FIRST^®, the FIRST^® logo, FIRST^® Robotics Competition, FRC^®, Coopertition^®, and Gracious Professionalism^® are registered trademarks, and Sport for the Mind™ are common law trademarks of the United States Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST^®). ©2013 FIRST. All rights reserved.

The FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) pairs high school students with adult mentors (primarily engineers and teachers) to design and build robots that compete against one another in this high energy “Varsity Sport for the Mind™”. Each year at the Kickoff in January, a new, challenging game is introduced. These exciting competitions combine the practical application of science and technology with the fun, intense energy and excitement of a championship-sporting event. Teams are encouraged to display Gracious Professionalism® and to cooperate while competing – known as Coopertition™.

• see the 2013 game field for the first time;
• learn about the 2013 game rules and regulations; and
• receive their Kickoff Kit.

Dr. Woodie Flowers, FIRST National Advisor and co-founder of FRC, elaborates on the significance of Gracious Professionalism in FIRST:

“FIRST celebrates high-quality, well-informed work done in a manner that leaves everyone feeling valued. Gracious Professionalism seems to be a good descriptor for a big part of the ethos of FIRST. It is one of the things that makes FIRST different and wonderful.

Gracious attitudes and behaviors are win-win. Gracious folks respect others and let that respect show in their actions. Professionals possess special knowledge and are trusted by society to use that knowledge responsibly. Thus, gracious professionals make a valued contribution in a manner pleasing to others and to themselves.

In FIRST, Gracious Professionalism means that we learn and compete like crazy, but treat one another with respect and kindness in the process. We try to avoid leaving anyone feeling like they have lost. No chest-thumping barbarian tough talk, but no sticky sweet platitudes either. Knowledge, pride and empathy comfortably blended.”

FIRST values and acknowledges team performance, both on field and off, that promotes our mission to change culture. The three (3) most prominent FRC awards that celebrate our culture are described below.

Every year, veteran FRC Teams have the opportunity to compete for FIRST’s most prestigious award; i.e., the Chairman’s Award, which represents the spirit of FIRST. This award was created to maintain FIRST’s focus on changing culture in ways that would inspire greater levels of respect and honor for science and technology, as well as encourage more of today’s youth to become scientists, engineers and technologists. The Chairman’s Award honors the team that best embodies the goals and purpose of FIRST and is a model for other teams to emulate.

The Woodie Flowers Award, founded in 1996 by Dr. William Murphy, celebrates outstanding mentors who lead, inspire and empower their team. Woodie Flowers Award winners demonstrate effective communication in the art and science of engineering and design.

Now in its fourth year, this award celebrates outstanding student leaders whose passion for, and effectiveness at, attaining FIRST ideals is exemplary. Finalists are chosen by a panel of judges at each FRC regional, The Mid-Atlantic Robotics (MAR) FRC Region Championship and the Michigan FRC State Championship. From this pool of finalists, the Dean’s List Award Committee will select 10 Winners at the Championship in St. Louis, MO.

Safety is critical within FIRST and must be observed continuously by all participants. As a part of the “Safety Awareness and Recognition Program”, teams are observed and evaluated at many levels and by many individuals at the events and the Championship.

Safety Advisors - evaluate team safety behavior and practices at Regional Competitions.

 

Referees and other Field Personnel - observe safety on the playing field as well as adherence to the game rules.

 

Judges - evaluate how teams have integrated safety into their robot designs when considering the team for technical awards.

 

Teams - Safe practices at the competitions are mandatory. Teams are required to adopt safe habits throughout the entire competition season including during travel to and from events and while working in their shops at home, etc.

 

More information on our safety program can be found here: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/safety-video-and-manual

 

PLEASE take the time to read the sections of this manual. It was prepared with YOU in mind and is a great resource for important information you will need throughout the season.

FIRST^®, the FIRST^® logo, FIRST^® Robotics Competition, FRC^®, Coopertition^®, and Gracious Professionalism^® are registered trademarks, and Sport for the Mind™ are common law trademarks of the United States Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST^®). ©2013 FIRST. All rights reserved.

This section provides teams with necessary information for contacting FIRST staff, key vendors and others and how FIRST will communicate important season information. This section also contains help regarding the use of the FIRST logo, finding materials on the website, the Team Information Management System (TIMS) and tips on reserving hotels.

You can reach FIRST via mail, email, phone and fax or get information from our website. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, EST. Refer to the sections below for the appropriate help resource.

Be sure to provide your TEAM NUMBER on all communications!

The Operations (Team Support) Group is eager to answer your FRC program and season related questions. Please call or email us with any questions you may have – we look forward to helping you!

Emails and Subject Lines

We ask that you do not contact or copy multiple people about the same problem. Being a small group, we must work efficiently and avoid having more than one person working on the same issue. We can usually answer questions or requests within one to two business days. Please do not hesitate to contact us by phone if your question requires immediate assistance.

Information on the 2013 Control System, including software and hardware, as well as other technical resources, will be available after Kickoff. For more information, please use the Kit of Parts homepage. The technical links are on the right side of the page.

Autodesk

Visit the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) area on www.usfirst.org where you can find answers to administrative concerns and link to other areas of support.

• Check deadlines and dates for TIMS, entries, grants, registration and payments, robot shipment, and awards submissions. http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/calendar
• Find links to the “Competition Manual and Related Documents” page, the “Robot Control System” page, the “ Robot Shipping” page, the “Season News and Email Blasts” page, , and other information at: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/game-and-season-info

Competition Manual - is available at: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/competition-manual-and-related-documents Sections relating to the game will be posted after Kickoff.

Team Updates – will be posted at: http://frc-manual.usfirst.org/TeamUpdates

After Kickoff, FIRST will post Team Updates online. Team Updates provide rules updates, important information about parts and administrative reminders/deadlines. Please note that some updates will result in FIRST publishing revisions to manual sections.

After Kickoff, FIRST provides an on-line forum for questions and answers (Q & A). The Q & A system can be found here: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/qanda.

Email blasts are important communications that FIRST sends to team contacts identified in TIMS. The email blasts remind teams of important deadlines, updates, and other timely FRC information.

Is located at: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/blog and should be read weekly for additional important updates from the Director of FRC.

TIMS is the online system used by the Main and Alternate Contacts of the team to:

1. create a Team Profile;
2. register for events;
3. enter Kit and Kickoff Preferences;
4. enter Judge’s Information (for awards); and
5. accept students to the team, track their electronic Consent and Release Forms, print a Team Roster and assign students to submit for key awards and track their progress.

• a common starting point for judging each team;
• insight for Judges into the team's workings, history, goals, strengths and robot; and
• team data for FIRST and its archives.

Event-specific information such as agendas, site information, pre-order lunch forms etc. are posted under each event at: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/regional-events. Tip! Check back periodically as this page is updated in stages.

Steele Meetings, Inc. will once again be handling the hotel reservation system for Regional Events and the Championship. Please click on the following link for more information and to make your reservations: http://www.firstchampionshiphousing.com/Home.aspx.

There are numerous creative opportunities for designing a unique team identity. Every year, we see great examples of how teams "brand" their efforts with websites, team logos on robots, t-shirts, hats, banners, fliers and giveaways. These branding activities are a great way to get students interested in art, communications, computer and language arts to join and work on the team.

Once the game is announced at Kickoff, you will be able to download this year’s game logo at http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/marketing-tools/frc (see link in FRC GAME Section).

FIRST^®, the FIRST^® logo, FIRST^® Robotics Competition, FRC^®, Coopertition^®, and Gracious Professionalism^® are registered trademarks, and Sport for the Mind™ are common law trademarks of the United States Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST^®). ©2013 FIRST. All rights reserved.

Read and print the following documents at: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/content.aspx?id=5504

• “Starting an FRC Team”
• “FRC Handbook”
• “FIRST Mentoring Guide”
• Community sponsored resources

Developing a team leadership structure that assigns clear roles and responsibilities is the first step to organizing your team. Once complete, it will be much easier to prepare for the season, unify and manage the team, keep current with important information and meet season deadlines. Your team is encouraged to align its leadership structure with the contact requirements of the TIMS (outlined in the tables below). Although we encourage the following guidelines, team structure is the team?s prerogative and the following are only suggestions.

The Main Contact is the primary contact who provides team information to FIRST and undertakes key actions on behalf of the team via TIMS. It is recommended this role is filled by the lead mentor of the team. This person may choose to delegate some of the responsibilities listed below, but should still be up to date with their progress and ensure their completion. This position must be held by one 18 years old or older.

The Alternate Contact is the Main Contact's "right hand" and shares in providing and maintaining accurate information in TIMS, as well as providing leadership to the team. The Alternate Contact should read and share in the responsibilities of the Main Contact as outlined above. Generally the Alternate Contact assumes the Main Contact role should the Main Contact not be able to fulfill his/her duties. This position must be held by one over the age of 18.  Key duties of the Alternate Contact are outlined below:

The Shipping Contact is a critical position on the team, as this contact is responsible for handling robot transportation, Bag and Tag, and receiving any items shipped from FIRST to the team (e.g., a replacement part). The Main or Alternate Contact can be assigned to the role of Shipping Contact, or they may invite a separate Shipping Contact via the invitation process in TIMS.

This contact provides information about the team to the University or Corporation sponsoring the team.  Keeping the sponsor/partner informed of team progress and achievements throughout the season is a great way to ensure their support.

Advertising the team's goals and accomplishments is critical.  The Public Relations Contact works with the team to ensure that the community and sponsors are apprised of the team’s progress and accomplishments.

This team contact is responsible for disseminating information about FIRST Scholarships to the student FRC team members and their parents. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that a Scholarship Contact is assigned to the team and entered in TIMS!

This adult representative is responsible for knowing and enforcing all school rules regarding team participation.  A teacher or principal may be best qualified for this role to facilitate the team’s progress and meeting deadlines.

This person will assist the team with technical issues and problems related to engineering.

