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Team Updates notify the FIRST Robotics Competition community of content changes to official season documentation (e.g. the Game Manual, deadlines, drawing changes, etc.), important season news, etc. (not minor typo fixes) including any noteworthy changes to this page's content. The dates listed under "Updates" will reflect the associated Team Update where any updates are made. This document is considered the authority on Awards Based on Team Attributes.
FIRST® Robotics Competition Team Attribute Awards
Team Attribute Awards recognize the success of teams in developing strong partnerships with their community, recruiting members, fundraising, and outreach efforts to spread the mission of FIRST. Click the expand/collapse box for each award to see the description, what events it is available at, and the full award guidelines.
Engineering Inspiration Award
Celebrates outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a team’s school or organization and community.
Updated
- July 2, 2018
Events Where It Is Awarded
- District Events
- Regional Competitions
- District Championships**
- FIRST Championship Divisions
Description
Celebrates outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a team’s school or organization and community.
Guidelines
- Extent and inventiveness of the team’s efforts to recruit students to engineering with particular emphasis on the most recent year’s efforts. Measurable success of those efforts.
- Extent and effectiveness of the team’s community outreach efforts with particular emphasis on the most recent year’s efforts. Measurable success of those efforts.
- A commitment to science and technology education among the team, school, and community.
- Achievement of the FIRST mission and ability to communicate that at the competition and away from it.
- Efforts are ongoing, not strictly concentrated on the build and competition season.
Eligibility
Teams* are eligible for the Engineering Inspiration Award at each Regional or District event. Teams will be restricted to earning this award once at each level of competition. In other words, once a team has earned Engineering Inspiration Award at a Regional or District event, they may not earn it again that season at a later Regional or District Event. At District Championship, only District teams that have won Engineering Inspiration Award at a District event during the current season are eligible.
*District Teams who participate at Regionals or inter-district events are not eligible for the Engineering Inspiration Award at those events.
**An interview room may be used for this award at the District Championships.Teams should not prepare a presentation for this interview. The purpose of this interview is to replace the traditional pit interview. Please consult your district leadership with any questions.
Gracious Professionalism® Award
Celebrates outstanding demonstration of FIRST Core Values such as continuous Gracious Professionalism® and working together both on and off the playing field.
Updated
- July 2, 2018
Events Where It Is Awarded
- District Events
- Regional Competitions
- District Championship Divisions (for those Districts with multiple Divisions at their District Championships)
- District Championships (for those Districts with single Divisions at their District Championships)
- FIRST Championship Divisions
Description
Celebrates outstanding demonstration of FIRST Core Values such as continuous Gracious Professionalism and working together both on and off the playing field.
Definition of Gracious Professionalism
- Gracious Professionalism is part of the ethos of FIRST. It’s a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community.
- with Gracious Professionalism, fierce competition and mutual gain are not separate notions.
Gracious professionals learn and compete like crazy, but treat one another with respect and kindness in the process. They avoid treating anyone like losers. No chest thumping tough talk, but no sticky-sweet platitudes either. Knowledge, competition, and empathy are comfortably blended.
Guidelines
- The team exemplifies the FIRST Core Values in relationships with other teams and by their demonstrated Gracious Professionalism
- The team consistently demonstrates Gracious Professionalism and a positive attitude both on and off the field.
- If the team worked with another FIRST Robotics Competition team pre-season – they can describe the following:
- How the collaboration was conducted during the off-season and during the build season
- How the teams divided up tasks fairly and equitably
- How the process of communication flowed from one team to the other
- How working together as a group was beneficial over working independently
- The financial impacts of working together vs working independently
Imagery Award in honor of Jack Kamen
This award celebrates attractiveness in engineering and outstanding visual aesthetic integration of machine and team appearance.
Updated
- July 2, 2018
Events Where It Is Awarded
- District Events
- Regional Competitions
- District Championship Divisions (for those Districts with multiple Divisions at their District Championships)
- District Championships (for those Districts with single Divisions at their District Championships)
- FIRST Championship Divisions
Description
In honor of Jack Kamen, Dean’s father, for his dedication to art and illustration and his devotion to FIRST. This award celebrates attractiveness in engineering and outstanding visual aesthetic integration of machine and team appearance.
Guidelines
- Appearance of machine and team are integrated in an attractive theme.
- Visuals of the integrated team/machine are exceptional.
- The team theme is supportive of the FIRST Core Values.
- The team’s theme is original, can be explained by a team spokesperson, and is fitting to the objectives, character, and/or history of the team.
Judges Award
During the course of the competition, the judging panel may decide a team’s unique efforts, performance, or dynamics merit recognition.
Updated
- April 10, 2018
Events Where It Is Awarded
- District Events
- Regional Competitions
- District Championship Divisions (for those Districts with multiple Divisions at their District Championships)
- District Championships (for those Districts with single Divisions at their District Championships)
- FIRST Championship Division
Description
During the course of the competition, the judging panel may decide a team’s unique efforts, performance, or dynamics merit recognition.
Guidelines
- The team keeps appearing for consideration for other awards.
- Other Judges have noticed and commented on the positive aspects of the team.
