
FIRST Core Values
We express the FIRST® philosophies of Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition® through our Core
Values:
• Discovery: We explore new skills and ideas.
• Innovation: We use creativity and persistence to solve problems.
• Impact: We apply what we learn to improve our world.
• Inclusion: We respect each other and embrace our differences.
• Teamwork: We are stronger when we work together.
• Fun: We enjoy and celebrate what we do!
Gracious Professionalism®
FIRST® uses this term to describe our programs’ intent and Gracious Professionalism® is not clearly defined
for a reason. It has different meanings to everyone. Some possible meanings of Gracious Professionalism
include:
• Gracious attitudes and behaviors are win-win.
• Gracious folks respect others and let that respect show in their actions.
• Gracious Professionals make valued contributions in a way that is pleasing to others and to
themselves.
In the end, Gracious Professionalism® is part of everyday life. When professionals use their knowledge
graciously and individuals act with integrity and sensitivity, everyone wins, and society benefits.
Watch Dr. Woodie Flowers explain Gracious Professionalism in this short video.
Gracious Professionalism for Volunteers
It is a good idea to spend time going over this concept with volunteers. Provide volunteers with real-life
examples of Gracious Professionalism in practice before, during, and after the event and recognize great
Gracious Professionalism when you see it in action!
Gracious Professionalism® - “Doing your best work while treating others with respect and kindness - It’s what makes FIRST, first.”
8 | 2018- 2019 FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual
FIRST Volunteer Rights and Responsibilities
NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION
For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST®) does not discriminate based on race,
color, national origin, sex, disability, age, status as a veteran who served in the military, religion, gender,
gender identity, or gender expression in its programs and activities.
Keep updated at: http://www.firstinspires.org/about/legal-notices
Volunteer Rights and Responsibilities
Volunteers are the most valuable asset to FIRST®. Your selfless contribution of time and resources are
instrumental in accomplishing our mission of inspiring the next generation of science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics leaders and innovators. The foundation of the relationship between FIRST and our
volunteers is respect.
It is your right to:
• Be treated with Gracious Professionalism®. Gracious Professionalism is a way of doing things that
encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the
community.
• Feel valued. FIRST recognizes the significant efforts that volunteers contribute. The time that you
donate not only helps FIRST succeed but also builds the FIRST community.
• Understand your role. FIRST will inform you about what’s expected of you, your schedule, any meals
you will be provided, any changes to program or policy, and who to contact should you need
assistance.
• Expect a safe environment. FIRST strives to create and maintain a safe environment for all volunteers
and participants and will always factor safety into program planning.
• Receive fair treatment and inclusion. All volunteers will be treated with respect and dignity in inclusive
environments. FIRST does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability,
age, status as a veteran who served in the military, religion, sexuality, gender, gender identity, or
gender expression in its programs and activities.
• Reevaluate your time commitment. FIRST appreciates all of our volunteers and understands that
volunteers experience life situations that may affect their commitment.
• Communicate with your Volunteer Coordinator or your local FIRST leadership about:
o Concerns or limitations that are affecting your volunteer role.
o Any mistreatment towards you or others. You may be required to fill out a non-medical incident
form.
o Contact FIRST Headquarters directly if you feel that you are being treated improperly and
attempts to resolve issues and conflicts at the local level are not successful. Volunteers can call
(800) 871-8326 or email volunteer@firstinspires.org.
It is your responsibility to:
• Treat others with Gracious Professionalism®.
• Follow the schedule and the role description provided for your position. Contact your local FIRST
leadership if there are any issues.
• Respect others, treat them fairly and kindly. Be inclusive and follow the non-discrimination policy of
FIRST.
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• Follow safety rules and ensure safety of others. Adhere to all FIRST Youth Protection Program (YPP)
policies. Report any injuries or safety concerns within 48 hours.
• Adhere to the FIRST Code of Conduct.
• Have FUN!
Volunteer Code of Conduct
The mission of FIRST is to inspire a generation of science and technology leaders who are both gracious and
professional. This FIRST Code of Conduct lists some of the basic behaviors mentors, coaches, volunteers,
team members, Affiliate Partners, contractors, staff, and other participants should adhere to while participating
in FIRST activities.
