Why is Engineering Inspiration viewed as second place to the Chairman's Award?

[cadandcookies]

Originally Posted by Broboraider

Ok, that make sense.
But, since they are different awards it is justifiable for an RCA to win EI at champs because of the overlap? I have no problem with teams winning both in a season before champs. I find that the judging process is somewhat fair and reasonable at a regional and district level but In my opinion, I believe that it takes the opportunity away from REI teams to win EI at champs if they have to compete with RCA teams as well. Many teams would love the opportunity to win an REI let alone an RCA. It just seems kinda strange to have an RCA team in the same discussion with a REI for a subdivision EI win

I don't really see how there's an issue. RCA winning teams are not inherently better than teams that do not win an RCA in a given year (or win EI). Different regions have different levels of competition for both awards. You're correct that it's more likely that an RCA team has done work that makes them a good candidate for EI, but at the end of the day, we're looking for the team that best fits the criteria of the Engineering Inspiration award-- the best of the best in that subdivision. I believe that the best team for those criteria should be chosen, whether they're an RCA winner or not.