Judging Format

2024-2025 Nebraska FIRST LEGO League Judging Format 

Judging Session Layout 

Teams can expect to run through the judging outline that is listed below. Judges will keep track of the time during the session. Two to three judges will be in your session together as one judging panel. Teams should plan on talking to all judges during the judging session. 

What to Bring 

• Innovation Project- Any prop(s) or item(s) needed for the team presentation. 
• Innovation Project-Any material that can support or document the project. Examples: Citation page, prototype, interview notes, drawings, etc. Teams can take all this material and create a project notebook that can be used during the presentation and for Q&A. 
• Robot Design- robot and all attachments, printouts of code, Engineering Notebook, etc. 
  • Team Information Handout 
  • The Team Information Handout will be the only item to remain with the judges.  
  • Please supply three handouts. 
  • Template will be provided, no more than four pages. 

Core Values 

Core Values will be observed through the team’s Innovation Project and Robot Design presentations and live Q&A interviews. Referees will evaluate Gracious Professionalism for every team at each one of their matches and share with the judges. Team members should be demonstrating the Core Values in everything they do.  

NEW: The Core Values criteria are now included within the Innovation Project and Robot Design rubrics.  

• Reminder: Teams will NOT be leaving notebooks or folders with the judging panel. If your team has built a Core Values notebook in the past, you can continue to do so but note that any information from the notebook will need to be shared throughout your presentation. 
• Note: For the robot game portion, teams will begin with a score of (3)-Accomplished. If a referee observes behavior that is above and beyond what is expected, they will score the team’s Gracious Professionalism as (4)-Exceeds. Equally, if a team’s behavior shows that their Gracious Professionalism is still evolving, they will be scored as (2)-Developing. 

Innovation Project (Session: 10 minutes) 

Live Presentation (up to 5 minutes): Each team will have up to 5 minutes for their Innovation Project presentation. Going over the time limit is a common mistake. Some judges may interrupt the team and stop the presentation at 5 minutes while others may shorten the question time afterward to compensate.  

NEW: Teams will NOT be leaving notebooks or folders with the judging panel. If your team has built an Innovation Project notebook in the past, you can continue to do so but note that any information from the notebook will need to be shared throughout your presentation. Consider putting tabs in your notebook so you can easily pull information for the presentation or when asked questions. 

Format Options: The team’s presentation may include posters, models, multimedia clips, skits, props, costumes and more! Creativity in the presentation is engaging but covering all the essential information is even more important. 

Questions and Answers (up to 5 minutes): Judges will ask questions based on the team presentation, material, and rubric. Judges may ask questions as a whole or may direct questions to individual team members to encourage team participation.  

NOTE: The Championship will not offer projectors and screens for the Innovation Project judging session. Teams may bring a device such as a laptop/notebook/phone for the judges to view as they move along with the presentation.  

Presentation Requirements: 

• Teams must present live unless approved under special circumstances. Teams can use technology to enhance their presentation but not rely on a recorded video to present the material. 
• Include all team members. Each team member must take part in the Innovation Project judging session. 
• Teams are not required to memorize speaking parts. TIP: Consider using speech cards if the team is unable to memorize lines. Index cards or speaking parts glued on black cardstock are less distracting than notebook paper. 

Tips- 

• Review the rubric. Ask the team, are you answering every section of the rubric so your judges panel can define which box to check? 
• Practice the presentation multiple times prior to the event to ensure the team is staying under the 5-minute mark.  
• Practice setting up prop’s multiple times prior to the event. 
• The Innovation Project judging session is a great way to showcase your team’s Core Values! Think about how Core Values can be incorporated into the judging session.  

Robot Design Judging (Session: 10 minutes) 

Explanation (up to 5 minutes): Teams should prepare a short presentation that clearly explains the process the team used to create the robot and programs and how they work. Each team member should be involved in the presentation. 

Reminder: There will be a modified one-page Robot Design Executive Summary (RDES) worksheet that will be included with your Team Information Sheet. 

Tips- 

• Review the rubric. Ask the team, are you answering every section of the rubric so your judges’ panel can select which box to check? Instead of using a RDES as your outline to build your presentation, utilize the rubric. 
  • Identify: Team determined which missions to attempt, explored building and coding resources, and sought guidance as needed. 
  • Design: Team members worked collaboratively on their designs and developed the building and coding skills needed. 
  • Create: Team developed original designs or improved on existing ones according to their mission strategy. 
  • Iterate: Team repeatedly tested their robot and code to identify areas for improvement and incorporated the findings into their solutions. 
  • Communicate: Team effectively explained what they learned from the robot design process and celebrated their progress. 
• Practice the presentation multiple times prior to the event to ensure the team is staying under the 5-minute mark.  
• Practice setting up prop’s multiple times prior to the event. Be able to pull from any part of your notebook to help answer questions that may arise during the Q&A portion of judging. 
• Teams are not required to memorize speaking parts. TIP: Consider using speech cards if the team is unable to memorize lines. Index cards or speaking parts glued on black cardstock are less distracting than notebook paper. 

Questions and Answers (up to 5 minutes): Judges will ask questions about the mechanical design and the programs the team wrote. Judges will want to hear about any innovative techniques or strategies the team came up with to solve problems and to complete Missions. Through questions Judges will ensure that the youth complete and understand all work associated with building their robot. Judges may ask questions as a whole or may direct questions to individual team members to encourage team participation. 

Note: The Championship will not have the robot game table in the judging room. Teams can bring in their own graphic of the game table. 

Reminder: Teams will NOT be leaving notebooks or folders with the judging panel. If your team has built an Engineering Notebook in the past, you can continue to do so, but note that any information from the notebook will need to be shared throughout your presentation. Consider putting tabs in your notebook so you can easily pull information for the presentation or when asked questions.