- A unique happening or feature (often one that demonstrates the team has fully embraced the principles of FIRST) has caught a Judge’s attention.
Rising All-Star Award
Celebrates the team that has persisted through challenges, despite the difficulties of being young. This could be the result of being a new team, or a team with recent turnover in membership.
Updated
- October 10, 2024
Events Where It Is Awarded
- District Events
- Regional Competitions
- District Championship Divisions (for those Districts with multiple Divisions at their District Championships)
- District Championships (for those Districts with single Divisions at their District Championships)
- FIRST Championship Divisions
Description
Celebrates the team that has persisted through challenges, despite the difficulties of being young. This could be the result of being a new team, or a team with recent turnover in membership.
Judges have the option of not presenting this award if they feel no team competing meets the criteria.
Guidelines
- This team understands the power of the FIRST mission and demonstrates through their actions both at home and at the competition the ethos of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition.
- This team is a role model for other young teams
- This team stands out as a team with a sustainable and promising future with FIRST.
- The purpose of this award is to recognize new teams or teams that have new beginnings
- Teams do not have to be in their first year. For example, the award could recognize a team in their second or third year who has undergone significant growth or succeeded despite challenges.
Rookie All-Star Award
Celebrates the rookie team exemplifying a young but strong partnership effort, as well as implementing the mission of FIRST to inspire students to learn more about science and technology.
Updated
- June 13, 2022
Events Where It Is Awarded
- District Events
- Regional Competitions
- District Championships**
- FIRST Championship Divisions
Description
Celebrates the rookie team exemplifying a young but strong partnership effort, as well as implementing the mission of FIRST to inspire students to learn more about science and technology.
As there are often far fewer rookie teams than veteran teams present at events, Judges have the option of not presenting this award if they feel no rookie team competing meets the criteria.
Guidelines
- This team seems like a “FIRST Impact Award team in the making.” (Community activities, leadership, vision, spirit, etc.)
- The team is a true partnership between school or organization and sponsors.
- The team understands what FIRST is really trying to accomplish – realizes that technical stuff is fun, challenging, and offers a future.
- This team has built a robot appropriate to the game’s challenges.
Eligibility
Rookie Teams* are eligible for the Rookie All-Star Award at each Regional or District event. Teams will be restricted to earning this award once at each level of competition. In other words, once a team has earned Rookie All-Star Award at a Regional or District event, they may not earn it again that season at a later Regional or District Event. At District Championship, only District teams that have won Rookie All-Star Award at a District event during the current season are eligible.
*District Teams who participate at Regionals or inter-district events are not eligible for the Rookie All-Star Award at those events.
**An interview room may be used for this award at the District Championships.Teams should not prepare a presentation for this interview. The purpose of this interview is to replace the traditional pit interview. Please consult your district leadership with any questions.
Team Spirit Award
Celebrates extraordinary enthusiasm and spirit through exceptional partnership and teamwork furthering the objectives of FIRST.
Updated
- April 10, 2018
Events Where It Is Awarded
- District Events
- Regional Competitions
- District Championship Divisions (for those Districts with multiple Divisions at their District Championships)
- District Championships (for those Districts with single Divisions at their District Championships)
- FIRST Championship Divisions
Description
Celebrates extraordinary enthusiasm and spirit through exceptional partnership and teamwork furthering the objectives of FIRST.
Guidelines
- Spirit is consistent both throughout the team and also throughout the contest in attitude, appearance, originality, and depth.
- The team displays obvious enthusiasm – in supporting teams, appearance, interactions with teams/Judges, etc. – at the competition.
- Spirit is part of the team and is apparent in all they do, including at their school, in their community, with sponsors and other teams, etc.
- They demonstrate spirit as a unified team.
Team Sustainability Award sponsored by Dow
Celebrates and recognizes a team which has developed sustainable practices to have a positive environmental impact and achieve long-term continuity.
Updates
- September 7, 2023
Events Where It's Awarded
- District Events
- Regional Competitions
- District Championship Divisions (for those Districts with multiple Divisions at their District Championships)
- District Championships (for those Districts with single Divisions at their District Championships)
- FIRST Championship Divisions
Description
Celebrates and recognizes a team which has developed sustainable practices to have a positive environmental impact and achieve long-term continuity.
Guidelines
- The team has a clear concept or approach to building their team and operates as a cohesive unit.
- The team proactively identified and managed risks, acquiring the assets to effectively deal with adversity as well as unexpected events.
- The team understands that operating in harmony with the environment is important for long-term team viability.
- The team is taking steps to reduce their environmental impact and building environmental sustainability into team activities.
- The team understood the goals of the competition and the mission of FIRST.
- The team must be able to explain:
- What team sustainability practices are in place such as recruiting and training future team members.
- How the team keeps students, mentors, and sponsors actively engaged by making decisions and dividing their workload
- How the team celebrate success and document lessons learned to prevent repeating mistakes
- How the team assesses its environmental impact and what the team does to mitigate or reduce it.
- How the team’s environmental sustainability strategy impacts their team longevity.
- How the team is funded and how the team budgets, including potential revenue from sustainability practices like metal recycling
Eligibility
Teams are eligible to win the Team Sustainability Award at any event in which they participate.