What did you do to gain an Award?
 

What were some of the things you did to have the judges notice you and give your team an award? Did you have handouts, bribe them with brownies and a better pair of shoes? Any ideas what we can do to attract as much attention to us as we can and still have a great chance for an award.

thanks for the help.

Re: What did you do to gain an Award?
 

We design judges card to give to the judges (hence the name) that tells them all the wonderful things about us.

Re: What did you do to gain an Award?
 

what are the types of thigns that go on these judges cards, have one for an example you can link?

Re: What did you do to gain an Award?
 

Here is a copy of our 2005 Judges card.

Re: What did you do to gain an Award?
 

I've noticed throughout the years that awards are generally given to teams who not only explain their robot well in the pits, but have consistent performance on the field. Anyhow, here are my tips for interacting with the judges in the pits:

• Do not say "This is an all student built robot and we are an all student run team"
• Speak LOUDLY so they can hear you
• Invite them into your pit, really close, so they can see all the robot's intricacies
• Hand them extra parts of your robot to examine (such as a spare custom gearbox or wheel).
• Have more than one student eager to tell them something
• Point out something special about your robot that no others have - tell them something they haven't heard before, something they'll remember.
• Explain your reasoning for design decisions
• And most importantly, don't keep them waiting. If there are judges outside your pit and no one acknowledges them, they will move on.

Good luck teams!

Re: What did you do to gain an Award?
 

...For the simple reason that the aim of FIRST is to get students and engineers working together. So you take pride in having an all-student-built robot. Maybe everyone else takes pride in the partnership between students and mentors. Neither is better--but the latter is closer to the aims of FIRST.
Or spare arm...Yes, this works. Last year, 330 kept their spare arm in the pits. It spent more time being shown to people than being on the competition robot. (The real arm was hard to see with the ramps on.)
Definitely. Have someone designated to glance up every little bit to check for judges. Or have designated "talkers" whose main job is to talk to judges (and scouts).

Re: What did you do to gain an Award?
 

-ALWAYS have someone in your pit
-Make your pit attractive
-Make sure your students and mentors are well informed about the team and what it does/ sponsors/ outreach / etc
-SAFETY- First aid kit, safety glasses, follow rules
-Try as much as you can on the playing field (multiple goals like hurdling, herding, knocking off a ball, placing a ball)
-Try cool hybrid modes

These are somethings that may attract judges to you. Just BE PREPARED!!:yikes:

Re: What did you do to gain an Award?
 

This is a good thing to do. Get them up close to what your working on, be it the robot, showing them your controls for the robot, or even just to give them what you handout. ( we have shop rags )

Having students talk is the way to go. I could easily talk the ears off the judges about the robot, but I would rather have the students doing that. It doesn't just have to be the robot either, you need to talk about everything that your team does. Be it walk for warmth or some other charity event, elementary school or sponsor demos of the robot, or just some fun events that your team has done.

Re: What did you do to gain an Award?
 

Also be aware that you are judged not only by what happens at your pit, or how your robot does on the field, but also by the team's behavior everywhere else. And by team I mean anyone wearing your team shirt or colors, including siblings and parents. For example, if a judge overhears some of your team members trash-talking about other teams in the hallway, he/she will take note. Conversely, if a judge notices a team member going to great lengths to help out another team, that will be noticed as well.

Re: What did you do to gain an Award?
 

This is probably the most important point of all. What you do related to your team in ANY capacity, good or bad, will come back to your team. Not just from judges but from other FIRST teams as well.
So whether that is at competition, online or out in the community you should be mindful of how you carry yourself because there's alot more at stake than just your own popularity in the greater FIRST community but the good name of your team as well.

Re: What did you do to gain an Award?
 

We use a code word to designate the approach of a specific type of judge. When someone in our pit spies a safety judge, they will shout out "peanut butter" to the rest of us. When a regular judge is approaching, the word is "jelly".

When both are around simultaneously, it is, of course, "peanut butter jelly time". Yes, we are dorks.

You really do need to keep watch for them, because at many events, if you blink, they're gone.

Re: What did you do to gain an Award?
 

That includes CD (part of the "online" portion of Ed's statement). No disclaimer can fully disassociate you and your point of view from your team and its point of view. The judges and refs do read these forums. If you post something, bear in mind that it may be thought to be your team's opinion, even if it isn't, and may either raise or lower your team's reputation in the CD community's eyes.

Re: What did you do to gain an Award?
 

So, I have a question. Does having an engineering notebook give you a higher chance in winning the Chairman's Award?

Re: What did you do to gain an Award?
 

It probably won't, but it may up your chances for Engineering Inspiration or one of the technical awards. See Section 5 for complete details on the awards.

Re: What did you do to gain an Award?
 

Lots of great pointers so far.

I would add that your team needs to be aware of each of the awards, and the criteria for judging them. Make an honest assessment of what your are likely compeitive for (innovation in control, industrial design, entrepreneurship, etc.) and then try to focus some of your materials and / or discussions to those features about your team.

Also, be ready to talk to the judges and have someone prepared and watching, so you can greet them when they arrive. Be prepared.

As other stated, something to give the judges is a help - a card or fler or something to help them remember your robot and your team.