This person will make event(s) travel and hotel arrangements for the team members and mentors.  Tackle this task early to ensure there is room on preferred flights and in preferred hotels.

Tip! If team contacts are using school email addresses, please make sure the school’s firewall allows emails from frcteams@usfirst.org

Your team may want to consider appointing one or several Rules Monitors and Safety Captains.  Students are welcome to fill these positions if the team members and mentors agree and find responsible candidates.  FIRST does not need their contact information in the TIMS. 

Please read below for some job-related roles these students or adults may want to fill.

FIRST^®, the FIRST^® logo, FIRST^® Robotics Competition, FRC^®, Coopertition^®, and Gracious Professionalism^® are registered trademarks, and Sport for the Mind™ are common law trademarks of the United States Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST^®). ©2013 FIRST. All rights reserved.

This section provides a general summary regarding safety, mascots/uniforms, recommended items and equipment for teams to bring to competition events. You will also find information about Pit rules, generic event schedules, robot inspections, replacement parts, and competition manners.  The following section provides a "feel" for competition schedules, event check in procedures, practice times, and matches.  Please familiarize your team with this overview so all team members know what to expect.

Participants and team mentors must review the FIRST safety policies and the FIRST Safety Manual located at http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/safety-video-and-manual?id=470. It provides sound safety practices for your workplace and FIRST events. 

Every team should know, understand and follow the safety rules found in the FRC Team Safety Manual.

At events, the pure anticipation and excitement can sometimes overshadow common sense and safety fundamentals.  One safety area teams sometimes overlook is the need to wear appropriate clothing when working or being around the robots. In addition to the ANSI-approved, UL-listed, or CSA rated safety glasses required for eye protection, FIRST highly recommends that team members and mentors:

• Refrain from wearing dangling jewelry or loose, baggy clothing near the robots;
• Tie back long hair so that it will not get caught in the robot or other machinery; and
• Wear gloves to protect hands and fingers when handling the robot or the robot crate; finger injuries are one of the most common injuries at events!

Please remember that fire extinguishers are available at the Pit Admin station and near the playing field.  Please stay within your team’s Pit or move to the competition viewing area. If the Pit area becomes too crowded for teams and their machines to move back and forth to the field safely and quickly, FIRST will request that some team members leave the area.

See the FIRST Safety Manual located at http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/safety-video-and-manual?id=470 for more information.

To protect team members from muscle strains and other injuries as they transport the robot between the Pits and the competition area, we strongly recommend team members use a cart. Please keep the following in mind:

• Carts must remain in the team Pit area when not in use for robot transportation;
• All carts should fit through a standard 30-inch door;
• Wheels on the cart must not damage site flooring;
• Do not add music or other sound devices to the cart; and
• Put your team number on your cart so it can be identified by field personnel.

NOTE: Carts must be safe.  They must be easy to control and maneuver, and pose no risk to bystanders.  Carts identified as unsafe by Safety Advisors must be made safe before they will be allowed to be used. 

Refer to the “FIRST Safety Manual” for robot lifting techniques.  By practicing these safety techniques, your team members will also develop a quick, fluid routine.

Throughout the competition, the easily recognizable, green-shirted Safety Advisors will continuously tour in pairs to observe activities in the Pit, practice field, queue line, and playing fields to observe the safety habits of the teams.  This includes observing the uncrating/unbagging of robots and transporting them between the Pit and playing fields. The Safety Advisors will rate safe performance in three key areas: 

1. Safe Behavior;
2. Physical Conditions; and
3. The use of Safety Glasses as well as other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as appropriate.

See the FIRST Safety Manual located at http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/safety-video-and-manual?id=470 for more information

Please help to make guests feel comfortable and welcome. Provide your team with the site restrictions and rules so everyone can work and compete in a safe, sportsmanlike and friendly environment.

At events, staff and volunteers will wear badges clearly marked with their title. Should your team members or mentors have questions or a problem, staff and volunteers will help you find the answer – especially your friendly Pit Admin staff!

This section provides general competition information and necessary details regarding scheduling, robot inspection, practice times, safety, rules, regulations, and suggestions for teams.

Your event check-in envelope should contain the Practice Match schedule.  If the Practice Match schedule is not in your envelope, check with Pit Admin.  Practice matches take place on the competition field.  The Schedule will indicate the field you will practice and with what teams.  TEAMS CANNOT SWITCH PRACTICE TIMES.

All teams will receive a comprehensive list of practice times.  Your team must be at the field and ready to practice at the designated times.  If your team/robot cannot be ready for your practice time slot, don’t forfeit your team’s practice time entirely.  Send in your human player (if a human player has apart in the current game) to practice alone.  Your team members may want to scout other teams and their strategies during practice and the actual competition matches.

Although teams may not switch practice times, there will be a designated Filler Line at each competition. Teams whose robots are ready for practice may join the Filler Line, IF THEY HAVE PASSED FULL INSPECTION. Teams from the Filler Line will be used on a first come, first served basis to fill empty spots in practice matches left by other teams that do not show up for their own practice match. Filler Lines will be limited to, at most, six robots, but the number is dependent upon space at venues. Criteria for joining the Filler Line are as follows:

• ROBOTS IN THE FILLER LINE MUST HAVE PASSED FULL INSPECTION;
• Teams must join the Filler Line with their robot;
• Teams may not work on their robot while in the Filler Line;
• Teams may not occupy more than one spot in the Filler Line; and
• If a team is queued up for their practice match, they may not join the Filler Line.

In order to make the most of practice time, there will be specified teams on the field during an assigned practice slot.  Each team must be respectful of the other teams sharing the field.  Friendly interaction between machines is acceptable, if all teams are willing.  Unsportsmanlike conduct on the part of a team during practice could result in loss of practice time or other unfavorable action.

Once your team robot passes inspection and receives its official sticker, you are eligible to compete.

Before the Pit opens on the morning when Qualification Matches begin, the Pit Admin Supervisor will place a copy of the Qualification Schedule on each team's Pit table.  This list provides information as to when teams will participate, with whom and against whom.  The list is final and the schedule will not be altered.

Teams often use the Qualification Schedule to scout other teams to watch their strategies and robot capabilities. This is especially helpful when choosing alliances, should your team advance to the final matches.

Make sure your team is on time and in place if you have an early match on competition days. If your team is scheduled for any of the first four matches on those days, you must queue up before the opening ceremony.  Matches begin immediately after the conclusion of the opening ceremony. 

Please note that there will not be audible queuing at the Championship.  As such, teams must queue up a half hour prior to each designated match. 

Print the event-specific agenda from the web site for each event you will attend. This information can be found at http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/regional-events?id=430. Bring it with you so your team will have the event’s agenda.

As Championship approaches, important event information will be posted at: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/championship-event

This year, once again, all USA and Canadian FRC District and Regional Events will be Bag & Tag. 

Don’t know what Bag & Tag means?  On ‘Stop Build Day’ - Feb 19^th, all teams must stop work on the robot and seal it in a large bag (using a tag) that will be included in the 2013 Kit of Parts.  Teams record when the robot is sealed on a Robot Lock-Up Form.  Teams then transport the robot to and from the event on their own. Please check the public agenda for robot drop-off times.  The robot may not be unbagged, and no work on the robot is allowed until the Robot Lock-Up Form from has been reviewed and signed off by an inspector.

See FRC Administration Manual Section 5 - Robot Transportation for more Bag and Tag details.

For Championship, teams will ship their robots to the event in a crate. See FRC Administration Manual Section 5 for more details.

For convenience and to help ensure safety in the Pit, five (5) people from each team will be allowed to uncrate and work on their robot on Wednesday evening.  See Championship Agenda, when published, for specific times. At least one of the five team members entering the Pits must be a post-high school adult (the others may be either students or adults).

The priority tasks for team members are to uncrate their robot, have their Robot Lock-Up form signed off by an inspector before they unbag their robot, and move their crate to the aisle so that it is accessible to Shepard Exposition Services (SES) for removal.  Teams can then set up their Pit and get the robot INSPECTED.  No work on the robot is allowed until the Robot Lock-Up Form has been reviewed and signed off by an inspector. The rules for Wednesday night Pit entry at the Championship are as follows:

• Teams will not be allowed to use the practice fields Wednesday night;
• Teams should be focused on setting up their Pits and getting inspected;
• The five team members will be permitted to load in team materials on Wednesday night;
• Team members may only make one trip with load-in materials;
• There is no set limit to the amount of material teams may load-in, but it must be done in   a safe, manageable way (Safety Advisors and other volunteers will be on site checking for, and helping mitigate, unsafe conditions);
• Safety glasses are required while in the Pit; and
• An adult team member (one of the five permitted in the Pit) may use this time to          check-in early to avoid the rush on Thursday morning.
   

SES (Shepard Expo Services) Desk personnel will be on hand to help during this limited opening. 

• If your crate has incurred damage, do not open it until you notify the SES Desk personnel right away about the problem.
• Look for any label on your crate having to do with weight or crate damage questions regarding your shipment.  Contact the SES Desk before opening the crate.  Once your team opens a crate, you cannot protest a weight issue.
• SES - Resolution time for weight overage / damage problems:
  • Notify the SES Desk personnel immediately.
• When you have uncrated, notify the SES Desk personnel so haulers can remove the empty crate(s) and keep aisles clear and safe.

Event check in takes place at the Pit Admin station the first morning of the event at the Regional Competitions, and Wednesday evening and Thursday morning for the Championship.  At each event, an adult member of each team should check in by no later than noon on the first day of the event. 

Prior to attending your event(s), please download the Agenda and review other important information specific to your event.  You can find agendas and other information on the 2013 FIRST Robotics Competition Regional Events page: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/regional-events

We highly encourage all FRC team members to submit their Consent and Release forms electronically. 

