– FIRST Tech Challenge DECODE Season Guide

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Overview
Roles Covered:Judge
Job Descriptions
Judge
Judges meet with teams to learn about and celebrate the unique journey and accomplishments of each
team and evaluate them against award requirements. Judges interact with students during the
interview process and in the pits. As a group, Judges determine the teams that receive awards at
events.
Requirements
Technical
Medium
Physical
Medium
Administrative
High
Communication
High
Pre-event Training
High

If a Judge has an affiliation with a team attending the event, they must
disclose the affiliation to the Judge Advisor, JAA, and the rest of the
Judges. For more details, please refer to the Managing Conflicts of
Interestsection in this document.

Time Commitment
• A Judge should expect to spend 10-12 hours at a full-day event.
• 2-4 hours of pre-event training is required.
Larger events could span multiple days. Be sure to check with your Judge
Advisor for more information about the hours needed for the role.

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Attire
• Comfortable closed-toe, closed-heel shoes, much of the day will involve moving between the pit
area and the deliberation room.
• ANSI Z87.1 or regional equivalent certified safety glasses are required in team pits and
competition areas.
• As one of the event leaders, comfortable professional wear is encouraged.
• Judges should not wear team affiliated clothing, jewelry, team colors, or team created branding
at the event.
• If team swag or give aways are present and a Judge accepts the gifts from one team, then the
Judge must be willing to accept pins and other branding items from all teams. If the Judge
wears one of the items from a team, they must wear all of the items handed out by the team.
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. For more help, you can read moreabout how to access your training.
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 when you are
assigned to a role. If you have not received a confirmation email, but believe you should have, please
contact the Volunteer Coordinator using the Event Dashboard where you applied for the role.
Judges should be in communication with the Judge Advisor to find out what additional requirements,
such as meetings before the event or run-throughs of the space before the event, are required. The
approximate training time is 2-4 hours.
Roles and Responsibilities
FIRSTis fun for all. The most important role for 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.

Judge Responsibilities
• Conduct Structured Interviews
• Conduct Pit interviews
• Review Portfolios (when present)
• CompleteJudging Summary Forms– this will be provided by the Judge Advisor.
• CompleteStructured Interview Feedback Forms– this will be provided by the Judge Advisor.
• Watch competition matches as directed by the Judge Advisor.
• Within your panel, determine the top ranked teams for each judged award
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• As a group come to consensus with other Judges on the recipient of each award and finalists (if
applicable)
• Use interview notes, work with other Judges to create award scripts for award-winning teams
Prerequisites for Judges
• Prior FIRST^® experience is not required but is helpful.
• Must be at least 18 years of age. 21+ preferred.
Reporting Structure
The Judges and the Judge Advisor Assistant report to the Judge Advisor, who oversees the judging
process and facilitates award discussions.
Modeling Gracious Professionalism
As a Judge, you serve in a visible role at an event. You will interview teams and listen to their stories,
challenges, and accomplishments that took place throughout the season. Many students see judging
interviews as a stressful time, publicly speaking to new people in an unfamiliar environment. Judges
are there to put the team at ease by taking notes and asking questions that will allow teams to
demonstrate how they have grown throughout the season.
As a Judge, it is critical that you model Gracious Professionalism^®. Gracious Professionalism^® is part of
the ethos of FIRST^®. It's a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value
of others, and respects individuals and the community.
Judges serve as role models and mentors who provide constructive feedback while upholding the
values of fairness, equity, and the FIRST^® Core Values. Judges are vital to the judging process and are
frequently front and center at events. As such, your actions are very noticeable to teams, coaches,
mentors, and parents. While Judges are responsible for determining awards, Judges must not
comment about a team’s attributes, compare teams, or make comments that would be considered
negative or condescending to a team. The only time that a Judge should be commenting about a team
is with other Judges in their panel during award discussions and deliberations.
Philosophy of Judging
Judged awards celebrate teams for their activities outside of the robot game, including their outreach,
their design processes, and their creativity, while the robot competition (on-field) awards are earned by
teams based on their ability to play the game. Please review Section 6: Awardsof the Competition
Manual to learn more about the award categories.
Although Judges may only be able to award a few teams at an event, Judges act as cheerleaders for all
teams in FIRST^® Tech Challenge. You should make sure to keep a professional demeanor in working
with the entire Judge crew. Judges are expected to maintain a light-hearted and friendly demeanor both
in the interview room and around the pits, helping to ensure positive and respectful interactions with
everyone they encounter.
It is important that both Judges and students have a positive judging experience. The awards are a
method FIRST^® uses to inspire and to recognize students for their achievements, help them celebrate
their successes, and to cheer them on in their journey through the FIRST^® programs.
Judges should never disclose information that they learned about a team, discussions, or deliberations
to anyone during or after an event.
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No interview is done, or decision is made, by a single Judge. A Judge
must never interview a team by themselves; this is done using pairs or
trios! Judges need to work well with others to make award decisions
under strict deadlines, which can be tough!

