Award-Specific Content

Inspire Award

The most prestigious award. Judges look for a team that excels across all areas: engineering, outreach, teamwork, values, sustainability, and presentation.

What to include:

• A balanced portfolio that touches on every area: robot, programming, outreach, and values.
• Evidence of collaboration: “Our build and programming teams worked closely to integrate the lift PID loop…”
• Documentation of growth: show how the robot improved through testing and feedback.
• Evidence of strong outreach and FIRST impact.

Where to show it:

• Team Introduction, Engineering Process, Outreach, Final Reflection

Think Award

Judges want to see your critical thinking, technical documentation, and how you approached problems.

What to include:

• Engineering Design Process: idea → sketch → prototype → test → redesign
• CAD diagrams with iteration notes
• Math/calculations (gear ratios, torque, speed)
• Test results (graphs, charts, notes)

Connect Award

This award honors teams that connect with professionals, mentors, and their community to grow in STEM.

What to include:

• Meetings with engineers, universities, or companies
• Mentorship connections
• Outreach logs with dates and impact
• Photos of events

Innovate Award

This award recognizes unique engineering solutions and creative approaches to the game challenge.

What to include:

• Photos and CAD of your most unique mechanism
• Details about what makes it innovative
• Prototyping steps that led to the final solution
• Comparison to standard solutions

Design Award

This award is for teams with excellent CAD, build quality, and engineering design principles.

What to include:

• Clean CAD screenshots with labels
• Mechanical principles (supports, forces, material choices)
• Design aesthetics and team branding
• Photos of build quality

Sustain Award

This award celebrates teams that demonstrate long-term sustainability by building strong systems, securing resources, and creating plans that ensure continued growth and impact beyond a single season.

What to include:

• Team structure, leadership roles, and succession planning
• Fundraising efforts and financial management strategies
• Mentorship models and knowledge transfer between seasons
• Plans for long-term growth and team continuity

Reach Award

This award recognizes teams that actively expand access to STEM by engaging new audiences, forming partnerships, and reaching communities that may not otherwise have exposure to FIRST.

What to include:

• Outreach to new schools, communities, or age groups
• Partnerships with organizations, sponsors, or local leaders
• Programs that remove barriers to STEM participation
• Measurable impact and growth of outreach efforts