FRC Team Mentors registered in TIMS will submit in TIMS. Student team members will submit via the FIRST Student Team Information Member System (STIMS) at: https://my.usfirst.org/stims/site.lasso

Please note if a team member decides to submit their Consent and Release form electronically, it will cover the team member’s attendance for the entire season – from Kickoff through Championship. However, if a team member chooses to turn in a “hardcopy” of the form (i.e., printed out from the website and signed) he/she will have to provide it at the Kickoff event (if attending) and at every competition. 

Upon receipt of your team's consent and release forms, each team will receive a registration envelope containing:

• Pit Map;
• Practice Match Schedule;
• Safety Captain Badge;
• Team List; and
• Operator Badges.

Teams, volunteers, FIRST Staff, and guests spend a lot of time in the Pit area. Get to know other teams, help each other when you can, and keep the aisles clear.  Time is short and help is very often right "next door" in the adjacent team Pits. 

Children under 12 MUST be accompanied

in the Pit by an Adult at all times!

The Pit Admin station is centrally located in the Pit area.  FIRST staff members and/or volunteers run this area to check in teams and help teams and visitors.  Come to the Pit Admin station to:

• Turn in a printed roster and  team's hard copy Consent/Release Forms;
• Check in and receive your check-in envelope, and badges. Review your event agenda for  Pit opening/closing time for each event; 
• Get answers to most questions, including machine shop access;
• Ask about lost and found articles; and
• Report an illness, injury, or other incident.
   

These are the areas where teams work on their robots.  These numbered spaces help organize team placement and help team members, judges and visitors find teams easily.  These areas are set up to be as equal as possible. Each team's Pit will have a table and power outlet.

For safety and because of insurance regulations:

• Teams cannot build any structure that supports people, or items for storage, above the work area in their team Pit; 
• No team station structures, signs, flags, or displays can be higher than 10 feet above the floor; 
• Team station signs, flags, and displays must be securely mounted to the structure

FIRST personnel, event management, and/or local committee members will require teams to remove any Pit structure that is deemed unsafe or outside specifications.

Each team is allotted approximately the same amount of workspace at an event, usually about 10’x10’x10’; however, the size will vary from event to event, and in many cases the space is smaller.  Be sure your equipment will fit in a space smaller than those dimensions.  In all cases, the height cannot exceed 10’.  This includes the height of signs, flags, banners, etc…

Keep your equipment and team members within your assigned area and do not “grow” into the aisle or undesignated space.  If your team is too large to fit into the allotted space, encourage your team to leave the area to scout other teams and/or to watch the matches.

Don’t add to your space by setting up in another area!

Spare parts will be available at the events; however, item availability varies from event to event.  FIRST asks that teams bring any unused parts from their kits to events to assist and support each other or donate them to the spare parts case (which will be used at other events).  This kindness can expand your FIRST network of friends as you exchange parts. 

Batteries & chargers WILL NOT be available at any event unless you have made prior arrangements with FIRST (email FRCParts@usfirst.org for more information).  NOTE TO NON-NORTH AMERICAN TEAMS TRAVELLING TO USA EVENTS – Batteries will be provided to you at the Spare Parts Station and will be labeled with your team number.  Please DO NOT ship batteries within your crate.

Teams are responsible for all items required at events.  If a team needs a replacement high-value item, LOANERS will be available under restrictions that will be published after Kickoff. 

To ensure all robots are safely constructed and fall within the FIRST rules, there is an official robot inspection at each event. Certified inspectors will be on site. Inspectors can sometimes help find problems and/or provide suggestions during an early inspection.  Go to the Inspection Station, shown on the Pit map.  Read below for criteria and caveats:

• To ensure safety and readiness, pre-inspect your robot before you ship it.  This will help to make your official inspection go smoothly and quickly;
• Inspectors will use an official inspection sheet for checking robots; a draft copy of the inspection checklist will be available to teams during the build season.  Inspectors check off items on an Inspection Sheet as the team passes those portions of the process;
• Don’t wait until the last moment to begin the process.  Bring your robot to the Inspection Station early. Partial inspections, such as for height and weight compliance, help prevent an inspection clog at the end of the day; 
• Student team members must accompany the robot and be prepared to answer Inspectors' questions;
• Correct items and return for inspection until your robot passes;
• Teams may practice on the first day of the event, during their scheduled practice times only, without completing the inspection process; however, if field personnel deem a robot unsafe, it will not be allowed to practice until the unsafe condition is fixed.  See Section 4.5.1 regarding requirements to participate in a practice session as a ‘Filler’
• Robots must pass inspection before actually competing in qualification matches;
• Each time you alter the form, fit, or function of your robot, you must request and pass a robot re-inspection; and
• Inspectors may re-inspect randomly before or after matches to ensure continued safety and compliance.

Some events have a machine shop to help teams with repair and fabrication either sponsored by NASA or local organizations.  While the machine shops vary, FIRST strives to have welding and a variety of high-powered tools available at the shop. 

The staff and volunteers in the Pit Admin station will be able to tell you how to make use of the machine shop.  Sometimes the machine shop is on site and readily accessible to all teams, but when it is off site, we require teams to use the mandatory transportation provided at the venue.  Teams cannot travel to the machine shop "on their own".

FIRST welcomes team provided mobile machine shop facilities/trailers at events, but the proposed facility has to comply with FIRST and venue requirements. The mobile machine shop/trailer sponsor must adhere to the following two sections.

• If your team would like to provide a mobile machine shop, please get FIRST approval and clearance prior to each event.  Email: frcteams@usfirst.org to request approval prior to the Kickoff.
• Teams must provide liability coverage.  Note that liability coverage at event venues vary, and specific venue policies may further restrict the use of team-provided mobile machine shops.  Without the proper additional insurance certificate, the mobile machine shop cannot be used at the event.  The requirements are:
  • Name FIRST as an additional insured;
  • Fax the certificate to 603-666-3907 Attention: Team Services; and
  • Present a copy of the certificate to the Event Manager on site prior to setting up the machine shop.
• Include an appropriate team-provided staffer to perform the requested work.  Each staffer must be covered under the provided liability coverage. 
• Provide for any security requirements.  Neither FIRST nor the venue is liable for any loss nor will provide these services for you.

Although FIRST may approve a local machine shop use at any Regional, there are local restrictions such as fire codes and venue approval that you must consider as part of the process.  FIRST will do its best to convey any relevant needs and work on your behalf to gain venue approval through a professional, legal process.

In addition to the above, the sponsoring team(s) must: 

1. Include an electrical source for the mobile machine shop facility;
2. Ensure all teams have the ability to use the mobile machine shop and its tools/machines. (i.e. access cannot be restricted to certain teams ;)
3. Handle job requests through the same counter/process as the FIRST provided shop services.  This includes the sponsoring team’s requests; and
4. Operate ONLY during the event hours when the Pit is open.

When using tools in the Pit, be sure to use them properly, in a safe and controlled manner.  Unsafe operation, especially those that endanger others and your team, will be subject to scrutiny by the event staff and safety reviewers.  Their findings may result in team caution or event expulsion.

Please adhere to the following safety rules regarding Pit safety and tool use: 

• Tools that throw sparks are prohibited. 
  Examples:  Electric welders, bench grinders and angle grinders. 
• Tools that produce open flames are prohibited. 
  Examples:  Gas welders and propane/MAPP gas torches. 
• Floor standing power tools are prohibited. 
  Examples:  Full-size drill presses, full-size band saws and full-size table saws. 
• Grinding or painting in the Pit is prohibited.  Designated grinding and painting areas are available to teams. 
• Brazing/welding is prohibited at the team Pits.  Use the machine shop. 
• Soldering is permitted. Use electric iron/gun only. 
• Small, bench-top machinery, with appropriate guards, is permitted in team Pits. 
  We consider ‘small’ machinery as machinery easily lifted by one (1) person
  Examples:  Small band saws, drill presses, and sanders.
• Small, desktop machining centers are permitted as long as they are reasonably sized.  They must be appropriately covered to prevent throwing of chips during operation. 
  We consider ‘small’ machining centers to be easily lifted by one (1) person
  Example:  Desktop CNC mill.

We suggest you bring the following:

• Extension cord - heavy duty and at least 25 feet long;
• Power strip - to make best use of your power drop;
• Other items as suggested on the Team Checklist in this section of this Manual; and
• A relatively small cart to transport your heavy robot from the Pit to the playing field.    See Section 4.2.2 for cart requirements.

There will be a first aid station in the Pit to assist in the event of injury and illness.  Mentors and the Safety Captain should refer to the Pit Map for the location and alert team members.  Notify the Pit Admin Supervisor of any injuries or illness and fill out an incident report.  Bring a travel size first-aid kit for minor injuries.

At each event, there is a predetermined traffic flow pattern to maximize efficiency of the team/robot entrance and exit and to maintain safety to the competition area.  Refer to the Pit Map for the flow.  The queuing team maintains this pattern at each event.  Please obey the traffic rules to ensure an efficient lineup for practice and competition.

It is extremely important to keep aisles clear for safety, judging accessibility, robot mobility, courtesy and for maintaining competition schedules.  Please keep chairs and equipment out of the aisles.  Please sit in the audience, not on the floor or in the aisles.  Judges/Safety Advisors will notice noncompliance.

We make every effort to keep noise down and announce only important items and scheduling, so PLEASE do not ask the Pit announcer to make frivolous announcements.

The Pit announcer and queue volunteers must maintain the practice and match schedules.  Your team should designate team members to be your queue captains and carefully watch the schedule and alert the team when its turn is near.  The queue captain should:

• Look at the Pit Map to find the pre-set traffic pattern for each event. 
• Highlight team practice times on the Practice Schedule on the first day of the event and your competition match times on your Match List for the second and third days.
• Listen carefully for the queuing announcements at Regional events and line up your four competing team members/mentor and robot when your team number is announced.
• Queue your team one-half hour prior to your matches at the Championship since there are no match announcements.  Ensure you monitor play within your respective division and adjust your queuing time accordingly.  Please check with the Lead Field Queuing personnel on your field, if you have questions.