Judges look for teams who are a strong candidate for each award. It is
often not possible to perfectly evaluate the definitive best candidate for
an award. Instead, Judges are encouraged to make the best decisions
with the information that they have in the time they are given.
Before the Event
Judges should regularly check their email for any pre-event communications from the Event Director,
Volunteer Coordinator, or Judge Advisor, which may include details on the following items:
• Details about the event: venue-specific details (where to report), when to report, etc.
• Attending meetings or completing commitments not already outlined in this manual.
• Key reminders or clarifications on any of the items listed in the Pre-Event Trainingsection.
Pre-Event Training
Judges 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:
Judge Pre-event Training List
Requirement
Resource
Required
Welcome to FIRST^®
Required
TheJudge Volunteer Manual(this document)
The Competition Manual – specifically:
Required
• Section 6: Awards (A)
• Section 16: Glossary
Required
Complete the FIRST^® Data Protection and Privacy Training
Required
Review the Quick Start - JudgingDocument
Required
Review the Outreach Terms and Definitions
Required
Read and comply with the Volunteer Handbook
Required
Review and complete theConflict of Interest Formas required
The Competition Manual – specifically:
• Section 8: Game Overview
Encouraged

Or, watch thegame animation videofor a general understanding of
the game.
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Judge Pre-event Training List
Encouraged
Review the Judging Question Bank
Encouraged
Complete Strategies for Inspiring Success for All modules.
Encouraged
Attend the monthlyVolunteer Calls
Complete theJudge CertificationTest in the FIRST^® Learning System
Required
(For volunteers outside of North America without a FIRST^® Dashboard
Account use the PDF to self-certify)

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Event Day
Report Time
The Event Director, Volunteer Coordinator, or Judge Advisor will confirm the time you should arrive
typically via email the week before the event. In most cases arriving 1 hour before Structured Interviews
are scheduled to start.
When you arrive onsite, check-in with the Volunteer Coordinator (or follow instructions received on
where to check-in) and then report to the Judge deliberation room.
Next Responsibility
At most events, the Judge Advisor will give a judging briefing that outlines the key components of
judging a FIRST^® Tech Challenge event. Although Judges are expected to complete the items in the Pre-
Event Trainingsection of the document, the Judge Advisor can answer any day-of judging questions
as they lead you through the process. For a list of responsibilities that the Judge Advisor may assign,
please refer to the Judge Responsibilitiessection of this document. Note that the list may vary for
fully virtual events or hybrid events (partly virtual and partly in-person).
Team Interaction and Support
When interacting with teams please always consider the team’s perspective. The teams have put
significant time and effort into preparing for this event and may be feeling very stressed about
everything working out as they have planned. Today is a very big deal for the team and we are here to
help celebrate the accomplishments of the teams!A Judge’s role is to recognize teams doing
something right, not to penalize teams from doing something wrong.
Teams may only be completely disqualified from awards consideration for very rare egregious actions
and only with approval from FIRST^® HQ. The Event Director and the JA must call the on-call number to
discuss the issue.
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. 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
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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 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 harm to the reputation of a team, or the perception of the
award outcomes.
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.

Emergencies
The Program Delivery Partner, Event Director and the event site host organization are responsible for
having safety and security plans in place for each event. Included in the plan should be topics such as:
• A map of all the emergency exits
• Knowledge of where on-site medical support is located
• Shelter in place plans in the case of severe weather
• Evacuation plans
Teams should have their own safety plans before attending the event. Here are some team-focused
recommendations for Preparing to Safely Attend a FIRST^® Event.
Lost Children
FIRST^® Tech Challenge events can be very hectic, and it can be easy for a child to get lost amongst the
shuffle of a busy event. If you see a young person who looks lost or distressed work with your judging
partner and help them return to the main event space and alert Pit Admin or the JA of the issue.
Medical Incident Reporting
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Event volunteers are not responsible for diagnosing student injuries,
handing out medication, or first aid equipment. You and other event
volunteers should refer medical issues and emergencies to a medical
professional on site, such as an EMT. If an incident or illness occurs at
an event, the Event Director, Pit Administrator, or another trained
delegate should do the following:
• Call 911 if there is any question whether the injured

person/persons require urgent medical attention.
•
www.firstinspires.org/report
Respond to the scene immediately. Bring a clipboard, pen, or a
electronic device to complete the incident report on theFIRST^® Reporting Portal.
• Complete the incident report for the injured party.
The Event Director or Pit Administration volunteers are responsible for completing incident reports.
Although most incidents will not result in a claim, it is better to act on the side of caution and report
them. Should an incident result in a claim after the event, the documents will be on file, complete with
witnesses and a written report.
Youth Protection Reporting
Issues that are non-medical but are of concern to a
participant/participants should also be reported. Anything that
happens during an event that made a youth volunteer, team
member or spectator feel uncomfortable or threatened should
be addressed.
As appropriate and if you feel safe doing to, speak directly with
the offending party and try to quickly and calmly defuse the

immediate issue. Call the Event Director and/or the Program
www.firstinspires.org/report
Delivery Partner and inform them of the issue and seek
assistance as needed with any immediate remediation of the issue.
Ensure all issues are reported in a timely manner using theFIRST^® Reporting Portal. Youth Protection
Concerns encompasses a wide variety of one-time or ongoing issues such as suspected abuse,
bullying, harassment, discrimination, questionable behavior, or violation to the FIRST^® Code of Conduct.

