FAQ

FIRST Washington ▸ How are teams judged at competitions and what awards are there for FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge teams?

How are teams judged at competitions and what awards are there for FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge teams?

FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge is known around the globe not only for what we do (the Robot Game and Project), but also how we do it, with Core Values at the heart. The rubrics used for judging reflect these three equally important aspects of FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge.

Official tournaments must follow the judging and awards structure determined by FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge. Although the audience mostly sees teams playing the Robot Game at tournaments, teams are also being judged on:

  • Core Values
  • Project
  • Robot Design

The Core Values Poster and the Robot Design Executive Summary are additional tools that may be used to help facilitate discussion in the Core Values and Robot Design Judging sessions at official events. FIRST® Washington will distribute instructions to teams outlining the information to be included if we require the Core Values Poster and/or the Robot Design Executive Summary at our events.

The Core Values Poster and the Robot Design Executive Summary may be used as part of the judging at the World Festival.

About Judging

  • Teams must participate in all elements of a FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge competition including the Robot Game and all three judged areas in order to be eligible for any Core Award.
  • Judges use the rubrics to help them determine which teams will receive awards.
  • With the exception of the Robot Performance Award, awards are determined by a deliberation process, which is formulated around discussions of team performance in each category.
  • If a team does not exhibit Core Values at a tournament, they may be disqualified from winning any awards – including Robot Performance – no matter how well they scored.
  • Adults are strictly prohibited from directing team members or interfering with the judging process or robot rounds in any way.
  • No team is allowed to win two awards, unless one of the awards is for Robot Performance. Robot Performance is the only category based solely on score.
  • While they may attend other events for fun, teams are only eligible to win awards at the first official event of each qualifying level attended during the season.