NOTE: Check the schedule.  If your team is in the first four matches of any day of competition, your team’s robot and competition team must queue up prior to the Opening Ceremony, on or near the field.

There have been occasions when items such as cameras and laptops have "disappeared" from the Pit or competition area.  Use common sense and do not leave valuable items unattended.  Neither the site nor FIRST is responsible for any theft. Take valuable items with you, or designate a team representative to remain with them in the team Pit or competition areas.

If you find an article or lose one, come to the Pit Admin station to fill out a "Lost Item Report" or to turn in an article you find.  We will make every reasonable attempt to return articles to owners.

There are both Opening and Closing Awards Ceremonies.  These ceremonies allow everyone to show honor and respect for their countries, sponsors, teams, mentors, volunteers and award winners and to provide everyone with the opportunity to applaud the successes of team members and mentors. They also give teams a chance to "meet" the judges, referees, MCs and other important persons and sponsors involved with the event. 

At the Awards Ceremony, FIRST presents trophies and medallions to outstanding teams.

We encourage all team members to attend the ceremonies, on time, to show appreciation for the event and those people involved who are volunteering their time and efforts.

• Team members will not be allowed to use power tools, hammers or other noisy tools during the ceremonies
• All persons in the Pit should observe the code of behavior for the presentation of all national anthems:
  • Maintain a respectful silence;
  • Stand, facing the flag.  If there is no flag, look toward the video screen showing a flag; and
  • ALL hats off please.

On Time:  For many reasons, it is necessary that teams adhere to the Pit closing time each day.  Many people working in the Pit are volunteers and deserve to have a set closing time met.  Assign team members and mentors to the cleanup/organization of your team Pit. 

Robot Transportation:  The team’s shipping contact should have a plan to ensure that everything is packed and out the door by closing time. For further details about shipping your robot or participating in the Bag and Tag system, please refer to the FRC Administration Manual Section 5 - Robot Transportation. 

Team socials may be held after the awards ceremony on the evening of the second day, and may include food, fun and an opportunity to unwind and get to know each other in an informal, relaxed and entertaining setting.  These are NOT FIRST sponsored.

This event takes place after the Awards Ceremony on Saturday evening.  Please refer to the Championship Event Information.

When deciding on a team name or acronym, consider how you can work a theme around it to make your team more fun and recognizable.  Part of the pleasure of being a team member or mentor is the way the team stylizes itself. 

Team numbers provide unique identification for FRC teams. We strongly recommend that you include the team number on all team T-shirts, trading buttons, hats, cheers and costumes.

Often teams bring small items to give away to others at the event. This is completely optional, but is certainly a great way to promote your team’s identity. The most popular item to give away is a button with your team logo and number.

Keep safety in mind. Awards acceptance often means descending and ascending stairs/bleachers.  Please make sure that mascot and team costumes are safe for the wearer as to vision and movement and that they are comfortable and cool enough to prevent fainting and dehydration.

We ask that you bring attention to your team in ways that are in good taste and in the spirit of the competition.  Please refrain from the following:

• Using noisemakers;
• Using objects that can damage bleachers or floors;
• Wearing inappropriate clothing; and/or
• Taping or affixing items or papers to walls, bleachers, floors or other site areas.

Please make sure your team Pit and surrounding area is clean when you leave the site.

Sponsors provide FIRST with banners so we can display them in specified areas as a way of thanking them for their generosity.  We encourage teams to bring team flags and/or sponsor banners, but we ask that you adhere to the following:

DO NOT hang them in the competition area, since this area is designated for official FIRST sponsor banners ONLY. 

You may bring banners to the competition area while your team competes, but do not leave them or use them to section off seating.  Saving group seats is not permitted.

Hang banners ONLY in your team Pit.

Sitting together in a group during competition matches makes the game more exciting and fun.  It’s where you can show support for your team.  Since very often there is not enough seating to accommodate everyone, there has to be a policy regarding seating.  Teams are not allowed to save seating space. 

With this in mind, it is not permitted to hang banners or ribbons to designate such an area.  We will remove and discard any banners, roping, etc...  Please take turns sitting in the bleachers, if seating is limited.  Share the fun.  When you see there is a crowding problem, leave after your team's match and return later for another few matches.

Please read the following common site restrictions and adhere to them in order to promote an orderly, safe, pleasant and exciting competition. Please refer to Section 4.2 of this manual section for additional site restrictions at your event.

• Do not bring food to the site.  If you bring food, do not bring it onto the property.
• Do not use noisy devices, such as floor stompers, whistles and/or air horns.
• Do not arrange for Internet access or phone lines on the site or attempt to connect to the Internet.
• Do not sell any products.  This includes food, hats, shirts or any promotional products.
• Do not distribute any food products, such as candy, water, soft drinks or fruit. 
• Do not sell raffle tickets.
• Do not bring bottled gas tanks (e.g. helium).  This is a safety concern.
• Do not use walkie-talkies. 
• Do not invite or bring live bands to play in the audience.  This dilutes the presentation on the playing field and is too loud and confusing for the audience.
• Do not play loud music in the Pit because it interferes with important announcements.  If a team receives more than a warning or two, the power to the team Pit will be shut off and/or the music confiscated.
• Do not form "tunnels" during the Awards Ceremony.  This can cause discomfort to those traveling through them and creates safety issues.

You will often hear the expression Gracious Professionalism^® throughout your involvement in FIRST.  You can read Woodie Flowers’ definition in Section 1 – Introduction of the 2013 FRC Administration Manual.  One of our main goals is to encourage all team members and mentors to conduct themselves with kindness, sharing and consideration of others. 

Gracious Professionalism^® is a central tenet of the FIRST experience. It is not acceptable to engage in hostile action, hostile/profane language or any other violent or antagonistic conduct.  FIRST reserves the right, at its discretion, through the Event Manager or his/her designee, to arrange for any team, team member, event participant or other individual to be removed from participating or attending any FIRST event or program for engaging in such conduct. FIRST looks forward to everyone's cooperation in keeping our programs and events exciting, educational and full of Gracious Professionalism^®.

FIRST^®, the FIRST^® logo, FIRST^® Robotics Competition, FRC^®, Coopertition^®, and Gracious Professionalism^® are registered trademarks, and Sport for the Mind™ are common law trademarks of the United States Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST^®). ©2013 FIRST. All rights reserved.

All teams must cease work on their robot on or before Stop Build Day. Any team that fails to comply may jeopardize their participation in the rest of the FRC season.

A “Bag and Tag Event” is a competition event where teams must carry their robots to/from the event. Teams attending these events must “Bag and Tag” their robots according to the instructions outlined in Section 5.5 – Instructions for “Bag and Tag”.

1. Only teams that have requested and been granted an Exemption will be able to make use of the FEDEX shipping donation. Those granted an Exemption will ship their robots to a predetermined robot drayage/storage facility.
2. To secure transportation services to/from the robot drayage/storage facility, teams granted an exemption may need to coordinate with a local “friendly” team for assistance. FIRST HQ will facilitate this coordination.
3. DO NOT SHIP YOUR ROBOT DIRECTLY TO THE VENUE!! If you do so, you may not be able to compete.

• two (2) plastic bags large enough to contain your robot; and
• at least six (6) zip tie tags with individual serial numbers.

If bringing your robot yourself to the event presents you with a substantial hardship, you may request an exemption by emailing frcteams@usfirst.org Include as much detail as you can in your request, and use the subject line: “Bag and Tag Exemption Request, Team XXXX”, with your team number in place of "XXXX". Exemption requests will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Not every request will be granted. Exemptions must be submitted by December 7, 2012.

1. Bag and Tag your robot on Stop Build Day, and complete the Robot Lock-Up Form
2. The Proper bagging procedure is as follows:

• Set the bag on the floor, leaving room for the robot in the center.
• Place the robot in the center of the bag and pull the bag up around the robot. Be careful not to catch the bag on any corners or sharp edges.
• Tightly seal the bag with your next numbered tag.
• Complete the Robot Lock-Up Form as required in Section 5.5 to verify the date and time that the bag was sealed.

3. Transport your robot to your event venue in your own vehicle. If you plan to transport your robot in a personal vehicle, please ensure that you have adequate means to secure the robot. If the robot is being transported in open air vehicle, such as in the back of a pickup truck, please be very careful to shield the bag from excessive wind which can cause the bag to flap against the robot, causing damage to the bag.
4. You must bring your own bagged, sealed and tagged robot into the venue through the designated robot entrance. Teams will NOT have access to the loading docks or forklifts; we recommend bringing a rolling cart or dolly to facilitate the load in.
5. You may NOT open your bag until:

The Robot Lock-up Form is available the Competition Manual pages of the FIRST website. Make sure that you complete every item on the form. INCOMPLETE FORMS WILL BE REJECTED BY INSPECTORS AT EVENTS. The Robot Lock-Up Form must be filled in by an adult, 18 years old or older, who is NOT a student on the team.

• 18 years old or older;
• is not a student member of the team, and
• that all rules and regulations regarding access periods and lock/unlock are being followed. Cell phone numbers are required for verification in case inspectors at events have questions regarding the form.

The Robot Lock-Up Form MUST be used:

• on “Stop Build Day”;
• during any "Robot Access Period" taken advantage of if you are attending a 2-Day event. See Section 5.6 for details. The "Robot Access Period" only applies to teams attending 2-Day events. Teams attending 3-day events do not have a "Robot Access Period"; and/or
• before you leave an event, if you expect you will/may be attending a later event.

Two-day events for the 2013 season include all Michigan District Events and all Mid-Atlantic Robotics (MAR) District Events. Teams attending these events will not have as much time to work on their robots at events as teams attending traditional 3-day events. Due to this differential, teams are granted an additional “Robot Access Period” to unbag their robot between “Stop Build Day” and their 2-day events.

During the Robot Access Period, teams may perform any activity they would normally do during the build season, including practicing with the robot.

