Award and Description

Connecting the dots between community, FIRST, and the diversity of the engineering world.
This judged award is given to the team that most connects with their local STEM community. A true FIRST team is more than a sum of its parts, and recognizes that engaging their local STEM community plays an essential part in their success. The recipient of this award is recognized for helping the community understand FIRST, the FIRST Tech Challenge, and the team itself. The team that wins the Connect Award aggressively seeks engineers and explores the opportunities available in the world of engineering, science and technology. This team has a clear Business or Strategic Plan and has identified steps to achieve their goals.

Criteria

Required criteria for the Connect Award:
• Team must demonstrate respect and Gracious Professionalism® toward everyone they encounter at an FIRST Tech Challenge event.
• An Engineering Notebook must be submitted and must include a Business or Strategic plan that identifies their future goals and the steps they will take to reach those goals. The plan could include fundraising goals, sustainability goals, timelines, outreach, and community service goals.
• Team provides clear examples of developing in person or virtual connections with the engineering, science, or technology community.
• Team actively engages with the engineering community to help them understand FIRST, the FIRST Tech Challenge, and the team itself.