• Exhibit Gracious Professionalism ® always. Gracious Professionalism is a way of doing things that
encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the
community. With Gracious Professionalism, fierce competition and mutual gain are not separate
notions.
• Ensure the safety of all participants in FIRST activities.
• Not engage in any form of bullying, harassment, use of profane or insulting language, or any actual or
threatened violence.
• Adhere to all FIRST Youth Protection Program (YPP) policies.
• Report any unsafe behavior to event or local FIRST leadership.
Should a volunteer not comply with the Code of Conduct, they may be barred from participating in future
FIRST activities.
Gracious Professionalism® - “Doing your best work while treating others with respect and kindness - It’s what makes FIRST, first.”10 | 2018- 2019 FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual
Tournament Organization Structure
Figure 1 - League Championship, Qualifying Tournament, Championship Tournament Organization
Figure 2 - League Meet Organization
Learn more about the roles of volunteers on our Volunteer Resources page, “Volunteer Role Description”.
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What is the FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual?
The purpose of the FIRST Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Guide is to:
• Define the role of a Judge at a FIRST Tech Challenge event
• Define the role of a Judge Advisor at a FIRST Tech Challenge event
• Provide Judges and Judge Advisors a baseline understanding of what to expect when volunteering
• Familiarize Judges and Judge Advisors with each award and the specific criteria for each
• Provide step by step instructions on the deliberation process
The guide focuses on the skills and concepts needed for to develop the following general goals:
• Provide an understanding of the team interview process
• Provide instructions on how to review the engineering notebook
• Provide information on how to evaluate the Control Award
• Provide a step-by-step process for deciding award finalists and winners
This manual will be broken out into two sections. The first section includes information for Judges and
Judge Advisors. The second section includes more information that is specific to the Judge Advisor role.
This guide would not be possible without the contributions of time, ideas, and resources provided by the
following people:
Jill Wilker, Kevin Ross, Carol Edelman, Chris Rake, Anika Greene, and Robert Swider
Job Description
Physical/Technical Requirements:
• Technical – Medium
• Physical – Medium
• Administrative – Medium
• Communication – High
Time Commitment:
• A Judge can expect to commit to at least one full day for the event, about 10 hours. Larger
events could span multiple days. Be sure to check with your Volunteer Coordinator for an
understanding of the duration of the event.
• A Judge Advisor should expect to commit three full days. One at the event, one planning for the
event, and one training the Judging team.
• Proper Dress: Judges are often provided with a shirt to wear during competition. Check with the
Tournament Director before the event if a shirt will be provided. Some Judges observe matches, and
interview teams in the pit area so be sure to wear comfortable, close toed shoes. ANSI Z87.1 certified
safety glasses are required in the pit and competition area.
Volunteer Training and Certification
Volunteers must apply to their role using the Volunteer Registration System. After the volunteer has applied to
their role, FIRST Tech Challenge will send an email to the volunteer with access instructions to training and
certifications (if applicable). Emails with access to the training and certifications will be sent within one
business day from applying to the role. If you have applied for a role but have not received access to the
training, please email FTCTrainingSupport@firstinspires.org.
Gracious Professionalism® - “Doing your best work while treating others with respect and kindness - It’s what makes FIRST, first.”12 | 2018- 2019 FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual
Training Requirements:
• Judges and Judge Advisors should read and understand this Manual before volunteering at an
event.
• Judges and Judge Advisors must watch the appropriate training videos.
• Both Judges and Judge Advisors MUST take a Certification test to test their knowledge.
• The estimated time frame for training is 2 hours.
Volunteer Minimum Age Requirement
FIRST requires that FIRST event volunteers be at least 13 years old for most roles. Please Note the
exceptions listed below. The Regional Planning Committee can increase the age requirement as needed.
Adult volunteers cannot have children with them while volunteering nor be responsible for supervising children
at the event. Children under the minimum age are welcome at FIRST competitions with suitable supervision
by someone other than a volunteer.
Volunteer Judge Minimum Age Requirement
The minimum age allowed for Judges is 21. Students who have been a part of a team must be at least 3 years
removed from the team before they can serve as a Judge at an Official FIRST Tech Challenge tournament.