Teams may unlock their robot for a total of 6 hours during the 7-day period preceding any two-day event in which their team will be competing with their robot. The 6 hours may be broken up in any way the team wishes, with the exception that no single access period may be shorter than 2 hours. The robot must be locked up in between sessions and this must be documented on the Robot Lock-Up Form each time.

If you are approved for an exemption, FIRST HQ will send you two (2) FedEx vouchers (bills of lading) for transportation to/from the official drayage location with specific instructions as to which type of FedEx service you are eligible for based upon geography; i.e., Express Air Freight (only if required for the area – mostly international, non-North America) or Freight LTL Truck (most North American teams including Canada and Mexico).

Your robot will be shipped to a drayage location identified by FIRST. Depending upon the location, you may be required to work with a local “friendly team” to get your robot from the drayage location to the venue. FIRST HQ will assist you with this.

If you have already competed at another event, you must ensure your robot is bagged and tagged at the conclusion of that event per the instructions in Section 5.4. Bring your robot back to your build site or other location away from the event venue, crate the robot and prepare for shipment. Follow the instructions as outlined in Section 5.7 regarding crating requirements.

Teams must use SES to ship their robot and crate(s) home from the Championship event.  Exceptions to this rule will be made on a case-by-case basis.  

Subject line:  "Robot Removal, for Team (your team #)";

Reason you are requesting an exception – detailed explanation;

Upon reception of this information, FIRST will, in good faith, consider your request.  The Director of FRC will review each case and will provide a written response.  This decision will be final.

If you have any questions about robot shipping rules or processes, CALL FIRST! Rules in this chapter are written and administered by FIRST, not FedEx. FIRST is not responsible for information given by representatives of outside vendors.

Call FedEx to schedule your pickup and with any FedEx tracking questions. Have your Bill of Lading and/or Pro Number available when you call.

FIRST^®, the FIRST^® logo, FIRST^® Robotics Competition, FRC^®, Coopertition^®, and Gracious Professionalism^® are registered trademarks, and Sport for the Mind™ are common law trademarks of the United States Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST^®). ©2013 FIRST. All rights reserved.

This chapter contains descriptions of the FIRST^® Robotics Competition Awards as well as any required submission criteria.  Note an asterisk designates a new or “changed” award. Unless otherwise noted, all awards are given at Regional events, District events, State/Region Championship and the FIRST Championship. FIRST will hold an Awards Ceremony to present these awards at each event.

The Chairman’s Award, the Woodie Flowers Award, Entrepreneurship Award, and the Media and Technology Innovation Award must be submitted through the FIRST Student Team Information Members System (STIMS) https://my.usfirst.org/stims/site.lasso.   The Main or Alternate contact for your team must assign at least one (1) and up to four (4) student award submitters in FRC TIMS.  Those students will be notified of their status via email and may then log into the STIMS and be able to view the awards submission section on their main page.

The FIRST Dean’s List Award must be submitted by the team’s main or alternate contact through TIMS, https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso.

The FIRST^® Future Innovator Award (FFIA) must be submitted via the FFIA portal. http://www.allthingspatent.com/FRC/

Submission for the Chairman's Award, the Woodie Flowers Award, and Entrepreneurship Award will open at Noon Eastern Time on Thursday, November 8, 2012 and close for submissions at Noon Eastern Time on Thursday, February 21, 2013.

Submission for the Media and Technology Innovation Award will open at Noon Eastern Time on Friday, March 1, 2013 and close for submissions at Noon Eastern Time on Friday, March 23, 2013.

Submission for the FIRST Future Innovator Award will open at Noon Eastern Time on Thursday, November 8, 2012 and close for submission at Noon Eastern Time on Thursday, March 14, 2013.

The FIRST^® Robotics Competition (FRC^®) is about much more than the mechanics of building a robot or winning a competitive event. It is about the partnership among people who are part of the FIRST community and the impact on those who participate in FIRST programs with a united goal of achieving FIRST’s mission. FIRST’s mission is to change the way young people regard science and technology and to inspire an appreciation for the real-life rewards and career opportunities in these fields.

The concept of the Chairman’s Award includes Regional and District Championship Chairman’s Awards, which enable FIRST to recognize more teams for their exemplary efforts in spreading the FIRST message, as well as their talents in organizing materials for their presentations. 

The teams who have earned the Regional and District Championship Chairman’s Award can travel to the FIRST Championship to be considered for the 2013 Chairman’s Award.

The Chairman’s Award was created to keep the central focus of FRC on the ultimate goal of transforming the culture in ways that will inspire greater levels of respect and honor for science and technology, as well as encouraging more of today’s youth to become scientists, engineers, and technologists.

The Chairman’s Award represents the spirit of FIRST.  It honors the team that, in the judges’ estimation, best represents a model for other teams to emulate, and which embodies the goals and purpose of FIRST.  It remains FIRST’s most prestigious award.

Because the Chairman’s Award recognizes sustained excellence and impact, not just a one (1) year team effort, it is not possible for a first year (rookie) team to receive the Chairman’s Award.  However, all teams that received a NASA Grant, including rookie recipients, must prepare a Chairman’s Award submission as part of the grant requirement (even though rookie NASA grant teams will NOT be considered for the award). 

All teams are encouraged to print a copy of their final submission for their records and to confirm for themselves that the submission was accepted.

The criterion for the 2013 Chairman’s Award has special emphasis on recent accomplishments in both the 2012/2013 year and the preceding two (2) years. The judges focus on teams’ activities over a sustained period, as distinguished from just the six (6) week design and build time frame. 

With the exception of Michigan, teams may submit for the Chairman’s Award at one regional or district event at which they are competing.   FIRST will present a Chairman’s Award at each regional and district event.  Chairman’s Award recipients from district events will go forward to be considered at the State or Region Championship.  The recipients from the Regional events and the State or Region Championships will be eligible for the Chairman’s Award presented at the FIRST Championship.

Michigan Teams

Michigan teams may submit their Chairman’s Award submission at either one of their first two district events. 

Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame members; i.e., teams that have already earned the Championship Chairman’s Award, are ineligible to resubmit for consideration for five (5) years.  Teams that earned the Chairman’s Award at the Championship prior to 2008 are eligible to participate in 2013. Teams that earned the Chairman’s Award in 2008-2012 are ineligible in the 2013 season.

The Chairman’s Award is presented to the team judged to have created the best partnership effort among team participants and which best exemplified the true meaning of FIRST through measurable impact on its participants, school, and community at large.

The FIRST Robotics Competition is not about machines; it is about the experience of people working together toward a shared goal. Documenting and preserving your team’s FIRST experience becomes an important component of the over-all FIRST experience.

There is no single “best way” for a team to earn the Chairman’s Award. Many factors come into play. The primary factors the judges will evaluate are:

• How strongly does the submission document the impact FIRST has on the learning experience of the students, school curriculum, engineers, and/or community during the 2012/2013 team year as well as in prior years?
• Has the team explained/demonstrated why/how it should be a role model for other FIRST teams to emulate?
• How well has the team communicated its excitement and impact within the entire school, community, and beyond (state/nation) through participation in FIRST during the 2012/2013 team year as well as in prior years?
• Has the team documented an innovative way to spread the FIRST message?
• How well year-round team partnership effort is reflected during the 2012/2013 team year as well as in prior years? (You can define partnership in many ways, including: the partnership among the team’s students/corporate sponsor/engineers; school/university sponsor/engineers; students/adults; community/team)

As a whole, does the content of the documentation exemplify the true meaning of FIRST?

The Chairman’s Award submission should include documentation for all the above factors.

The submission, excluding the Executive Summary, will be limited to 10,000 characters, including spaces and punctuation, and may include up to four (4) photographs totaling no more than 1.0Mb of memory.

Students may submit their team’s Chairman’s Award submission through the FIRST Student Team Information Members System (STIMS) (https://my.usfirst.org/stims/site.lasso). Follow the directions shown on the site to submit your team’s entry.  Teams may only submit at one regional or district event at which the team will compete.  This site will be available beginning at Noon Eastern Time on Thursday, November 8, 2012.

Submitters may enter information, save it, and return to the site to edit the Chairman’s Award submission until they are ready to finalize it for final judging. All entries will need to be finalized by Noon Eastern Time on Thursday, February 21, 2013. No entries will be accepted or altered after this date.

Chairman’s Award submitters will go into STIMS (https://my.usfirst.org/stims/site.lasso) and enter the following required information:

Team Number:

Regional/District Selection:

Executive Summary – Teams must complete all the following fields in order to be considered for this award. The information included in the Executive Summary is not included in the total character/word count for the Chairman’s Award Submission.

• Team Name
• Corporate/University Sponsors
• Briefly describe the impact of the FIRST program on team participants with special emphasis on the 2012/2013 year and the preceding two years (500 characters allowed, including spaces and punctuation)
• Examples of role model characteristics for other teams to emulate (500 characters allowed, including spaces and punctuation)
• Describe the impact of the FIRST program on your team and community with special emphasis on the 2012/2013 year and the preceding two years (500 characters allowed, including spaces and punctuation)
• Team’s innovative methods to spread the FIRST message (500 characters allowed, including spaces and punctuation)
• Describe the strength of your partnership with special emphasis on the 2012/2013 year and the preceding two years (500 characters allowed, including spaces and punctuation)
• Team’s communication methods and results (500 characters allowed, including spaces and punctuation)
• Other matters of interest to the FIRST judges, if any (500 characters allowed, including spaces and punctuation)
• Upload pictures (maximum of 4 allowed, not to exceed 1.0Mb in total)
• Essay (10,000 characters allowed, including spaces and punctuation, or approximately 1500 words)
• Electronic signature of Team Captain/Student Representative certifying that the document is complete and accurate

Chairman’s Award submissions are posted on a private, password-protected site where only the judges can read the entries. Judges at each regional and district event will be interviewing the candidates who successfully completed the submission process. Teams should always print and bring a hard copy of their submission to the event.

