Pennsylvania FTC Championship

This award is being given by the referees to honor the ingenuity and creativity of the teams in creating their team markers. All team markers were evaluated based on creativity and execution. The team marker does not have to claim the depot in all matches to qualify for the award.

Here is what the judges had to say about the winner:

This team's creative marker won over the referees. Their extraterrestrial marker was worthy of a mission to Mars. Their detailed 3D printed design forced its' way to the front.

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 about the winner:

This team was enthusiastic and cohesive. Their dapper uniforms were original and fun. Using a spoonful of ingenuity, their clever use of simple solutions was out of this world. The Ingenuity Award goes to Team 13474, Mars Advanced Robotics Squad.

The Compass Award recognizes an adult coach or mentor who provided outstanding guidance and support for a FIRST Tech Challenge team throughout the year. The winner of the Compass Award is determined from candidates nominated by student team members, via a 40-60 second video, highlighting how their mentor has helped them become an outstanding team and has truly demonstrated what it means to be a Gracious Professional.

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. The video submission was evaluated by the Judges to determine the winner of this award. Teams must present a thoughtful and high-quality video which appeals to the general public and best exhibits this year's topic of "If every student participated in FIRST, the world would be..."

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 about the winner:

This team has a well documented and presented system for developing clean and efficient code. Both robot and team best utilized their senses to detect obstacles and home-in on goals. They have given back to the greater STEM community from the east coast all the way to Africa, but the judges really owe it to this team for clearly commenting their savvy programming.

This 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 about the winner:

The judges identify this team as ambassadors in their community. In their various outreach activities, they put their best foot forward. Using a multiple of mediums, everyone knows when these tigers are on the prowl.

The Design Award expands on this year's 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 in 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 about the winner:

This team impressed the judges with their uniquely designed robot base. Their mineral delivery system was highly maneuverable to handle sorting any combination of minerals. They could collect those minerals like dogs on a bone.

The Collins Aerospace 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 game. Elements of this award include elegant design, robustness and 'out of the box' thinking with regard to design. This award may address the design of the whole robot or some sub-assembly component of the robot. 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. The team's engineering notebook showed the design of the component(s) and the team's robot, and clearly explains how the team arrived at their solution.

Here is what the judges had to say about the winner:

The judges loved this team's custom manufactured intake parts and creative use of a lead screw. Their innovative mineral launching system, combined with their unique drive train, gave them a great game field advantage. The gear tricks of their custom parts really helped get their wheels on the ground.

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 other STEM professionals and exploring the opportunities available in the world of science and technology.

Here is what the judges had to say about the winner:

This team has laid out a clear business plan for future growth. They have engaged with multiple mentors in different fields to provide a solid foundation. Their plans will blaze a path forward so they can soar through the air.

The Think Award is given to the team that the Judges feel best reflects the journey of the engineering design process. The engineering notebook is the key reference for Judges to help them 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 about the winner:

This team's notebook was well organized, showing their robot's design progression from detailed sketches to CAD to their current iteration. They received guidance for their design journey from engineers and scientists from the four corners of the world. They assimilated their vision for their robot into a collective reality.

FIRST Dean's List Finalists are outstanding student leaders whose passion for and effectiveness at attaining FIRST ideals is exemplary. These students were nominated by their teams for their direct contributions and impact on others -exemplifying leadership and commitment, on their FIRST Tech Challenge team, in their school, and in their community. FIRST Dean's List Finalists, recognized here today, will represent Pennsylvania.

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 both 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 about the winner:

This team impressed the judges with their well-rounded involvement in both competitions and STEM community involvement. Their flexible drive train plowed over the crater rim with ease, and they used their sponsor connections to get a 3D printer donated to a local organization. Their consistent high scoring matches show their giant use of brain power.