– FIRST Tech Challenge DECODE Season Guide

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Entering Notes into the Judges Portal …………………………………………………………………………………………. 19
FIRST^® Leadership Award: Helpful Terms …………………………………………………………………………………………. 20
Useful Links and Information ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 21
On-Call Support Numbers …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 21
Pre-Event Support………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 21
Program Resources …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 21
Feedback …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 21

Overview
Roles Covered:FIRST^® Leadership Award Interviewer
Job Description
The FIRST^® Leadership Award interviewer is responsible for interviewing students that have been
nominated for the FIRST^® Leadership Award. They are responsible for reading the student nomination
prior to the interview, interviewing the student, and adding notes into the Judges Portal following the
interview.
Requirements
Technical
Medium
Physical
Low
Administrative
High
Communication
High
Pre-event Training
High
Time Commitment
FIRST^® Leadership Award Interviewers should expect to spend 3-6 hours interviewing students. Most
regions host FIRST^® Leadership Award interviews remotely, therefore attending an event is not required.
Interviews may be broken up over a couple of days, depending upon the number of nominations for the
region. Approximately 3-6 hours of pre-event training and planning, including reviewing student
nominations, is required.
Training and Certification
Read and complete all tasks listed in the Pre-Event Trainingsection.
Any volunteer who applies to a role will be able to get into the Learning Management System (LMS)
using the 'FIRSTTraining' button. Roles with the training required will appear in the 'roles missing
certification' area.
If you have applied for a role but have not received access to the training, please email
training@firstinspires.org. A separate confirmation of the role assignment will come later.
FIRST^® Leadership Award Interviewers should speak to the Program Delivery Partner to find out what
additional requirements, such as meetings before interviews take place, or assisting with interview
scheduling are required. The approximate training time is 3-6 hours.
All volunteers are expected to read and comply with the Volunteer Handbook.
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Roles and Responsibilities
FIRSTis fun for all. The most important role of a volunteer is to provide a
safe, fun, and welcoming environment to all FIRST^® participants. When
executing the duties of your role, always make decisions with the team
experience in mind. Ask for help from event leadership if you feel your
required duties conflict with the best team experience.

