What award(s) you need to go to nationals?

[Sunshine]

If you are new you can go as the rookie all star award winner. Otherwise it's the Chairman's award winner and the Engineering Inspiration award winner. The three alliance team winners move on if they can afford it.

Some teams sign up early in the year for open slots and get in that way. Some buy their way in others qualify from last year accomplishments.

We were invited prior to the build season like others because ( I believe) because of our last year accomplishments. But we only go if we qualify by winning one of the above.

I believe (seasoned teams jump in here) that FIRST has always invited teams in the past to make sure that they had a full field and presented themselves the best they could to the rest of the world.

I would think that because of their exponential growth, they would eventually only have those attend who meet the criteria that I mention in the first paragraph.