In preparing this document, bear in mind that students, engineers, teachers, community, school, sponsors, families, and other supporters, as well as the machine itself are all integral parts of your team experience. Your submission needs to clearly convey the factors outlined above.

Important Note: Chairman’s Award Judges also review the information entered in the Judges Information Page as part of the Chairman’s Award submission. This information is entered as part of the Team Information Management System (TIMS) at https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso.  Refer to Section 1 Communications for more details about the Judges Information Page.

Submission Deadline

Chairman’s Award submissions are due no later than Noon Eastern Time on Thursday, February 21, 2013.

All teams submitting for the Chairman’s Award will be interviewed by the Judges at the event. Chairman’s Award interviews are limited to ten minutes total; five minutes for a presentation by the team (which includes set-up) and up to five minutes of question and answer led by the Judges. Not more than three team members (students and/or adult mentors) from each team are allowed to present.

Teams submitting for the Chairman’s Award must provide a DVD to the judges at the start of their Chairman’s Award interview.  The content of the video must be in English and should explain what the team has done to earn the Chairman’s Award.  The video may be shown to the judges during the team’s 5 minute presentation time or the team can choose to not show the video during the presentation time.  Even if the video is NOT shown during the interview, a DVD must still be provided to the Judges in order for the team to be considered for the Chairman’s Award.  In addition, the team must provide the equipment for viewing (i.e. laptop/speakers etc.) the video.  Teams who do not submit a DVD to the judges will not be considered eligible for the Chairman’s Award and will not be interviewed by the judges.  This is applicable at all events including the FIRST Championship.

Note: For 2013, any teams that submitted for the Chairman’s Award and want their DVD back at the end of the event will need to collect their DVD, after the awards ceremony, from Pit Administration. In addition, the winning Chairman’s Award team will also be required to bring a copy of their DVD to the FIRST Championship. Therefore, the winning team must also collect their DVD after the awards ceremony if they want to bring that copy to Championship.

The DVD format should be as follows:

• A 16:9 (“widescreen aspect ratio”)
• Not more than 3 minutes long, no shorter than 1 minute long.
• Include a clean audio track
• Free of copyright restrictions, including music.

DVD may consist of:

• Video footage
• Voice over/music over still photographs
• Animated presentation
• PowerPoint converted to DVD format

Note: Teams do not have to use professional equipment to get professional results.  There is a good chance that someone on your team or in the school does this as a hobby and can be recruited to help.

Sound

• Should be clear of pops and hisses

Copyright

• If using copyrighted music must have written permission
• If using Creative Commons Music (CCM) on line, the music must be used in accordance with the appropriate license and properly attributed.
• Music may not contain obscene or suggestive language

Content Guidelines:

• Please show us what you are doing to earn the Chairman’s Award
• Please do not identify non-team minors by name or specific location. Use only first names, no locations.

Other required information (to be included on the cover of the jewel case):

• Your team number (also include on the front of the DVD)
• Your team name (also include on the front of the DVD)
• The Regional/District competition you are entering
• Your corporate and university sponsors
• Permission for FIRST to use your video in marketing & promotional material and/or live at FIRST events & competitions (this form can be found at the end of this document)

Note 1: Please ensure that your DVD is actually a DVD file. Files with extensions like .mov., .avi., or .wmv. may not play on equipment at the event.  If we cannot view your DVD, you may be ineligible.

Note 2:  The Chairman’s Award is our highest honor and teams who receive the Chairman’s Award represent the highest standards of FIRST.  When the Chairman’s judges have narrowed the selection to two or three teams, these contenders for the Chairman’s Award at all events will have their DVD viewed by the Judge Advisor for appropriate content and to ensure that the above guidelines have been met.  Although the Chairman’s judges will not be judging your video as part of your submission, a DVD with inappropriate content will disqualify a team for the award.

Tips, Timelines & Tools

• Chairman's Award Video Helpful Tips and Guidelines
• Chairman's Award Video Suggested Shot List
• Chairman's Award Video Tape Log (example)
• Chairman's Award Video Tape Log (blank)
• Chairman's Award Video Consent & Release Form
• Guidelines and Tips video by Paul Lazarus of White Dwarf Productions
• More Guidelines and Tips by Paul Lazarus of White Dwarf Productions

At the Championship, a panel of judges will review the submissions from all the Regional and District Championship Chairman’s Award recipients and will select one winning Chairman’s Award recipient. This team has the additional honor of choosing one of its junior or senior student members to receive the Allaire Medal.

The Allaire Medal recognizes leadership exemplified and is awarded to an individual student on the winning Chairman’s Award team.

Named in honor of Paul A. Allaire, a long-serving FIRST Chairman of the Board, the Allaire Medal is given to the student who has demonstrated outstanding leadership on his/her FIRST team, within his/her school and community and whose personal character best embodies the spirit of FIRST.

The team receiving The Chairman’s Award at the Championship will select the Allaire Medal recipient.  The adult and student team members of the Chairman’s Award winning team determine the winner.  The recipient must be a high school junior or senior who has been accepted into a four (4) year degree program at a college or university.  The Allaire Medalist receives the Allaire medallion and up to $10,000 in total scholarship support for undergraduate tuition, room/board and fees/books at his or her intended university or college.

This award recognizes creativity in effectively solving a real-world, complex problem through the invention of a unique solution beyond the requirements of the FIRST competition season.  This award directly links to the FIRST mission to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders and to the FIRST vision to transform the culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated.

The FFIA will be judged by a panel of leading experts in the fields of engineering and patent law, including Dean Kamen, and representatives from Abbott and others, to determine the winning idea.

The winner will be announced at the FIRST Championship. The winning student(s) will be granted an award sponsored by the Abbott Fund and also will have the opportunity to meet with a venture capitalist firm for a real-world experience in discussing their invention and possible business application.

The FFIA competition is open to all FRC and FTC teams officially registered for the current 2012/2013 FIRST competition season. Teams may apply at the FFI PORTAL.  The FFIA portal for student submissions will open at Noon Eastern Time on Thursday, November 8, 2012 and close for submissions at Noon Eastern Time on Thursday, March 14, 2013.

Applicants make a formal electronic submission(s) of an invention pertaining to the National Academy of Engineering’s 14 Grand Challenges or related to one of the four broad themes of the challenges: 1) Sustainability; 2) Health; 3) Security; or 4) Joy of Living.  The invention does not need to ‘solve’ one of the Grand Challenges, of course, just be related to one in some way.  Even a very small part of the solution is a step forward!  http://www.engineeringchallenges.org

Each of the Grand Challenges falls under one or more of four broad themes:  1) Sustainability; 2) Health; 3) Security; and 4) Joy of Living. 

Here is the list of Grand Challenges, with links to more detail on each:

1. Make Solar Energy Economical
2. Provide Energy From Fusion
3. Develop Carbon Sequestration Methods
4. Manage The Nitrogen Cycle
5. Provide Access To Clean Water
6. Restore And Improve Urban Infrastructure
7. Advance Health Informatics
8. Engineer Better Medicines
9. Reverse-Engineer The Brain
10. Prevent Nuclear Terror
11. Secure Cyberspace
12. Enhance Virtual Reality
13. Advance Personalized Learning
14. Engineer The Tools Of Scientific Discovery

Ideas submitted for an FFIA in prior years will not be accepted unless the idea has been greatly improved/changed and could be considered new.

Submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by a designated judge panel independent of current FIRST Program competition season judged awards.

FIRST strongly encourages all teams to file for patent protection by filing a provisional patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), before submitting for the Future Innovator Award.

• Additional information regarding provisional patent applications can be found at www.uspto.gov
• Once an idea is shared through submission for this award, patent protection can only be sought in the United States and cannot be sought in any other jurisdiction, unless a provisional patent has been filed before submission.

At the 2013 Championship, the winner of the FIRST Future Innovator Award, sponsored by the Abbott Fund, will be announced and shown at the awards ceremony.

Submission will be judged on the following criteria:

1. Complexity of the problem to be solved by the invention
2. Effectiveness of the invention in solving the problem
3. Uniqueness of the invention
4. Simplicity of the invention
5. Practicality of developing and implementing the invention
6. Whether the invention was utilized for a FIRST -related activity
7. The degree to which to invention addresses one of the 14 Grand Challenges or the 4 Challenge Themes
8. Judge’s Discretion (This criterion gives Judges the ability to take in to consideration elements of the invention not well captured above)

How to Apply for a Patent

Patent Process Video by Abbott

Submission Tips Video by Abbott

2012 Award Presentation at CMP

Any additional questions can be submitted to maxid@maxval-ip.com

In an effort to recognize the leadership and dedication of FIRST’s most outstanding FRC students, the Kamen family sponsors an award for selected top students, aka FIRST superstars, known as the FIRST Dean’s List.

Similar to the very prestigious National Merit Scholarship Award winners, there are three (3) “categories” of FIRST Dean’s List Award students: 

1. FIRST Dean’s List Entrants/Nominees (the group of two (2) students nominated by each FRC team);
    
2. FIRST Dean List’s Finalists comprised of the two (2) students selected at each regional; six (6) selected at the Michigan District State Championship; and four (4) selected at the Mid-Atlantic Regional (MAR) Championship;
    
3. FIRST Dean List Winners (10 students selected from the FIRST Dean’s List Finalists at the FRC Championship).
    

Teams nominating students as FIRST Dean’s List Entrants/Nominees should note that colleges and universities are extremely interested in recruiting FIRST Dean’s List Award students and accordingly, FIRST strongly urges teams to nominate a student in his or her junior year as a FIRST Dean’s List Semi-Finalist.  While FIRST judges will consider any student nominated by their team as a FIRST Dean’s List Semi-Finalist, judges will give preference to students in their junior year when making their selections to maximize the impact of the FIRST Dean’s List Award for students and colleges/universities supporting FIRST.