Reporting Other Issues or Concerns
Feedback about issues such as game play, rule
changes, awards, and event management (other than
medical/safety issues) are considered program related
concerns and not youth protection issues and should be
shared with FIRST via
customerservice@firstinspires.orgor bycontacting
help.firstinspires.org/s/contactsupport
support.
Please note that match results and award results are final and that we will not review match videos.

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Safety
An important priority for all volunteers is to observe their event areas to help promote a safe and
orderly space for all the participants. It’s likely that various volunteers and event participants will bring
concerns to your attention, but you should also be proactive in identifying areas of concern.
If it is safe to do so, take action to improve the safety of the situation, such as blocking off areas where
a spill has occurred causing a slip hazard. Please report and issues or concern to Pit Admin, the Event
Director or your Judge Advisor.
End of the Day
At the end of the day, Judges gather their notes and give them to the Judge Advisor.

After the Event
Secure Disposal of Judging Notes
Once the judging process is complete, and the event has concluded, the Judges will collect their notes
and give them to the Judge Advisor.

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!

Participate in the Monthly Webinars
We recommend Judge Advisor join in the discussion webinars that are offered during the season.
Volunteers may sign up for these discussions using the links found in the Key Role Webinar Schedule.

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Important Tools
Public Schedule
The Program Delivery Partner or the Event Director should publish the public schedule of events before
the event. This schedule will have a high-level overview of all the activities for the event. It is important
that everyone at the event does their best to stay true to the public schedule so that teams and
volunteers who have planned their day around these times have a good experience.

Time
Agenda
7:15 am
Doors Open for Staff & Key Volunteers
7:30 am
Judges and Inspectors Report
8:00 am
Doors Open for Teams
8:30 am
Judging & Inspection Commences
10:15 am Team Check-in Hard Deadline (Check the Competition Manual)
Match schedule is generated and distributed to teams. (Check the Competition Manual)
10:30 am Note to Scorekeeper: 6 Matches total(Check the Competition Manual)
10:40 am Drivers’ Meeting with Head Referee & Opening Ceremony
Qualification Matches 1 - 8
11:00 am Note to Scorekeeper: 7-minute cycle-time
12:00 pm Lunch
Qualification Matches 9 - 45
12:45 pm Note to Scorekeeper: 5-minute cycle-times
3:50 pm
Qualification Matches Projected End
4:00 pm
Alliance Selection
4:20 pm
Double Elimination Rounds 1 - 4
5:10 pm
Award Ceremonies Start & Double Eliminations Round 5
6:20 pm
Projected End of Event
7:00 pm
Doors Close
Occasionally things that happen out of the event’s control may impact the schedule. In these cases,
work closely with the Event Director to understand the updated agenda.
Figure 1: Example Schedule for a 30 Team Event

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Registered Teams List
The Program Delivery Partner may provide a list of teams registered for the event or the scorekeeper
can export a report of all the registered teams for the event. Sometimes this list may change the day of
the event based on which teams show up. The Scorekeeper report will have the most accurate
information about who is competing at an event. Notes that teams may be competing only in the
judging portion of the event and not have a robot present.
Figure 2: Competing Team Report

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Event Layout/Map
The Program Delivery Partner and Event Director should publish a map of the venue before the event. In
some cases, details on the map might not be available until the day of the event.
The Event Layout / Map should detail the following:
• Load-In Path
• Parking for Personal Vehicles and Busses
• Team Check-in
• Volunteer Check-in
• Competition Area
• Pit Area (May include thePit Map)
• Judging Room Locations (if applicable)
• Safety Details as available (Emergency Exits, AED, Shelter in Place Locations)

Figure 3: Example Event Map
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Judging Schedule

Figure 4: Example Judging Schedule
Match Schedule
The match list will be generated on the day of the event after the teams have been confirmed. This
schedule will list which teams will play in which alliance (Red or Blue) and it will also list a match start
time. Some events will have more than one competition field. Some events will have more than one
division, in which case each division will have its own schedule.

Figure 5: Example Match Schedule

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Pit Map
Pit maps are typically provided by either the Event Director or by the Scorekeeper. Having a map of
where each team is in the pit is key, as teams, parents or Queuers might need to find. Pit Maps created
in FTC Scoring will appear on the FTC-Eventspage.

Figure 6: Example Pit Map for a small12-team Qualifier Event

Figure 7: Example Pit Map for a Typical Regional Championship Event

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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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