FIRSTLeadership Award Interviewer
The FIRST^® Leadership Award Interviewers’ responsibilities include:
• Access and read nominations prior to the interview.
• Interview the semi-finalists.
• Write a narrative about the semi-finalist after the interview.
• Enter the narrative into the Judges Portal
The next few sections of this manual will go over each of these responsibilities in greater detail and will
outline the importance of each.
Prerequisites for FIRST^® Leadership Award Interviewer
To serve as a FIRST^® Leadership Award Interviewer:
• must be 21 years of age or older
Managing Conflicts of Interest
Conflict of Interest – a conflict between the private interests and the
official responsibilities of a person in a position of trust.
All listed volunteer roles will be asked to disclose any potential Conflicts of Interest, and to complete
theConflict of Interest and Disclosure form.During the Judges meeting, Judges will be asked to
declare any potential conflicts to the rest of the judging pool. During the Referee meeting, Referees will
be asked to declare any potential conflicts to the rest of the referee team. Some scenarios of conflict of
interests:
• A coach/mentor volunteers as a judge or a referee.
• A parent/relative of a team member volunteers as a judge or a referee.
• A recent alum (student or adult) of a team competing at the event volunteers as a judge or a
referee.
• A sponsor of a team competing at the event volunteers as a judge or referee.
Having a Conflict of Interest, or even the perception of a Conflict of Interest can affect a team’s
experience, even if decisions that were made throughout the day were not biased in any way. The
perception of potential favoritism is enough to discourage a team, coach, or mentor, and take away
from their overall experience at an event. Knowing what Conflict of Interest is, and how to avoid being in
a position that could be a conflict will ensure all teams feel they have been evaluated fairly.
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All volunteers at an event have a fiduciary responsibility to act in the best
interest of the event which means to treat all teams fairly and equitably.
Volunteers should use prior FIRST^® experience to help inform their
decisions but should not use prior knowledge or perception of any
specific team to inform their decisions either good or bad. Every team, at
every event, deserves a fresh blank slate with all volunteers.
A volunteer who does not disclose their conflict of interest can compromise the integrity of FIRST Tech
Challenge events. In judging, this could cause teams affiliated with the volunteer with a Conflict of
Interest to be removed from consideration for awards.
Conflict of Interest, in some cases, can be quite easy to see. In other cases, it may be less obvious, and
it may be difficult to decide what constitutes a true Conflict of Interest. In some cases, the bias may be
apparent, while other times a Conflict of Interest may be perceived by a team or a coach. It is best to
keep the following in mind when volunteering:
• Be open and forthcoming about any conflicts you may have with a team competing at the event.
• If there is a known Conflict of Interest, avoid making decisions about a team that would change
the outcome of the day, such as speaking for or against a team in judge deliberations, or holding
some teams to a different refereeing standard than others.
• Remove yourself from any situation that could be perceived as a Conflict of Interest.
Below is one example of a Conflict of Interest. Keep in mind this is an example, and there are many
forms of Conflict of Interest, and ways to handle it.
Parent/Relative/Alumni of a Team
If a parent or a relative of a team member, or an alum of a team is volunteering at an event, this
volunteer must abstain from making any decisions that could affect the results of the tournament.
Whether volunteering as a judge or as field personnel (referee, field technical assistant, etc.) it is
important to have that volunteer remove themselves from making any decisions related to that team.
For example:
• If the volunteer is a judge, they must recuse themselves from any conversations about that
team during deliberations.
• If the volunteer is a referee, they should not be involved in any decisions around penalties,
match replays, etc.
• Keep in mind that there are many ways Conflict of Interest can be presented, from parents to
sponsors. Make sure to remove any apparent Conflicts of Interest but also keep in mind any
perceptions of conflicts.
Understanding Differences
Each student is special and unique, with different strengths, challenges, social skills, and learning
abilities.
Some differences may be misinterpreted. Please be mindful that your first perception may be off. For
example, a student who is quiet or has limited social skills may have extensive knowledge to share. You
may also notice cultural differences. Remember that some cultures expect eye contact, while others
may find eye contact to be disrespectful. Always be positive, flexible, and patient.
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A few differences that you may encounter include students with limited social skills, who have difficulty
expressing thoughts verbally, who shout out blunt or inappropriate comments, or may distance
themselves physically from the team. Some of these challenges may be neurological in nature.
Differences between a student who is not able to do something as compared to a refusal to do
something can show up in a way that is not familiar to you.
A student may have an intense interest in a specific topic or area. For example, they may not be able to
see the big robot picture, but may have extensive knowledge about programming, or the mechanical
build.
As an interviewer, you will need to adjust your expectations. Many students with high abilities may take
longer to process and answer questions and may get left behind compared with a student who reacts
more quickly.
When evaluating students who seem “too rehearsed,” think about how an adult might prepare for a big
presentation at work. Some students may memorize facts and examples. Seeming rehearsed is not
necessarily a sign of an over-involved adult. If you are not sure of the students’ true understanding, ask
follow-up questions for explanation of their thought processes, or go into more detail.
Interpreters and Coaches in the Interview
Since FIRST^® Leadership Award interviews are mostly done remotely, FIRST^® requires that a coach, parent,
or adult over 18 is present with the student during the interview. This can be someone who is physically
in the room with the student, or the adult may call into the interview and silently observe. While an adult
is required for the interview to take place, they do not participate in the interview.
Some students may need the help of an interpreter. Some of the circumstances that allow for an
interpreter are students who speak a language different than that of the interviewers; a student who
requires a sign language interpreter; a student who would benefit from questions being asked in
specific ways. This is not an exhaustive list. Make sure to check with the coach when setting up the
interview if the student you will be interviewing needs an interpreter. Coaches may request an exception
when they register for an event.
What is theFIRST^® Tech Challenge Leadership Award?
The FIRST^® Leadership Award recognizes the dedication and individual contributions of outstanding
secondary school students participating on FIRST^® Tech Challenge or FIRST^® Robotics Competition
teams. Students in 10th or 11th grade are eligible to be nominated by their team for
the FIRST^® Leadership Award for excelling in areas such as leadership, entrepreneurship, and dedication
to advancing the mission of FIRST^® within their communities. There are three (3) levels
of FIRST^® Leadership Award students.

