The Innovate Award recognizes an effective and well documented design process for a novel aspect of the team’s robot design or gameplay strategy. The submission of an Engineering Notebook is a requirement for the Innovate Award. The team must indicate to Judges where this aspect can be found in their Engineering Notebook via the Innovate Award Submission Information Form, placed within their Engineering Notebook. Teams can only submit a single aspect for consideration at an event. The team who earns the Innovate Award should be among the top contenders for the Design Award.
Key criteria of the Innovate Award are:
Teams identify a specific section or specific pages in their notebook covering the origin and development of a single design element, strategy, or other attribute that is a key part of their team’s robot design or gameplay that is in use at the event.
This design element, strategy, or other attribute is unique or uncommon among Innovate Award submissions at the event.
The development of this design element, strategy, or other attribute is well-documented from initial conception through execution.
Engineering Notebook is Fully Developed, and demonstrates a clear, complete, and organized record of the Engineering Design Process.
The Engineering Notebook is consistent with the qualities demonstrated in the team interview and robot design.
Both the Team Interview and Engineering Notebook demonstrate independent inquiry from the beginning stages of their design process through execution.
Team demonstrates effective management of time, personnel, and resources.
Team Interview demonstrates their ability to explain their robot design and game strategy.
Team Interview demonstrates effective communication skills, teamwork, professionalism, and a student-centered ethos.
Note: Submissions for the Innovate Award must be done using the Innovate Award Submission Information Form or an exact recreation of that form, including all questions, answers, and all other form information. This can be included by the team in one of two places:
Immediately after the cover page of the team’s Engineering Notebook. In the case of physical notebooks, this form can be printed out and placed in the notebook. For digital notebooks, this form can be scanned in and included.
In a clearly labeled section in their Engineering Notebook. In this instance, teams should take care to date all entries and arrange them chronologically, fully filling out the information required on the Innovate Award Submission Form. Judges are to only consider the entry in this section that aligns with the event name / date.
Note: The intent of this award is to emphasize design aspects that are unique, novel, and creative, in addition to being well documented and in use at the event for which the design aspect was submitted. Design aspects that are commonplace, basic or not in use at the event, will not be considered.