– FIRST Tech Challenge DECODE Season Guide

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Overview
Roles Covered:FIRST^® Leadership Award Reviewer
Job Description
The FIRST^® Leadership Award Reviewers are responsible for selecting the FIRST^® Leadership Award
finalists. They must evaluate students who have been nominated for the FIRST^® Leadership Award by
reviewing the student nomination essay, reviewing the FIRST^® Leadership Award Interviewer notes, and
select their regions finalists.
Requirements
Technical
Medium
Physical
Low
Administrative
High
Communication
High
Pre-event Training
High
Time Commitment
A FIRST^® Leadership Award Reviewer should expect 3-4 hours to read the nominations and select the
region finalists. Approximately 1-2 hours of pre-event training and planning 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 Reviewers should speak to the Program Delivery Partner to find out what
additional requirements are, such as setting up meetings with fellow Reviewers. The approximate
training time is 1-2 hours.
All volunteers are expected to read and comply with the Volunteer Handbook.
Roles and Responsibilities
FIRSTis fun for all. The most important role of a volunteer is to provide a
safe, fun, and welcoming environment for 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.

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FIRSTLeadership Award Reviewer
There will be at least two Reviewers in a region that work together to determine the finalists for that
region. The Reviewers must access the Judges Portalto view the original nomination as well as the
notes from the FIRST^® Leadership Award Interviewers. Once all the nominations and notes have been
considered, the reviewers are responsible for choosing the finalist students to be announced at the
regional championship. FIRST^® Leadership Award Reviewers do not need to be present at the event;
rather they review each semi-finalist and enter the finalists in the Judges Portal. This information will
feed up to the regional championship Event Director.
Prerequisites for FIRST^® Leadership Award Reviewer
To serve as a FIRST^® Leadership Award Reviewer:
• 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.
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.
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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.
What is the FIRST^® 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
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^®.
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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^® Leadership Awardshall 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^® 
• The students’ 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 (seeFIRST^® Leadership Award Nomination Guidefor further
details). 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 Finalist Selection
Pre-Event Training
FIRST^® Leadership Award Reviewers 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 Award Reviewer Pre-Event Training List
Requirement
Resource
Required
Welcome to FIRST^®
TheFIRST^® Leadership Award Reviewer Volunteer Manual(this
Required
document)
Complete the FIRST^® Leadership Award Reviewer 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 the PDF 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 Reviewers are required to apply for this volunteer role through the dashboard
on firstinspires.org. All reviewers are required to apply and complete YPP screening prior to accessing
any student information.
FIRST^® Leadership Award nominations are posted on a private, password-protected site where only the
Interviewers, Reviewers, and authorized FIRST^® staff can read the entries. The link to the system is
below. Please see theJudges Portalsection of this manual for further instructions and features of
the system.
Link to Judges Portal: https://my.firstinspires.org/Judging/

Reviewer Collaboration
There must always be at least two Reviewers that will work together to read all the nominations and
decide who the finalists will be. In some regions, a committee might be formed to review the
nominations and to make final decisions. Reviewers should check with the Program Delivery Partner in
their region to determine if a committee has been formed to review nominations, or if they will need to
collaborate with one other individual.
Reviewers can choose to either meet in person, or via conference call to discuss each semi-finalist in
detail. It is most helpful for each Reviewer to read the nominations prior to this meeting and have ideas
of which candidates are the top contenders and why.
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Review Timeline
The time for reviewing semi-finalists will vary slightly depending on the region. Each region has the
option of selecting their interview time slots to complete interviews within the interview window noted
in the
ImportantFIRST Leadership Award Season Dates.All finalist selections must be communicated
to FIRST^® no later than February 15th, 2025. This can be done by selecting the student names in the
Judges Portal.
FIRSTLeadership Award Reviewers – Selecting Finalists
It can be a difficult task for the Reviewers to determine which semi-finalists will move to the next level
as finalists. The Reviewer should always keep in mind the criteria when making their decisions. This
section goes over some other items the Reviewer should and should not consider when making their
decision.
FIRSTRobotics Competition/FIRST^® Tech Challenge
Both FIRST^® Robotics Competition and FIRST^® Tech Challenge are eligible to be nominated for the FIRST^®
Leadership Award in their region’s program. There is no rule that states a student cannot be nominated
for both. Additionally, a student can be selected as a FIRST^® Leadership Award Finalist for both FIRST^®
Tech Challenge and FIRST^® Robotics Competition within the same season. Reviewers should focus on
the student’s accomplishments in the program they have been nominated for, rather than disregarding a
student that has been nominated for both programs.
Individual Contributions
Many essay nominations will outline team activities but not necessarily discuss what the student’s
individual contributions are to the activity. This is where the job of the Interviewer is very important, and
they have been instructed to include these types of notes to better assist the Reviewer in making their
final decisions.
Other questions a Reviewer can ask themselves when making final decisions:
• Is the student a great ambassador for FIRST^®?
• Is the student a leader?
• Is this a student that will continue to be involved with FIRST^® and its mission in future years?
• How have they helped increase the awareness of FIRST?
Previous Year Finalists
If a student was selected as a finalist in the previous year, they are still eligible to be considered as a
finalist for the current year, as long as they meet all other eligibility criteria.
Narrowing the List
Information in the essays should be used to distinguish the outstanding students.
• Compare data carefully and look for specifics, not generalizations.
• Where did the student initiate new opportunities for their team vs. contributing to existing team
efforts?
• This is a FIRST^® award. While contributions to other STEM activities are good, an explicit
commitment to FIRST^® programs should be very evident.
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• Think about how their team might be different if they had never joined? How did their presence
on the team make a profound difference?
• Is it clear that they played a critical role on their team or were they more of an individual
contributor? Is there a progression of leadership or an increasing reliance on the student?
• What did they accomplish that made you AMAZED by them?
Number of Advancing Finalists
The number of semi-finalists that will move onto the next level as finalists depends upon the region.
Regions with larger team numbers will have additional spots to advance students based on the
previous year’s registration numbers. Please see theFIRST^® Leadership Award Nomination Guidefor
advancing finalists per region.

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Judges Portal
Link to Judges 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.

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

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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.

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Reviewing Notes in the Judges Portal
The below screenshot shows the fields each interviewer will fill out after the Interview. Once the notes
have been entered, the reviewer will read the notes that support the nomination.

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Selecting Finalists

Click the Edit/View button in the Regional Championship event.
There will be 2-4 dropdown boxes. Select the students’ names

in the dropdown lists, and click
“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 emailcustomerservice@firstinspires.org

Program Resources
FIRST^® Tech Challenge Website
Event Search

Game and Season Resources
FIRST^® Tech Challenge Blog

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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