FIRST^® Leadership Award Semi-finalists

– comprised of the two (2) students in their 10th or
11th school year nominated by each team.
FIRST^® Leadership Award Finalists
- The students selected for each regional championship.
FIRST^® Leadership Award Winners
- comprised of the ten (10) FIRST^® Robotics Competition and
ten (10) FIRST^® Tech Challenge students selected from the applicable FIRST^® Leadership
AwardFinalists.
The students who earn FIRST^® Leadership Awardstatus as either a Semi-finalist, Finalist or Winner,
are great examples of student leaders who have led their teams and communities to increased
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awareness for FIRST^® and its mission, champion FIRST^® Core Values such asInclusion, and
embody Gracious Professionalism^®. It is the goal of FIRST that FIRST^® Leadership AwardWinners will
continue, post-award, as great leaders,student alumni, and advocates of FIRST^®.
In 2019, theWoodie Flowers Memorial Grantwas established for FIRST^® Leadership AwardWinners
pursuing STEAM fields of study. This grant is awarded to a student selected from among the prior
year’s FIRST^® Robotics Competition and FIRST^® Tech Challenge Leadership Awardwinners.
Student Eligibility
Every registered FIRST^® Tech Challenge team can submit up to two (2) students as FIRST^® Leadership
Award semi-finalists.
• Students must be a sophomore (grade 10) or junior (grade 11) to be eligible for this award.
o Note: For regions of the world that do not use grade levels such as this to identify years
of schooling: This award is intended for students who are two (2) to three (3) years away
from entering college or university. Students that would be attending college or
university in the next academic year are not eligible. Mentors will be asked for the year of
graduation during the nomination process.
• The coach or mentor nominating the student(s) must submit an essay explaining why the
student should receive this award. The essay must be 4,000 characters or less.
FIRSTLeadership Award Criteria
Criteria for selection of the FIRST^® Leaderhsip Award shall include, but not be limited to a student’s:
• Demonstrated leadership and commitment to the FIRST^® Core Values 
• Effectiveness at increasing awareness of FIRST^® in their school and community 
• Demonstrates passion for a long-term commitment to FIRST^® 
• Individual contributions to their team contribute to the overall success of the team
• Proven experience in areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
• The student is a role model and can motivate and lead fellow team members 
Important FIRST^® Leadership Award Season Dates
FIRSTLeadership Award Important Dates
September 6, 2025 Nominations open
December 15, 2025 Nominations due
February 15, 2026
Finalist selections due to FIRST^®
Various
RCMP’s announce finalists
April 2026
Winners announced at FIRST^® Championship

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FIRSTLeadership Award Evaluation Structure
The chart below is a visual aid to show how each category feeds into specific levels of competition,
starting with the coach making the nominations. FIRST^® Leadership AwardInterviewers are responsible
for interviewing semi-finalists (nominees). Interviews are mostly remote, with some regions doing in-
person interviews (this will be region dependent, please check with your local Program Delivery
Partner). The FIRST^® Leadership AwardReviewer will then review the nominations and the interviewer
notes within a state/region to determine which students will move to the next level as
FIRST^® Leadership Awardfinalists. Depending upon the size of the region, there will be 2-4
FIRST^® Leadership Awardfinalists within each state or region (please see the FIRST^® Leadership Award
Nomination Guidefor region specific numbers). These finalists will be announced at the Regional
Championship Tournament. A separate panel will review the FIRST^® Leadership Award finalists and
choose the 10 FIRST^® Tech Challenge Leadership Award winners.

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Before the Event
Pre-Event Training
FIRST^® Leadership Award Interviewers must complete the required reading in this section and are
required to pass a certification test prior to serving in this role.
Resources for training and certification:
FIRSTLeadership Interviewer Pre-Event Training List
Requirement
Resource
Required
Welcome to FIRST^®
TheFIRST^® Leadership Award Interviewer Volunteer Manual(this
Required
document)
Complete the FIRST^® Leadership Award Interviewer Certification
Test in the FIRST^® Learning System, which is accessed through the
Required
www.firstinspires.orgdashboard.
(For volunteers outside of North America without a FIRST^®
Dashboard Account use thePDF to self-certify)
Required
Complete the FIRST^® Data Protection and Privacy Training
Encouraged
Complete Strategies for Inspiring Success for All modules.
Encouraged
Attend the monthlyVolunteer Calls

Access the Nominations
FIRST^® Leadership Award Interviewers are required to apply for this volunteer role through the dashboard
on www.firstinspires.org. All Interviewers are required to apply and complete Youth Protection Program
(YPP) screening and FIRST^® Data Protection and Privacy training prior to accessing any student
information.
FIRST^® Leadership Award nominations are posted on a private, password-protected site where only the
Interviewers and authorized FIRST^® staff can read the entries. The link to the system is below.
Interviewers are then asked to review the FIRST^® Leadership Award nomination before the event. Please
see theJudges Portalsection of this manual for further instructions and features of the system.
Link to Judges Portal: https://my.firstinspires.org/Judging/
Essay Nomination
The essay nomination that is submitted by the coach of the student is broken down into five prompts.
The prompts ask the coaches to provide specific examples of how the student meets the award
criteria. Each of the prompts has an 800-character limit.

