The Judges Award is given at the discretion of the Judges to a Team they have encountered whose unique efforts, performance or dynamics merit recognition, yet the Team does not fit into any of the existing Award categories.

 

Here is what the judges had to say:

The Control Award is given to the Team that demonstrates innovative thinking in the control system to solve Game challenges such as Autonomous Operation, enhancing mechanical systems with intelligent control, or using sensors to achieve better results on the Field.

 

Here is what the judges had to say:

The Motivate Award celebrates the Team that exemplifies the essence of the FIRST Tech Challenge competition and embraces the culture of FIRST while making a collective effort to make FIRST known throughout their school, and community and sparks others to embrace the culture of FIRST.

 

Here is what the judges had to say:

The intent of the Design Award is to expand on the challenge, inspiring Teams to incorporate industrial design into their robots. These elements can be shown in the simplicity of the design as it applies to the tasks, the look and feel of the robot, and how the design allows us to think of robots in new ways. The Design aspect must serve a function - but they should also differentiate the robot in a unique fashion.

 

Here is what the judges had to say:

This robot was a blur of color as they sped to the top of the judges' list. Their engineering principals are out of this world. The decision wasn't black and white, it was black and red!

Winner: Team 7423, Flaming Phoenix from Kennett Square, PA

2nd Place: Team 8645, Robotic Doges       3rd Place: Team 7182, Mechanical Paradox Cubed

The Rockwell Collins Innovate Award celebrates a Team that has the ingenuity and inventiveness to make their designs come to life. This Award is given to the Team that the Judges feel has the most Innovative and Creative Robot design solution to the FIRST Tech Challenge. Elements of this Award include elegant design, robustness and 'out of the box' thinking with regard to design. The creative component needs to work consistently, but a robot does not have to work all of the time during Matches to be considered for this Award. 

Here is what the judges had to say:

This team rocked the judges with their intake system. You would have to go to Mars to find another design this innovative. It's no paradox why this team wins, wins, wins.

Winner: Team 7182, Mechanical Paradox Cubed from Catonsville, MD

2nd Place: Team 8645, Robotic Doges       3rd Place: Team 7244, Out of the Box Robotics

The Connect Award is presented to the Team that the Judges' feel most connected with their local community, FIRST and the business world. The best Team is more than the sum of its parts, and recognizes that their schools and communities play an essential part to their success. The recipient of this Award is recognized for helping the community understand FIRST, the FIRST Tech Challenge, and the Team itself. In addition, the Team that wins this Award is aggressively seeking engineers and exploring the opportunities available in the world of engineering, science and technology.

Here is what the judges had to say:This team is being recognized for their ability to connect to their community. They organized a STEM Day at an elementary school, hosted an FLL tournament, and even hosted an FTC kickoff and workshops. To top it off, they even reached out overseas for FIRST Global mentoring. Ottimo Lavoro! 

The Think 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 Notebook is the key reference for judges to help identify the most deserving Team. This Team's Engineering Notebook focused on the design and build stages of the Team's robot and exemplified their journey as a team and engineers.

Here is what the judges had to say:

This team's notebook was clear and concise, from strategy sessions to design, build, and outreach. The judges were carried along the mystic journey through their detailed documentation. These wise guys from the East accomplished no tiny feat.

Winner: Team 4347, NanoGurus from Morris Plains, NJ

2nd Place: Team 8645, Robotic Doges       3rd Place: Team 7423, Flaming Phoenix

The Inspire Award is given to the Team that the Judges felt truly embodied the 'challenge' of the FIRST Tech Challenge program. The Team that receives this award is a strong ambassador for FIRST programs and works to promote FIRST and make it loud in their community. The Team that receives this Award has performed well in all Judging categories and was chosen by the Judges as a model FIRST Tech Challenge Team on and off the playing field. The Judges used Match performance, observations made during interviews and in the pit area, the Team's Engineering Notebook, and performance on the playing field in determining the winner.

Here is what the judges had to say:

This team was a solid performer across the board with a well designed and documented robot. Their outreach and dedication to FIRST is putting them on the map. With all the fetching of game elements this year, there's no surprise that they are leading the pack.

Winner: Team 8645, Robotic Doges from Hollsopple, PA

2nd Place: Team 7182, Mechanical Paradox Cubed     3rd Place: Team 7423, Flaming Phoenix