Key Volunteer Role Minimum Age Requirement
Volunteers MUST be at least 21 years old before they can serve in a Key Volunteer Role for the FIRST Tech
Challenge. Key Volunteer positions include: Volunteer Coordinator, Head Referee, Judge Advisor, Field
Manager, Field Technical Advisor, Lead Hardware Inspector, Lead Software Inspector, and Lead Scorekeeper.
Bring a Friend!
Volunteers are a huge part of the FIRST Tech Challenge Program and continuing to inspire students to seek
out careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). FIRST Tech Challenge needs your help in
recruiting new volunteers to keep our programs thriving for future generations! If you have a friend or co-worker
you think would be interested in volunteering at an event, there are just a few easy steps to help get them
involved!
1. Check out our full list of volunteer opportunities online!
2. Have them apply for the event in the Volunteer Registration System. volunteers must be screened
before volunteering.
3. Have them contact FTCTeams@firstinspires.org with any questions they may have.
If they are concerned about jumping in head first, no worries! Job shadowing at a FIRST Tech Challenge event
is a great way to get a taste of what a full day’s worth of competition looks like. New volunteers can discover
ways they can fit their personal skills into a volunteer position!
FIRST Tech Challenge Philosophy of Judging
FIRST recognizes both on-field performance, and the characters that help FIRST achieve its mission to
change culture by inspiring young people. Awards are earned by teams for their ability to play the game, while
Judges decide the awards given for off-field performance.
FIRST Tech Challenge awards fall into two general categories: Machine, Creativity, and Innovation (MCI), and
Team Attribute (TA). MCI awards recognize the technical accomplishments of teams in planning, designing,
construction, operation, and control of their robots. The Think Award, Design Award, Rockwell Collins Innovate
Award, and Control Award are all MCI awards. TA awards recognize the success of teams in developing
strong partnerships with their community. This includes recruiting members, fund-raising, and the team’s
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outreach efforts to spread FIRST’s message about the benefits that can come from the study of math, science,
and technology. The Inspire Award, Connect Award, and Motivate Award are all TA awards.
Interaction between Judges and students is an important ingredient of the FIRST experience. The awards are
a vehicle FIRST uses to inspire students and open their eyes to the future that awaits them if they continue
their studies. To that end, the awards help promote a positive student interaction with Judges who are
successful professionals who can recognize their achievements and encourage them to continue learning.
All award winners chosen by the Judges should be recognized as being fine examples of the award guidelines,
not necessarily the “best” team. This idea will help with deliberations, as some Judges may dig their heels in
when advocating for a specific team to win an award. Teams will be recognized at the awards ceremony. Each
winner should display role-model behavior and show Gracious Professionalism to everyone they meet at the
event. Award scripts are written for the positive qualities the team displays, rather than recognizing the
hardships the team had to overcome. The message to the audience about each award winner should be an
uplifting one.
Overview of Responsibilities
Judge
The primary role of a Judge is to interview teams, and to decide which teams deserve an award based on team
interviews, the robot, match play, and the engineering notebook. Judges are paired in groups of 2-3 to
interview a set number of teams before the competition beginning as well as interviews in the pit area.
During the event, Judges will:
• Conduct team interviews.
• Review team engineering notebooks.
• Watch Competition matches.
• Decide the 3 top ranked teams for each Judged award.
• Come to consensus with other Judges on the recipient of each award.
• Share their notes on top ranked and winning teams with the Judge Advisor and other Judges for
use in Award Ceremony script.
This guide will walk through in detail all the responsibilities a Judge will have to prepare them for competition
day.
Finally, make sure to smile, and enjoy your day!
Judge Match Observer
Most of the Judges will be involved in the Judge interviews and will not have much time to see the teams and
robots in action. Two or three Judges will be asked to serve as Judge Match Observers. Their role is to
observe the teams Gracious Professionalism®, the action on the field, and collect data on the quality of the
robot performance in the contest. These Observers will keep notes on each team during a match, collecting
observations about:
Gracious Professionalism®:
• How the team responds to wins or losses
• How the team interacts with their alliance partner.
• How the team interacts with the event volunteers.