Explain how the student embodies the philosophies

of Gracious Professionalism^® and
Coopertition^® through the FIRST^® Core Values: Discovery, Innovation, Impact, Inclusion,
Teamwork and Fun. Please provide examples.

has the student increased the awareness of FIRST^®? Describe the student’s interest and/or
plans to continue to engage with FIRST^® beyond high school. Please provide examples.
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does the student's individual contribution to the team benefit the team as a whole? Please
provide examples.

Describe the students'

experience in areas of STEM. This could include but is not limited to
skills in engineering, software, CAD, fabrication, etc. Please provide examples.

Explain the student’s leadership to their fellow team members.

How do they motivate others?
What is their leadership style? Please provide examples.
Additionally, there is a 500-character limit prompt for sharing additional information about the student:

Please share anything else you would like us to know about the student,

including academic
performance, specialized skills, technical expertise, or additional extracurricular activities.
Review the Nomination
FIRST^® Leadership Award Interviewers must take the time to review each semi-finalist’s nomination
essay prior to arriving at the event. Every nomination is different and reading the nomination ahead of
time helps prepare appropriate questions for each semi-finalist. Each nomination will include the
following identifying information:
• Nominee name
• Nominee year of graduation
o This award is intended for students who are two (2) to three (3) years away from entering
college or university. Students that would be attending college or university in the next
academic year are not eligible.
• Nomination essay of no more than 4,000 characters (spaces and punctuation are included in
this limit)
• Additional information about the student including academic performance, specialized skills, or
additional extracurricular activities.
• How many years the student has participated in FIRST^®
• To be nominated and to receive an interview, students MUST have a signed FIRST^® Consent and
Release form. Students with a FIRST^® Dashboard account and a signed Consent and Release
form in their profile can be selected in the drop-down list in the nomination portal. If the student
does not have a signed form in their Dashboard account, or does not have a Dashboard account,
Mentors may check off a new checkbox acknowledging that they have a signed paper copy of
the FIRST^® Consent and Release form before submitting. Paper forms may be acquired by
reaching out to your local leadership.
When reviewing the essay nominations, it is important to understand that
these should not be evaluated for spelling, punctuation, or grammar since
the student does not write the essay. The interviewer should only be
concerned with the content of the essay and getting to know the student
prior to the interview.

Interview Types
Every region will have a FIRST^® Leadership Award Interview Only event. This is a single event that every
team within that region will apply to. The coach nominating the student will select the FIRST^® Leadership
Award Interview event in the nomination page from the dashboard.
Remote Interviews
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In most regions, the FIRST^® Leadership Award interviews are done remotely and not as part of an event.
If you are in a region that is doing remote interviews, you may need to contact the coach to arrange a
remote interview with the student. Make sure to check with the local Program Delivery Partner to
determine who is responsible for contacting and setting up interviews.
The FTC Scoring System can be used to schedule interviews and to conduct remote interviews. There is
a feature in the scoring system that allows interviewers to take notes during each interview. It is very
important to note that notes entered in the scoring system are not official. The notes required after
each interview must be entered into the Judges Portal.
Remote interviews may also be set up via Zoom, Teams, Google, or any other form of video chat
software. There MUST always be 2 Interviewers that are interviewing the student. There also MUST be
a coach, parent, or an adult over 18 present for the interview. The adult present does not participate in
the interview.
All interviews must be done prior to the regional championship since the regional championship is
where finalists are announced. There are multiple platforms that can be used to interview students
remotely.
In Person Interviews
Some regions may choose to interview students at the event where they will be competing. Make sure
to check with the PDP or Event Director to confirm if interviews will take place in person. Interviewers
will need to be present on the morning of the event when the interviews take place.

