[RoboMom]

Congrats on deciding to do a Chairman's entry. The information you gather for this entry can be used over and over, for many things including future grant proposals for funding for your team.
1. get started now. Besides the entry, you will have the executive summary and the yearbook page. Do not wait until the last minute to do these. Judges use this information. There is a helpful template for the yearbook page in another recent thread to get started on. You will enter this info into the TIMS under "judges information". This is the true snapshot of your team.
2. There is no certain way to do an entry, beyond the parameters of word and pictures. Read very carefully what the award is and help the judges by answering how your team has addressed this.
3. I will post in another thread (I don't have the info here right now) what is on the feedback form from the judges. Maybe someone else can post.



From another thread:
As it has been said, there are as many ways to approach the Chairman's award process as there are to build a robot.
Two (or more) pieces of "mom" advice:
1)no matter who writes it, always get a proofreader or two. Better yet, have one proofread who is not at all familiar with FIRST and take their questions to heart. Don't let the look confuse what you are really trying to say.
2)Help the judges and ALWAYS practice for the Chairman's award interview. This process is such good practice for all those real life challenges, such as college, scholarship, internship and job interviews. Do an outline. Have each student practice their "elevator" speech and realize first hand how difficult it is to get their part of what they want to emphasize across in a minute or two. This will come in handy for any talks with any judges, in the pits or in the interview room, or for that matter, anywhere, anytime at a competition. You are always representing your team, and remarks made in the bathrooms, in the halls, etc are heard and are reported. Prioritize. Bring examples to illustrate your talk but don't depend on them.They are background and the students are the real deal. It's ok to be nervous. Bring index cards if they need it. But it's not ok to just go in and "wing it." Don't chew gum. Have a backup plan in case one of your team is sick or your interview is scheduled at the same time your team is on the field and your driver is the same person as your lead talker. (B...-I'm talking to you here. You know what I'm talking about )
3) There is all sorts of debate on the process. Sometimes it seems like the entry drives it more than it should. The judging seems to vary. There have been mistakes made. That said, like all of FIRST, we, you, me, everyone, are all trying to make this better. It is truly about why your team should serve as a role model. Keep doing all the good stuff you are doing and you will make a difference.
4)yes, I realize I didn't really answer your question.
Good luck to all of you.