• How the team interacts with other teams
Gracious Professionalism® - “Doing your best work while treating others with respect and kindness - It’s what makes FIRST, first.”14 | 2018- 2019 FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual
• How the team members interact with one another
• How the team approaches their conversation with the Head Referee in the Question Box
Robot and Match Play:
• Autonomous Operation
• Robots reliability during the match.
• Team Strategy
Many of the awards that are discussed during deliberations have qualities that need to be observed during the
competition. The Judge Match Observer will be able to see all the teams more than once and collect
information on each. We recommend having a Match Observer sheet for each team to help keep organized.
The Match Observers will be involved in the deliberations by providing much-needed feedback to the other
Judges about the team, the team strategy, the team’s interactions with others, and the operational qualities of
the robots.
Judge Advisor
The primary role of a Judge Advisor is to facilitate Judge deliberations and decision-making after all the team
interviews have been completed for the day. The Judge Advisor does not take part in the interview process,
and does not select teams for awards, instead they work with the Judges to help guide them in deciding on
award winners. The Judge Advisor keeps the group of Judges moving forward with award decisions. The
Judge Advisor ensures decisions are made on time, and that scripts are written when needed by the
Tournament Director. Other responsibilities may vary from region to region. This manual will provide the Judge
Advisor information about many aspects of the role they may need to fulfill as well as being the facilitator. In
the next section we will cover in more detail what a Judge Advisor should ask the Tournament Director about
added responsibilities.
The Judge Advisor is there to make sure all the FIRST Tech Challenge teams have a high-quality experience
with the Judging process. Every team should feel like they were treated fairly and given the opportunity to
show the Judges their accomplishments. The key to a high-quality experience is planning well for the event.
Judge Advisor Assistant
The Judge Advisor Assistant is responsible for helping the Judge Advisor throughout the event, providing
computer support (word processing), and performing other duties as assigned. The Judge Assistant is not a
Judge and does not interview teams or take part in award deliberation or recipient selection process. The
Judge Assistant is responsible for setting up the Judge’s room on the evening before or morning of the event.
They are also responsible for breaking it down after the Judges have reached their decisions.
The Judge Advisor Assistant should be chosen for their discretion as well as organizational abilities, as they
will hear and see the overall Judging process and must be able to keep the discussions confidential.
At the event, the Judge Assistant will:
• Act as timekeeper for Judge interviews.
• Help to coordinate team queuing
• Update Judges on any schedule changes that occur throughout the day.
• Provide Judges with engineering notebooks.
• Provide an extra pair of eyes and ears for the Judges.
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Occasionally, the Judge Advisor Assistant may be a volunteer who is interested in becoming a Judge Advisor.
The position can also be used as a way for a volunteer to shadow the Judge Advisor, learn about how this
position works, and get a better understanding of the responsibilities involved.
Pre-Event Day Responsibilities
Before the event, Judges and Judge Advisors read and watch the training materials and take a certification
test to help reinforce their knowledge of the position. This certification is required for both Judges and Judge
Advisors.
It is strongly suggested that Judge Advisors take part in monthly discussion calls. These calls are set up for
Judge Advisors in multiple regions to share tips and best practices with each other, to ask questions, and to
build a sense of community among regions. The call schedule is emailed to Judge Advisors once they are
assigned to their role by their local Volunteer Coordinator.
In many regions, the Judge Advisor is responsible for building the Judging schedule, with the Tournament
Director and the Lead Inspector. Judge Advisors should also play a role in assuring the event Judges are
trained and may provide added training to those volunteers.
The scoring system will build a Judging and Inspection schedule based on the number of teams, the number of
Judges, and the number of Inspectors expected at the event. It’s important to build in a little slack time, for
teams who are unintentionally late to the event.
Judge Advisors should communicate with the Judges before the event to share information (where, when, what
to bring), and to gather information about the Judges preferences, expertise and potential conflicts of interest.
Event Day Timeline
Below is an example timeline of what an event day can look like.
6:45 – 7:15 7:30 – 9:30 9:30 – 10:00 10:15 – 10:30 10:30 – 12:00 12:00 – 1:00 1:00 – 2:00 2:00 – 2:30 3:30
Morning Initial Opening Pit Interviews/Match Closing
Team Interviews LUNCH Final Deliberations Award Scripts
Meeting Deliberations Ceremony Observation Ceremony
Review Game Manuals
Judges must review the following sections of the Game Manual Part 1:
• Section 4.0 – Tournament overview. This provides detailed information about the flow of the event day.