The students who earn FIRST Dean’s List Award status as either an Entrant/Nominee, Finalist or Winner, will not only be great examples of student leaders who have led their teams and communities to increased awareness for FIRST and its mission all the while achieving personal technical expertise and accomplishment, but it is FIRST’s intention that they will continue on, post-award, as great leaders of FIRST’s ever growing student alumni and as advocates of FIRST.  The FIRST Dean’s List Award, introduced in 2010, joined the ranks of other prestigious FIRST awards like the FIRST Founder’s Award which honors sponsors or other supporters who help to grow FIRST; the Woodie Flowers Award, which honors outstanding mentors at FIRST; and the Chairman’s Award, which honors the teams believed to have best achieved the mission of FIRST.

Since its introduction in 2010, the FIRST Dean’s List Award has attracted the attention of prestigious colleges and universities who desire to recruit FIRST Dean’s List students.  As FIRST believes such interest is beneficial to our students, those selected will be asked to provide written consent for the release and use of certain personal information, including image, to interested colleges/universities for the sole purpose of their recruitment to the institution.  Prestigious colleges have expressed great interest in meeting FIRST Dean’s List’s Award winners and so FIRST hopes that each team will take advantage of the opportunity to nominate their best students as FIRST Dean’s List Semi-Finalists!

The award was created during the 2010 FRC season by the Kamen family in recognition of Jack and Evelyn Kamen; parents of FIRST founder Dean Kamen.  Jack, who passed away in August of 2008 at the age of 88, and his wife Evelyn have been fixtures at many FIRST events.  Their humor, along with a positive and supportive attitude, truly symbolizes the FIRST culture.  In fact, Jack is the designer of the playful red, white and blue geometric shapes that create the FIRST logo which wonderfully balances the technical and emotional sides of what FIRST is all about.  Dean’s mother, Evelyn, is a tireless caretaker for her family and is an exceptional teacher, principal and tremendous FIRST supporter.  She lends her experience as a leader of schools to chair the judge panel that selects the FIRST Dean’s List Award winners.

Dean’s parents always encouraged his passion for innovation and his gift for motivating leaders throughout the world to support the FIRST mission.  It is the family’s hope that this award will encourage the passion in all FIRST students to promote the FIRST mission both as a student on an FRC team and for years to come as members of the FIRST student alumni.

The process for competing for the FIRST Dean’s List is similar to the process for the Woodie Flowers Award and the Chairman’s Award in that applicants must first compete at the Regional level to be considered at the Championship level.  Entrants/Nominees for the FIRST Dean’s List are submitted by their mentor and supported by the entire team. These students will be reviewed at one (1) Regional where their team is competing with two (2) FIRST Dean's List Finalists chosen at each Regional.

All Dean’s List Finalists will be considered for the final selection of ten (10) FIRST Dean’s List Award winners at the FIRST Championship in St. Louis.

Each FRC mentor is invited to select up to two (2) students (may select only one but not more than two) as FIRST Dean's List Semi-Finalists.  In deciding which students to nominate, mentors should consider the impact the award will have on the nominated student. For example, mentors may choose to nominate a junior whose college acceptance prospects would be enhanced by both the nomination and any subsequent advancement in the competition.  Each mentor may only submit their two (2) FIRST Dean's List Semi-Finalists to compete for the FIRST Dean's List Finalist designation at one (1) regional.  Students previously selected as FIRST Dean’s List Entrants/Nominees or Finalists ARE eligible for nomination again this year.

Criteria for selection of the FIRST Dean's List shall include, but not be limited to a student's:

• demonstrated leadership and commitment to the ideals of FIRST;
• interest in and passion for a long term commitment to FIRST and its ideals;
• overall individual contribution to their team;
• technical expertise and passion;
• entrepreneurship and creativity;
• ability to motivate and lead fellow team members; and
• effectiveness at increasing awareness of FIRST in their school and community

Evaluation of Entrants/Nominees and Finalists will be based on a one page essay, submitted by the mentor, which best describes each student's fulfillment of the criteria. (As previously noted, Mentors can submit up to two nominations/essays per team).   Although a single mentor must submit the nomination, the team as a whole must verify the accuracy of the submission.   FIRST is relying upon the team for veracity and accuracy of the submission data.

Each entry shall be in the form attached which includes identifying information; i.e., the student’s cumulative GPA; and an essay of not more than 4,000 characters attesting to why the student has been nominated.  Essays must be submitted no later than Noon Eastern time on Thursday, February 21, 2013 to https://my.usfirst.org/tims/site.lasso. A photograph of the FIRST Dean’s List Semi-Finalist is encouraged, but optional, and the essay submission and such photos may be used, in promotion of the recipient and/or the award, at the discretion of FIRST.  Winners will be required to sign a FIRST media release to allow use of their likeness to sponsors contributing to the FIRST Dean’s List recognition program and will be responsible for any taxes associated with federal/state prize requirements.

If a team is attending more than one regional event, the mentor must select one event at which their nominations are to be considered. Each essay must clearly state the team name, the names and grade levels of the student(s) nominated, an explanation of why the students were nominated as well as the regional event at which the nomination is to be considered. Teams participating in Michigan and Mid-Atlantic Robotics Region District events must submit their nominees at the local Championship.

At each FRC regional event, Judges will select two (2) students from the FIRST Dean’s List Entrants/Nominees as FIRST Dean's List Finalists.  The two (2) Regional FIRST Dean’s List Finalists will be honored at the award ceremonies at that regional event.  Six (6) FIRST Dean’s List Finalists will be selected/honored at the Michigan FRC State Championship and four (4) selected/honored at the Mid-Atlantic Robotic FRC Region Championship.

All FIRST Dean's List Finalists will be considered for the FIRST Dean’s List at the FIRST Championship in St. Louis using the essays provided. Finalist candidates need not be present at the FIRST Championship in order to be considered.  Ten (10) Students will be selected as the FIRST Dean’s List Award Winners for the 2013 FRC season.

The ten (10) 2013 FIRST Dean’s List Award winners will receive the following:

• A unique trophy and public recognition at the 2013 FIRST Championship;
• a written recommendation from FIRST leadership to the college(s) or employer(s) of their choice;
• a credit towards the winning student’s team 2014 registration fee;
• a commemorative plaque for the student’s school Hall of Fame;
• an invitation for them, and a chaperone, to attend an expenses paid FIRST Dean’s List Award Summit, at FIRST Headquarters in Manchester, New Hampshire; and
• the opportunity to work with all members of the FIRST Dean's List and FIRST leaders to advance the mission of FIRST.

Each year FIRST presents this award to honor an organization or individual that has contributed significantly to the growth of FIRST.

This award recognizes the team that develops and implements an outstanding marketing strategy, complete with rationale for digital channels/devices to disseminate content.

The FRC Website Award was started in 2003 to recognize excellence in student designed, built and managed websites.  Given the new digital possibilities to spread the FIRST message, FRC has expanded the website award to include other digital media.  With the Media and Technology Innovation Award, students are encouraged to look beyond building a team website, taking into account the numerous ways people search for and consume content.  Students should think broadly, considering channels (traditional sites, mobile, apps), devices (smart phones, tablets), and content (social, rich, and viral* media).   Be Imaginative!

Develop a team marketing strategy complete with rationale for digital channels/devices to disseminate content.  Digital media still includes websites, but can and should be augmented with mobile apps for disseminating content including social, viral* and rich media.

*Viral media defined as low/zero budget and homemade content.  Professionally produced content will be disqualified.  Viral content is something that premiers and is spread person-to-person on the Internet. 

Submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by a Comcast designated judge panel. This is independent of current FIRST Program competition season judged awards.

At the 2013 Championship, the winner of the Media and Technology Innovation Award will be announced at the awards ceremony.

 Submission will be judged on the following criteria:

• Strategy
  • Target right audience with right message
  • Develop a clear strategy for choice of distribution channels and content creation
  • Must use at least two channels.  More channels are not necessarily better
• Overall Experience – Ensure content and channels fit together in look and feel
  • Are you promoting a positive impression of FIRST and its mission?
• Visual Design
  • Appealing
  • Easy to read
  • Visual fit with FIRST – Even though the team has its own identity, is it clear that this team is a part of FIRST?
• Navigation – Content organization and prioritization
  • Simple
  • Intuitive
• Content – Is information compelling and optimized for consumption.  More than just text.  (Think about using sound, video.)  Good content should be engaging, relevant, appropriate
  • Was original content created?
  • Content is kept up-to-date and refreshed
  • Action-oriented
  • Use of live links
  • Appropriately cited and not infringing on others’ trademarks or copyrights
• Functionality – Content loads quickly.  Works with multiple major browsers
  • Ease of use
  • Efficiency – Able to complete required tasks easily
  • Utility
• Engagement
  • Did your digital media engage an audience to find out more about your team or about FIRST?
  • How did you track the results?

Student submitters upload their PDF-formatted submission through the FIRST Student Team Information Members System (STIMS) (https://my.usfirst.org/stims/site.lasso).

Submissions are not to exceed two pages including graphics.  Submissions should include both strategy and any results that have been tracked (include web site traffic, # of friends and/or followers, likes, etc.).  This document should include applicable links, urls, and hashtags that provide access to the digital properties you created.  This  includes, but is not limited to, web and video sites, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, Pinterest boards, mobile apps, etc.

Submissions will open at Noon Eastern Time on Friday, March 1, 2013, and close at Noon Eastern Time on Friday, March 22, 2013. 

The Woodie Flowers Award celebrates effective communication in the art and science of engineering and design.  Dr. William Murphy founded this prestigious award in 1996 to recognize mentors who lead, inspire and empower using excellent communication skills. 

