should there be a award for programming skill?

[Kyle Fenton]

Judging the pure layout of code is highly subjective, and will probably would never be judged in a consistent manner. There are definitely bad ways of programming, but there are also several good ways too. But in the end it all depends how well the code executes on the field.

One award that I always wish FIRST would consider would be a potential innovation award. Several teams including mine would try some bold and innovative that would have given them a clear advantage in the field. However for one reason or another it didn't work because of a limitation beyond their control (mechanical, processing power, # of i/o, etc). Often this could be a unique sensor, or a better way to navigate through autonomous. If the team can successfully explain what the feature was, and what constraints they need to resolve it, then they should be rewarded for their hard work. The short time in the build season often doesn't permit for much Test and Evaluation (T&E).Many times, some crazy and innovative programming ideas get dropped for more conventional ideas.