• Section 7.3 – Engineering Notebooks
• Section 7.0 – Judging and Award Criteria
Judges can also review the Game Manual Part 2 (although not required) to be familiar with this season’s
game.
Confirm Additional Responsibilities (Judge Advisor)
The Judge Advisor must speak with the Tournament Director to decide all their responsibilities before the
competition. Depending on the region, a Judge Advisor may have additional responsibility on top of their
primary role of facilitator. Have a conversation with the Tournament Director to decide:
• Who is responsible for allocating interview/deliberation space at the event location?
• Who is responsible for creating the Judging schedule?
• Who is responsible for bringing Judging supplies (such as safety glasses, pens, paper) to the event?
• Who is responsible for printing and bringing materials for Judges such as Judge Summary Sheets,
Match Observation Sheets, etc.?
Gracious Professionalism® - “Doing your best work while treating others with respect and kindness - It’s what makes FIRST, first.”16 | 2018- 2019 FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual
This Manual will include sections that discuss how to carry out each of these in the case the Judge Advisor is
responsible for any of the above assignments. There is also a checklist in Appendix E to go over with the
Tournament Director before the event.
Confirm Awards
Check with the Tournament Director to decide if any optional awards will be given at the event. The Promote
Award and Compass Award are optional and must be reviewed before the event. These submissions are
usually reviewed by volunteers other than the event day judges.
FIRST Tech Challenge Award Eligibility and Advancement Criteria
To ensure fairness to all teams and to provide equal opportunity for all teams to win an award at a FIRST Tech
Challenge Championship tournament, teams are only eligible to win an award at the first three Championship
tournaments that they attend. Those teams who compete in more than three Qualifying Tournaments, League
Championships, and Championship Tournaments do so to being involved in the fun and excitement of the
tournament and not with the intent of winning awards or advancing to the next tournament level.
Each team is responsible for telling tournament organizers and Judges if they are ineligible for awards or
advancement based on the policies below.
Eligibility
Teams must be registered and in good standing with FIRST before they are eligible to compete in Official
FIRST Tech Challenge tournaments.
The Tournament Director will confirm the eligibility of the teams.
Eligibility for Judged Awards
Teams are eligible to be considered for all Judged Awards (except the Inspire Award, please see Inspire
section for details) at any of the first three events they participate in at each of the following levels. Teams may
compete at each level in any region that will accept them. Affiliate Partners have the authority to decide if their
event is open to teams from other regions or is only for teams within their region.
• League Tournament
• Qualifying Tournament
• Super Qualifying Tournament
• Championship Tournament
Inspire Award Eligibility
Teams that have won the Inspire Award at another event of the same level, regardless of the region, cannot be
considered for the Inspire Award or as an Inspire Award Finalist at additional events at that level.
All teams are eligible to be considered for all Judged Awards at the following events:
• World Championship Tournament
Eligibility for Advancement
Teams are eligible for advancement at any one of the first three events they participate in at any of the
following levels, regardless of the region. This applies to both teams in North America, and teams outside of
North America:
• League Tournament
• Qualifying Tournament
• Super Qualifying Tournament
• Championship Tournament
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• Teams may advance to only the first World Championship Event they have been invited to.
Event Type Advances To Special Considerations
A team is eligible to advance to the next
Qualifying Tournament competition tier from one of the first three
Qualifying, League, or Super-Qualifying
Tournaments they attend.
State or Regional
League Tournament
Championship
Tournament A team may participate in more than three
events in the same competition tier, but they
Super-Qualifying are not eligible for consideration for
Tournament advancement or awards at events beyond
their third.
A team is eligible to advance to the next
competition tier from one the first three
Championship Tournaments they attend.
FIRST Tech
State or Regional
Challenge World
Championship A team may only advance to the first World
Championship
Championship Tournament they qualified for.
Order of Advancement
If the team listed has already advanced or there is no team fitting that description (as in 2nd team selected at
smaller events), the advancement will continue in order.
