FIRST  Awards

The FIRST ^TM organization is about far more than building the best robot. It is about how you get there, and the people who help you. To recognize this, FIRST has created many different awards reflecting and representing the organization's many facets. These awards include:

Chairman's Award
The Chairman's Award is the most prestigious award offered by FIRST. It honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST. The award helps keep the central focus of the FIRST Robotics Competition on the goal of inspiring greater levels of respect and honor for science and technology.This award is given to the team that best portrays the message of FIRST: changing the way young people regard science and technology. The teams that submit their Chairman's presentations understand that FIRST is not just about the competition on the field, but also about the way people participating in FIRST impact others by living its mission.

Woodie Flowers Award
The Woodie Flowers Award is an award given to a mentor on a FIRST team. This mentor is nominated by students as an individual who inspires them on a daily basis. Nominated mentors are men and women who use their skills to teach students how to apply their talents in science, technology, math, and creative design. The Woodie Flowers Award celebrates effective communication in the teaching of these skills. Dr. William Murphy founded this award in 1996 to recognize mentors who lead, inspire, and empower using excellent communication skills.

Website Award
The Website Award is an award that recognizes the achievements of a website designed and built by students. The Website Award has two divisions: Website Excellence and Best Website. The Website Excellence award is given to all teams who meet the criteria of a good and effective website (which is a score of 80% on the Website Award criteria) . The Best Website award is given to the team who has the best website at a FIRST competition.

Engineering Inspiration Award
The Engineering Inspiration Award recognizes a team's school and community for advancing the awareness, respect, and appreciation for science and technology.

Coopertition^TM Award
The Coopertition^TM Award is a newer award in FIRST. This award is given to a team that helps everyone in need, whether they are allies or competitors. The team that wins this award is chosen through Coopertition Bonus Points earned by displaying the spirit of coopertition during a competition. The team with the most points wins the award.

Entrepreneurship Award
The Entrepreneurship Award is an award given to the team that has established a successful business plan, which is designed to expand the team and achieve goals.

Gracious Professionalism Award
The Gracious Professionalism Award recognizes the team that illustrates sportsmanship towards all participants during competition both on and off the field.

Judge's Award
The Judge's Award is an award that distinguishes a team that the judging panel feels has exceptional efforts and performance that deserves recognition outside the criteria of any other award.

For more information about these and other FIRST awards, please read the Awards section of the FIRST manual.