[Katy]

Alright here is what I know from doing this. This is out of PNW and the last time I did a presentation was 2003.

How many judges review each team; is it a panel of 3, 10, or larger?

We had two judges

Are the interview time slots then every 30 minutes or so?

The actual presentation of the award: does it occur on a specific day at all Regionals? (i.e. Thursday? or Friday?) does it change depending on Regional? Or, do the judges start viewing presentations, continuing through teams over the two days until all teams have been viewed?

In Seattle we were given a time to appear so I am not sure how they blocked them out

What does an interview room typically look like? Is it near the pits?

No the interview room is not near the pits. The room we were in was smaller, probably a minor meeting room. There was a desk with two chairs on one side (where the judges sat) and three chairs on our side for us. Small curtains of a similar material to the kind used on banner-awards (regionals, chairmans, etc) were hung around the table with some space going back. The entrance meant you walked into the door to the room then to the back to come into the enclosure (basically the judges had their backs to the door). It was a very quiet room and nobody else was allowed in there.

I assume the the judges will already have pre-printed copies of the yearbook page and chairman's submission; correct?

They were holding a copy of both

Do teams typically have any sort of "leave-behind" for the judges?

Yes I would recommend it. Have a copy of your submitted document in case they don't have it for some reason and also have a second on that doesn't look anything like your actual submission. It should have all the same data though, don't hold on to information for a "surprise" or anything.

In past years, teams have presented Powerpoint slide shows, videos, etc. So, I assume that each team needs to bring their own laptop PC, projector, etc?

Will they provide tables, chairs and other materials for us or do we have to bring our own?

There was the table and five chairs and I think I remember a TV and a VCR...don't quote me on that one though. Really though you should bring anything you need other than the chairs and table.

By presentation you mean the essay? Must we present the exact same topics of the essay but in a more creative way?

Really you don't have to do anything. There are very few rules and guidelines to how you submit the award. I think of the five minute presentation as a chance to add a more life-like sense of it rather than hard data.

Has anyone ever experienced a situation where you take in an advisor just to "view" the presentation? or to help the students set up their presentation? Or, is it strictly limited to just the three presenters per team? *Looking for input, as I stated above, I know what the rules state. I am VERY new to the PR/Business side of FIRST. Thanks!*

Do any of you send in less than the three students? Or do you generally always send in the three students? Are they usually three students? Or do you send in mentors, and the mentors present specific portions?

If a mentor is present in the room, can they be involved in the presentation as well, or can they only talk during the interview?

We brought a mentor with two students and the judges appeared very edgy about that idea. They said several times that he was not permitted to talk at all during the presentation or interview. They did ask him one question directly (I think it was out of politeness) which he answered but I do not think they really wanted a mentor there.

Do all three students talk? Or, do you send in one maybe two students to present, then have the sedond and third student to assist in the Q&A session after one student gives the presentation portion?

It is your team do it however you feel best. Do check however that you don't send in three people who have an impulse to talk all the time...because they will fight with each other.

I was wondering if people could post sample questions that the judges might ask. This would be greatly beneficial to our team. Thanks.

No...they have them up for FLL but not for us sadly. I do remember them asking what impact does our team have on the community, how is our relationship with our sponsors, how is your teamwork, how is your team a community, what have you done to spread science and technology awareness, etc etc. If you read through all the other awards and know ways to prove you qualify for those though you are on a very good track. Chairman's is about the whole picture so proving you have all the pieces is a good start.

If, for instance, our team's assigned interview time conflicts with a match (our Chairman's interview team consists of two drive team members), would FIRST reschedule it? Or would it be in our best interest to have "understudies" to fill in for the interview if such a conflict occurs?

We actually did have a conflict and two of our three students were on drive team. We had to make due Also on that note while the matches often run late they try to keep the Chairman's awards on schedule so even if the numbers say there is no conflict there may be one. If I were you I would just try to avoid having your drive team and your presentation team share members.