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Preparing for the Interview
Aligning with Criteria
There are 6 criteria from the award description. Below, you can see those and some additional factors
to look for when interviewing the students and questions to consider asking.
Award Criteria
Questions to Consider
Demonstrated Leadership and Commitment to the
• Describe one example of how you are a
FIRSTCore Values:
leader.
• FIRST^® Core Values:
• What leadership style do you find
o Discovery: We explore new skills & ideas
works best for you?
o Innovation: We use creativity and persistence to
• What advice would you give to a
solve problems
student considering joining a FIRST^®
o Impact: We apply what we learn to improve our
world
team?
o Inclusion: We respect each other and embrace
• Tell me about a problem your team
our differences
experienced and how you helped solve
o Teamwork: We are stronger when we work
it.
together
o Fun: We enjoy and celebrate what we do!
• Inspires others to become involved in FIRST^®
• Confident and respectful
• Exhibits behavior following Coopertition^®and
Gracious Professionalism^®
Effectiveness at Increasing Awareness of FIRST^® in
• Can you give me examples of your
their School and Community
involvement with FIRST^® activities in
• Participation in and leadership of demonstrations
your school/community?
and presentations at local events
• How have you increased awareness of
• Participation in and leadership of community
FIRST^® in your school? In your
involvement
community?
• Participation in and leadership of fundraising
activities
Demonstrates Passion for Long Term Commitment to
• How long have you been involved with
FIRST
FIRST^®?
• Extent of involvement in FIRST^® programs
• Describe your progression with FIRST^®
• Exhibits interest to engage with FIRST^® beyond high
and your team.
school
• Describe how you plan to continue to
be active in FIRST^® beyond high school.
• What are your plans for post-high
school?
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Award Criteria
Questions to Consider
Overall Individual Contribution to their Team
• Describe your roles and responsibilities
• Extent of involvement on team
on the team.
• Can demonstrate impact with examples of
• What have you accomplished so far
accomplishments
that you think will help set your team
• Individual contribution on their team contributes to
up for future success?
overall success of the team
• Level of leadership in key team areas
• What would be different on your team
if you had never joined?
What contributions to your team make
you the proudest?
Proven experience in areas of science, technology,
• Provide examples of your technical
engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
experience.
• Proven experience in engineering concepts or
• What is your specialty role on the
computer and/or software concepts
team? (Mechanical, electrical, design,
• Proven experience in areas of STEM, including but
etc.). Describe your contribution.
not limited to skills in engineering, software, CAD,
fabrication, etc.
Ability to Motivate and Lead Fellow Team Members
• Describe a time you had to motivate
• Mentor/assist other students
fellow teammates. How did you do it?
• Examples of leadership and how they are a role
What were the results?
model
• What do you do when you are working
• Ability to motivate & lead team members
with a teammate who you feel is not as
• Communication & presentation skills
committed to FIRST / your team as you
are?
• How has your leadership style changed
while you have been on your team?

