[Beth Sweet]

Here's the way that I see it. The teams that want the awards tend to get them. Some teams make up judges packets that they distribute to judges for the sole purpose of basically submitting themselves for the award. Obviously, teams that in essence do the judges work for them from the start then give the judges something to remember them by after leaving are going to have a heads up in the award section.

The other thing that gives a team heads up in award winning is the difference between the kids that have to be prodded for award info and the ones who jump up to tell the judges the second the judges are spotted. Just like in anything, those that show the initiative are typically the ones that succeed. This applies to the awards as well the way I see it.