[PayneTrain]

As someone with hands in too many hats on the team, I like the change. As long as FIRST communicates the change adequately, it's a good move. I almost wish the award submission was due before kickoff; we use that as a team controlled deadline for the submission. The earlier you shift the submission period for the essay, judges get more time to look at the written submission and teams of all sizes can break up the written/video/presentation trifecta to a greater degree.