 Two subcategories are awarded:

• The Woodie Flowers Finalist Award (WFFA) is presented to one adult mentor at each Regional Competition or Region/State Championship.
• The Woodie Flowers Award (WFA) is presented to one WFFA winner at the FIRST Championship 

Each year, students may submit an essay nominating one mentor from their team to be considered for this award. FIRST will recognize one adult mentor at each regional or State/Region Championship to receive the WFFA.  If a team already has a mentor who has received the WFFA in a prior year, then that team may re-submit that mentor in the current year in addition to nominating a mentor for the WFFA if they wish.  The current year WFFA recipients, along with those mentors who received a WFFA in a prior year and have been re-nominated, will be judged to receive the WFA at the FRC Championship.

High school students on a FIRST Robotics Competition team may nominate one (1) adult team member as their Woodie Flowers Finalist Award (WFFA) candidate.  The students will describe how this mentor has given them the best understanding of the challenges, opportunities and satisfaction involved in the discipline of engineering and design. Professor Flowers will lead the past Championship Woodie Flowers Award (WFA) recipients as they judge and select the Finalists and the Championship recipient based on student essays.

This award recognizes an individual who has done an outstanding job of motivation through communication while also challenging the students to be clear and succinct in recognizing the value of communication. As such, it is very important that this be a student-led effort and a student decision. Team mentors should direct their students to the online entry site and let the high school students decide whom to nominate. Adults can help edit, but this must be a student-led effort, since any team mentor is eligible. Authors must be clearly identified as high school students in the online submission.

Regional WFFA (except District Event Teams) – Each team may nominate one adult member from their team to be judged at one Regional Event they are attending.  The adult mentor must be on the same team as the student.  Previous year WFFA recipients are not eligible to receive the current year WFFA.

Michigan State Championship WFFA (applies only to teams participating in Michigan District Events) - Each Michigan District team may nominate one adult member from their team at one District Event to be judged at the Michigan State Championship.  The adult mentor must be on the same team as the student.  Previous WFFA recipients are not eligible to receive the current year WFFA. One Regional WFFA recipient will be selected at the Michigan State Championship.

MAR Region Championship WFFA (applies only to teams participating in MAR District Events) - Each MAR District team may nominate one adult member from their team at either one District Event to be judged at the MAR Region Championship or at a Regional Event they are attending.   The adult mentor must be on the same team as the student.  Previous WFFA recipients are not eligible to receive the current year WFFA. One Regional WFFA recipient will be selected at the MAR Region Championship.

Please note that at each District Event, the Region/State Championship WFFA nominees nominated at that District Event will be called to the playing field to be recognized.

FIRST Championship WFA – All prior year Regional WFFA recipients are eligible to be re-nominated for the current FIRST Championship Woodie Flowers Award.  However, if a team has multiple prior Regional WFFA recipients, then the team may only re-nominate one of those previous recipients. The re-nomination can be made as soon as the online submission process begins.  All of the Regional WFFA recipients from the current year are automatically eligible to receive the current FIRST Championship Woodie Flowers Award. Teams that have submitted a previous year WFFA recipient for the current FIRST Championship WFA and have a current Regional WFFA recipient will be asked by the WFA committee which Regional WFFA recipient from their team will be their FIRST Championship WFA candidate. A person may not receive the WFA more than one time.

Two aspects of this award are important: (1) the accomplishments in communication by the mentor and (2) the student’s ability to communicate clearly and concisely through their

nomination.

A specific judging criterion is based upon the team’s description of how the mentor inspired each member of the team in some or all of the following ways:

• Level of student participation;
• Creativity of effort;
• Clear explanation of mathematical, scientific, and engineering concepts;
• Demonstration of enthusiasm for Science and Engineering;
• Encouragement to work on projects as a team effort;
• Inspiration to use problem-solving skills;
• Inspiration to become an effective communicator; and
• Motivation through communication.
   

Each FIRST team completes a product development cycle as it designs a concept, develops a prototype, and builds and debugs a unique machine. This requires teamwork, attention to detail, scheduling and hard work. The award-winning essay should answer this question; “How did the candidate inspire your team throughout this process?” If the essay best describes how this individual excels above all others as he or she inspires the team, then that mentor truly deserves to be recognized with the award that honors Professor Woodie Flowers and his contribution to engineering, education, and communication.

The students enter team and candidate information, reference information, and a maximum three thousand (3,000) character essay written in English. Teams may also add up to six (6) pictures, totaling no more than 1.0 Mb. of memory. This essay should be a team effort and will stand alone as the team’s entry to award their candidate the deserved recognition.

For students to re-nominate a past WFFA winner for the Championship WFA, they must write and submit a new 3,000 character essay.   

Teams may only submit their WFFA candidate at one Regional or District competition for judging.

The Woodie Flowers Award entries are due by Noon Eastern Time on Thursday, February 21, 2013.

Students enter their candidate through the FIRST Student Team Information Members System (STIMS) https://my.usfirst.org/stims/site.lasso.

Student nominators must follow the directions listed on the screen. As the student nominator fills out the required information, he/she will also choose their selected regional/district.

Student nominators can easily enter information, save it, and return to the site to edit their entry information until they are ready to submit it for judging. All entries will be final at Noon Eastern Time on Thursday, February 21, 2013.  No entries will be accepted or altered after this date.

Students will go to the website to enter information in the following fields:

Team Number

Candidate Information:

First Name, Middle Initial, Last Name

Address, City, State, zip code

Employer

Occupation

Position on team

High School Student Nominator’s information: (Student recommending candidate)

First Name, Last Name

Phone Number

High School

E-mail Address

Position on Team

Year in school (9th, 10th, 11th, 12th)

Adult Reference (On the same team)

First Name, Last Name

Phone Number

E-mail Address

Position on Team

Adult Reference (Any FIRST affiliation)

First Name, Last Name

Phone Number

E-mail Address

Regional / District Selection         (Team must attend this Regional / District)

Upload Pictures       (Up to 6, no more than 1.0 Mb total)

Essay (Character max: 3,000) - The students will see a quote from Dr. Murphy and/or Woodie about the value of concise and clear writing. Once candidates’ information and essays are submitted, they are sorted and posted on a private, password-protected site where only the Judges can read the entries.

Student nominators must submit a new 3,000 character (maximum) essay in order to re-nominate their previous year Regional WFFA recipient to be eligible for the current Championship WFA. Student nominators will not be able to edit the original submission. Past winners without a new essay will not be eligible for the WFA. While the judges can review past essays, the new essay must be able to stand alone as a complete submission. 

Each FIRST team may nominate/re-nominate a maximum of one (1) candidate for the 2013 FIRST Championship WFA.

This award celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit and recognizes a team which has developed a comprehensive business plan in order to define, manage and achieve the team’s objectives. This team displays entrepreneurial enthusiasm and the vital business skills to ensure a self-sustaining program.

A formal business plan must be completed and entered through the FIRST Student Team Information Members System (STIMS) https://my.usfirst.org/stims/site.lasso.

The Awards Submission section of STIMS will open for submissions at Noon Eastern Time on Thursday, November 8, 2012 and close for submissions at Noon Eastern Time on Thursday, February 21, 2013.

• A formal business plan is uploaded in PDF format into STIMS (https://my.usfirst.org/stims/site.lasso).
• The team has a clear concept or approach to building their team and functions as a complete unit.
• They assumed risks and were successful in managing that risk, dealing appropriately with adversity and unexpected events.
• They had a plan and executed it successfully.
• They understood the goals of the competition and the goals of FIRST.
• They demonstrated sustainability through, for example, succession and contingency planning.

Business Plan Template

The Executive Summary

The Executive Summary is your chance to tell a story and should be no longer than two pages.  It provides a concise overview of the plan along with a history of your team.  This section tells your reader where your team is and where you want to take it.  It’s the first thing your readers see, therefore it is the thing that will either grab their interest or make them want to keep reading or make them want to put it down and forget about it.  More than anything else, this section is important because it tells the reader why you think your business idea will be successful.

Contents of the Executive Summary:

• The Mission Statement – briefly explains the thrust of your business.  It could be two words, two sentences, a brief paragraph or a single image. It should be as direct and focused as possible, and it should leave the reader with a clear picture of what your business plan is all about.
• Date the team began
• Names of the founders and the functions they perform
• Number of team members
• Location of team and who are your sponsors
• What you do/services rendered
• Relationships and information regarding current sponsors
• Summary of team growth – what have done in the past leading up to this point.
• Summary of team’s future plans – what are your plans for growth in the next 12 months in the areas of sponsorship, team and community outreach (including helping FIRST grow)

With the exception of the Mission Statement, all of the information in the Executive Summary should be highlighted in a brief, even bulleted fashion.

Teams are eligible to win the Entrepreneurship Award at any event they participate in.

Every year, FIRST and Underwriter's Laboratories (UL) invites teams to submit a short animated film to promote team safety.

Your team is invited to participate in the 9^th annual FIRST Safety Animation Contest for FRC student team members.

The theme for 2013 is: “Make Event Safety A Top Priority”

STOP. THINK. ACT.  FRC teams practice safety throughout the FRC season. Now it’s time to spread the word to participants and spectators.  Your 2013 Safety Animation should demonstrate the ways FRC safety rules benefit everyone everywhere. 

Ideas for consideration include:

• Personal awareness of safety issues
• Personal Protective Equipment
• Safe utilization of hand and power tools
• Stored energy, Battery safety, Chemical safety
• Respect of Electricity
• Proper lifting practices
• Situational awareness

The FIRST Safety Manual, which contains the FRC safety rules that FRC teams live by, is available here http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/safety-video-and-manual

Animations should:

• Be no more than 40 seconds long including opening and credits
• Be submitted electronically as a region one .iso image of a DVD

Animations must be submitted by your team’s student award submitter in STIMS, https://my.usfirst.org/stims/site.lasso between Noon Eastern Time on Thursday, October 11, 2012 and closes Noon Eastern Time on Thurdsay, December 13, 2012. 

Submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by UL designated judge panel. This is independent of current FIRST Program competition season judged awards.

Animations must be submitted online by Noon Eastern Time on Thursday, December 13, 2012.