should there be a award for programming skill?

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by Kyle Fenton

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 Judge's Award is one of the few that explicitly mention rewarding effort rather than focusing on results. It would seem to be well suited for the kind of situation you describe.