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Additional Considerations
Individual Contributions
Many essay nominations will outline team activities but not necessarily discuss what the student’s
individual contributions are to the activity. Likewise, some nominations might not outline what the
student’s role is and how they contribute to their team, and if they are a leader. Since this award is
about the student, and not the team, Interviewers should be prepared to ask the student questions that
uncover how they contribute. For example:
Nomination Essay:
Example questions to ask:
“Ashley is a leader on her team. She was instrumental in • How do you lead your team?
setting up fundraising events with her team, which
•
secured the team a grant to pay for travel to their
What are the steps you took as an
regional championship tournament.”
individual to set up fundraising events?
• What was your role in the setting up of
“Team 1234 let a successful outreach event which led
the outreach event?
to the creation of 2 more FIRST^® Tech Challenge teams
•
within their high school”
How were you able to help support the
creation of 2 new teams?
There are many other questions that an interviewer can ask but be sure to clarify the responsibilities
and steps the student took as an individual contributor to the success of the event or activity.
FIRSTRobotics Competition/FIRST Tech Challenge
Both FIRST^® Robotics Competition and FIRST^® Tech Challenge students are eligible to be nominated for
the FIRST^® Leadership Award in their regions program. There is no rule that states a student cannot be
nominated for both. Interviewers should focus on the students’ accomplishments in the program they
have been nominated for. As an Interviewer, preparing questions for these cases will help you to
understand the differences in responsibilities from one program to the other. For example:
Nomination Essay:
Example questions to ask:
• What are your responsibilities on FIRST^®
“Anna is the Co-Captain of her FRC team 1234 and
Tech Challenge team 9876?
started FIRST^® Tech Challenge team 9876 her
• How would your peers describe your
sophomore year of high school. Anna leads her team by
leadership style on FIRST Tech
example as the main builder and is truly a role model to
Challenge team 9876?
all her teammates. She led the team to win her regional Note that this sort of write up is
championship with her creative robot designs, and her
ambiguous to which program is being
ability to problem solve quickly during the competition.” described. Make sure to focus on the
program they are interviewing for.
Simply asking what the responsibilities are on the FIRST^® Tech Challenge team can make a difference in
uncovering the scope of how the student’s attributes benefit the FIRST^® Tech Challenge team or the
FIRST^® Robotics Competition team. Since the nomination is for FIRST^® Tech Challenge, interviewers
should be focused on the efforts the student has contributed to FIRST^® Tech Challenge.
General Interview Questions
• Describe your roles and responsibilities on your team.
• What is your specialty role on the team?  Describe your contribution.
• Describe one example of how you were/are a leader.
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• Describe how you plan to continue to be active in FIRST^® beyond high school.
• Describe a time you had to motivate fellow teammates. How did you do it? What were the
results?
• Can you provide me with examples of your FIRST^® activities in your school and/or community?
• What is your specialty role on the team? (Mechanical, electrical, design, etc.). Describe your
contribution.
• What are your plans for post-high school?
• Is there anything not included in your essay, or that we have not discussed, that you would like
to share?
Event Day
Whether the semi-finalist will be interviewed at an event or remotely, every nominated student must be
interviewed. There must always be two Interviewers present, no exceptions. Interviewers should have
approximately 15 minutes allotted for each interview; 6-10 minutes for the interview itself and at least 5
minutes for the Interviewers to make notes.
As discussed in previous sections of this manual, preparation for the interview is very important.
Interviews are only 6-10 minutes and being prepared will help the Interviewer ask specific questions to
better understand the student, their individual contributions, and how they align with the criteria. Please
note that in the interest of consistency across all regions and events, the maximum interview time for a
FIRST^® Leadership Award semi-finalist may not exceed 10 minutes. And remember that this is a
conversational interview, there are no presentations, video links provided by the student for post-
interview review, or informational handouts involved.
It is helpful to bring the criteria list to the interview as a reference.
End of the Day
Interviewer Summary Notes
Once interviews have concluded, the FIRST^® Leadership Award Interviewer is responsible for writing a
summary outlining what they have learned about the student. The notes from the Interviewer are a vital
piece of information when students are reviewed to potentially move to the next level. Notes from the
interview should be entered into the system within 48 hours of the interview to ensure details from the
interview are captured. The FIRST^® Leadership Award Reviewers rely heavily on the notes from the
Interviewer in making decisions, and having short, brief notes or no notes at all are a disservice to those
students who are deserving of the award.
Interviewers should expect to take 10-15 minutes per student to write up the notes. Some examples of
items to include in the summary are:
• The student’s individual contributions to the team.
• Evidence of eligibility criteria not included in the nomination essay.
• Facts/interesting stories that were uncovered during the interview not documented in the
nomination essay.
Notes from the Interviewers should be tailored to the FIRST^® Leadership
Award criteria, and how the student fits the award criteria.
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Remember this should be a narrative and should paint a picture of who the student is and what their
strengths or opportunities are. If an Interviewer feels very strongly about a student, they should clearly
document it in the essay.
Although this is a vital part of the Interviewer’s role, they should also remember that they are not
making the ultimate decision. This is done by the FIRST^® Leadership Award Reviewers, and therefore
simply stating that a semi-finalist should not advance is not acceptable feedback. Interviewers can,
however, articulate that they feel a student may not be ready to move to the next level.
FIRSTLeadership Award Evaluation Form & Interview Questions
Within the Judges Portal there are four categories with checkboxes to evaluate the student. There are
an additional two boxes where interviewers will add their notes, with each box containing instructions
on what information is needed. Below is a mockup of these checkboxes and questions asked within the
system. Interviewers are encouraged to bring this to the interview to write down notes after the
interview.
Student Evaluation Checkboxes

yl

what

what
eer
eer
ng
e
e
o
eer
eer
ag
ag
tr
mo
mo si
si
S
Ag
S
Ag
S
D
D
Finalist truly represents FIRST^® Core Values:

Finalist has proven experience in areas of science, technology,

engineering, or mathematics (STEM):
Finalist is a leader who you can envision leading future FIRST^® alumni:

Essay accurately reflects the student interviewed:

Essay Box #1
Without verbatim repeating the information contained in the submission, Interviewer Comments:
please advise the Championship judges about any additional information
you learned regarding the topics below:
• How Finalist represents FIRST^®
• Finalist’s expertise you believe is worth highlighting
• Finalist’s individual contribution to team and FIRST^® overall
• Finalist’s leadership capabilities
Essay Box #2

Interviewer Comments:
Please provide any information you learned that is not included in the
written submission that you believe is relevant for consideration.

