Competition

This judged award recognizes design elements of the Robot that are both functional and aesthetic. The Design Award is presented to Teams that incorporate industrial design elements into their solution. These design elements could simplify the Robot’s appearance by giving it a clean look, be decorative in nature, or otherwise express the creativity of the Team. The Robot should be durable, efficiently designed, and effectively address the game challenge.

This judged award is given to the Team that best reflects the journey the Team took as they experienced the engineering design process during the build season. The engineering content within the portfolio is the key reference for judges to help identify the most deserving Team. The Team’s engineering content must focus on the design and build stage of the Team’s Robot.

This judged award is given to the Team that most connects with their local science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) community. A true FIRST team is more than a sum of its parts and recognizes that engaging their local STEM community plays an essential part in their success. The recipient of this award is recognized for helping the community understand FIRST, the FIRST Tech Challenge, and the Team itself. The Team that wins the Connect Award actively seeks and recruits engineers and explores the opportunities available in the world of engineering, science and technology. This Team has a clear Team plan and has identified steps to achieve their goals.

The Control Award celebrates a Team that uses sensors and software to increase the Robot’s functionality in the field. This award is given to the Team that demonstrates innovative thinking to solve game challenges such as autonomous operation, improving mechanical systems with intelligent control, or using sensors to achieve better results. The control component should work consistently in the field. The Team’s engineering portfolio must contain a summary of the software, sensors, and mechanical control, but would likely not include copies of the code itself.

This Team embraces the culture of FIRST and clearly shows what it means to be a team. This judged award celebrates the Team that represents the essence of the FIRST Tech Challenge competition through Gracious Professionalism and general enthusiasm for the overall philosophy of FIRST and what it means to be a FIRST Tech Challenge Team. This is a Team who makes a collective effort to make FIRST known throughout their school and community, and sparks others to embrace the culture of FIRST.

This judged award is optional and may not be given at all tournaments. Your Judge Advisor will have information about the judging for this award. The Promote Award is given to the Team that is most successful in creating a compelling video message for the public designed to change our culture and celebrate science, technology, engineering and math. Teams must submit a one-minute long public service announcement (PSA) video based on the PSA subject for the season.

Science Olympiad is a national STEM competition which was started in 1984. The Eagan High School Science Olympiad Team competes against other schools in various science events in the areas of earth science, biology, chemistry, physics and engineering/technology with the goal of making it to the national competition. These 23 events include academic, lab and building events, so there is a place for anyone interested in STEM. Students will get to pick which events they would like to study based on their individual interests, and they will work with other students on the team to prepare for competitions.

Membership is open to all grade levels and academic backgrounds. You do not have to be a science standout to succeed in Science Olympiad, just an interest in STEM. We allow flexibility for students balancing multiple school activities. Science Olympiad is a great place for students who would like to go into a STEM field in college, pursue a vocational career, or just have a love for science!