1. Optional – Qualifier Host team (NOTE: Each region’s Affiliate Partner decides if this advancement
opportunity will be offered, and if so, when the host team must be identified. The team MUST compete
at one other tournament within the region and must meet the criteria set forth by the Affiliate Partner in
the agreement. This advancement applies to Qualifying Tournament hosts only, and does NOT apply to
host teams of Meets, League Championships or Championship Tournaments).
2. Inspire Award Winner
3. Winning Alliance Captain
4. Inspire Award 2nd place
5. Winning Alliance, 1st team selected
6. Inspire Award 3rd place
7. Winning Alliance, 2nd team selected
8. Think Award Winner
9. Finalist Alliance Captain
10. Connect Award Winner
11. Finalist Alliance, 1st team selected
12. Rockwell Collins Innovate Award Winner
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13. Finalist Alliance, 2nd team selected
14. Design Award Winner
15. Motivate Award Winner
16. Control Award Winner
17. Highest Ranked team * not previously advanced, from the Winning Division.
18. Think Award 2nd Place
19. Highest Ranked team *not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division.
20. Connect Award 2nd Place
21. Highest Ranked team * not previously advanced, from the Winning Division.
22. Rockwell Collins Innovate Award 2nd Place
23. Highest Ranked team * not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division.
24. Design Award 2nd Place
25. Highest Ranked team * not previously advanced, from the Winning Division.
26. Motivate Award Winner 2nd Place
27. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division.
28. Control Award Winner 2nd Place
29. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Winning Division.
30. Think Award 3rd Place
31. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division.
32. Connect Award 3rd Place
33. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Winning Division.
34. Rockwell Collins Innovate Award 3rd Place
35. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division.
36. Design Award 3rd Place
37. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Winning Division.
38. Motivate Award 3rd Place
39. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division.
40. Control Award 3rd Place
41. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Winning Division.
42. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division.
43. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Winning Division.
44. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division.
45. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Winning Division.
46. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division.
47. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Winning Division.
48. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division.
49. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Winning Division.
50. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division.
51. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Winning Division.
52. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division.
*Refers to Qualification Match Ranking. These advancements are in order. There is no normalizing of
rank between divisions.
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Event Day Schedule
Knowing the event day schedule ahead of time is helpful to the Judge Advisor for many reasons. The Judge
Advisor not only needs to make sure the interviews are staying on time, but also when decisions need to be
made on award winners. The Judges must write scripts for the winning teams, and for most events the scripts
must be delivered to the Tournament Director at least an hour before the end of the competition. Knowing the
event day schedule will help prepare the Judge Advisor, and make sure the Judges keep on schedule
throughout the day.
Below is a typical event day schedule for a 12-team event. Larger events will need to adjust their times.
Time Activity
6:00 am • Staff, Judges, Referees and all other volunteers arrive
• Provide breakfast for volunteers
• Distribute T-Shirts, name badges, etc.
• Referees and Judges meet and receive briefings on their specific responsibilities
• Referees and Judges receive assignments and job specific tools
• Place signs to direct traffic outside and inside the Venue
6:15 am • Sign out radios
• Place Crowd Control volunteers at entrances
• DJ arrives, sets up, and does sound check
• Check:
o Video
o Sound
o Scoring Display
o Computers
6:45 am • Registration Desk, Inspection, and Pit Admin Volunteers in place
• Ensure EMT/Nurse is on duty
7:00 am • Registration begins, Pit opens (have a plan in place for addressing the certain
early arrivals)
• Robot Inspection begins
• Practice matches begin
7:30 am • Scheduled Judging sessions begin (3 Judging panels, 30 minutes between
appts)
8:45 am • Run match schedule and give out to teams when Inspections are nearly
complete.
• Key Volunteer Meeting to go over timing strategies
10:00 am • Driver’s meeting with Head Referee
• Queue teams for first matches.
• Assemble opening ceremonies participants (speakers, Judges, Referees, VIPs)
10:15 am • Opening Ceremony
o Welcome remarks and guest speakers
o Brief description of FIRST and FIRST Tech Challenge, Game Challenge, and
Judging Procedures
o Show Game Animation/Video
o Introduce Judges and Referees
o National Anthem(s) *ask a local high school if they have a student available
to sing the Anthem(s)
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