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Judges Portal
Link to judging portal:https://my.firstinspires.org/Judging/
Review Nominations
1. Click “Login” at the upper righthand corner. This will redirect you to the
www.firstinspires.orglogin page.

and password for your www.firstinspires.orgaccount.

Once logged in, click “FTC – Leadership Award”

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Click “Edit/View” to access the nominations for the event.
Click “Details” to access each individual nomination
The student

information, along with the essay from the coach will be shown on this screen. Make
sure to read through the nomination essay prior to interviewing each student.
Preferred Name – If the student has a preferred name, it will be listed in
parenthesis next to their legal name. If a preferred name is present,
please use it when addressing the student during their interview.
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Entering Notes into the Judges Portal
The screenshot below shows the fields each interviewer will fill out after the interview. Once the notes
have been entered, and the review buttons selected, click “add” to save.

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FIRSTLeadership Award: Helpful Terms
These terms are intended to assist mentors in writing the nomination essays and for students to use
during the interview. The use of these terms is not a requirement for submitting a nomination.
Possible Leadership Titles
Captain
A top-level position of responsibility over the team
• Teams with a flat leadership structure may have captains that cover
specific areas, while making larger decisions as a group with no defined
leader
• Teams with a structured leadership would have one or more captains with
multiple Leads working under them to lead smaller team areas.
• Can be preceded by "co-" to indicate they shared that responsibility with one
or more individuals.
Lead
A leadership position over a specific area of responsibility and should include a
"team area" below.
• Can be preceded by "co-" to indicate they shared that responsibility with one
or more individuals.
Team Areas
Marketing
Responsible for items like team branding, newsletters, website, etc.
Awards
Responsible for working on award submissions or pit presentation preparation.
Finance
Responsible for fundraising, grant writing, and sponsor relationships
Outreach
Responsible for organizing demonstrations and events not tied to competitions.
Drive Team,
Responsible for guiding the team's strategy, representing the team at competitions,
Scouting, and/or and collecting data on the performance of other teams.
Strategy
Mechanical
Responsible for the mechanical design and build of the robot.
CAD can be included as a separate lead position or included alongside mechanical
Electrical
Responsible for the electrical design and build of the robot, including any sensors
or custom circuits.
Programming
Responsible for programming the robot.
Other
Any team area that falls outside of the areas listed above should be detailed to
provide the judges with appropriate context.
Action Specific Words
Mentored
The student advises or trains, either in person or via phone/email/video
conference, another team or team member, helping with technical or non-technical
FIRST^® program specific issues.
Lead
the student leads an event if they are responsible for planning and execution. Can
be preceded with "co-" to indicate a shared responsibility.
• Planned - worked on the planning of the event but did not lead the
execution.
• Executed - responsible for the execution of the event - onsite leader
throughout the event.
Conceived
Indicates the student introduced the initial concept.
Helped/Assisted Indicates the student had significant impact or participation, without being a leader
in that situation.
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Useful Links and Information
On-Call Support Numbers
On-Call Support
These numbers are for volunteer support only. Teams should not use these
numbers to call about rulings or technical assistance.

Administrative, Judge, Referee and Non-Technical Issues: (603)206-2412
Scoring System (FTC Live) or other Technical Issues:
(603)206-2450
Call or use the built-in chat feature on FTC Live available for events with
internet access
Pre-Event Support
Mon – Fri
8:30am – 5:00pm Eastern Time (UTC-4 or UTC-5)
Contact Supportincluding live chat or email
customerservice@firstinspires.org

Program Resources
FIRST Tech Challenge
Event Search
Website

Game and Season
FIRST Tech Challenge Blog
Resources

Volunteer Resources
Team Email Blasts

Feedback
We strive to create support materials that are the best they can be. If you have feedback about this
manual, please emailcustomerservice@firstinspires.orgor bycontacting support.Thank you!
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Document Outline

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