Under strict rules and limited resources, teams of students are challenged to raise funds, design a team “brand,” hone teamwork skills, and build and program industrial-size robots to play a difficult field game against like-minded competitors. It’s as close to real-world engineering as a student can get.
FIRST invites luminaries from many fields to be Competition Judges. They serve as role models to the competitors by their actions and through frequent interactions with the competing FIRST teams while on site. Judges do not participate in referee decisions on the playing field. FIRST Judges are role models for the team members.
Judge Responsibility
When on-site, judges interview FIRST teams in the Pit Area, interview rooms as well as watch the competition on the playing field. Judges will receive instructions and trainings and will reconvene throughout the day to discuss teams and award winners. Click here to view more about the role description and information on judging
Time Commitment (FIRST Robotics Competition only)
- Pre-event training – reading materials supplied by Judge Advisor approximately 2 weeks before event
- Judge’s training dinner – night before the first day of the event at the venue.
- Due to the nature of the judging process, this two-day time commitment is essential. The Judge Panel starting time on both competition days is usually finalized at the evening dinner. Most Judge Advisors ask their Judge Panels to be on site and in the room by 7:30 a.m. on both days of the competition and stay until the end of the competition (anytime between 5-7pm)
*Must sign a Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Statement prior to start of service. This can be completed in the FIRST Volunteer Portal or in person at the venue.
Experience, Skills and Criteria
- FIRST experience not required
- Minimum suggested age: 23 (not be a student, including grad students) (FRC Only)
- Maximum of 4 Judges from one company per event
- Judges cannot judge at an event where their child is competing
- Judges must be separated from their team for 3 years AND cannot judge an event where their team is competing even if they are a non active mentor*
- Additional details for FIRST Robotics Competition here and for FIRST LEGO League here.
*Above criteria also applies to Judge Advisors
To Register as a Judge (FIRST Robotics Competition)
Step 1 - Register
Ontario event dates for 2019 will be posted in the fall. Stay tuned for more information!
Once the events are posted on the above link, logon to register to be judge at one of the following events happening in Ontario!
To see all event listings visit the event page at firstroboticscanada.org/events
Step 2 - Youth Protection Program
Step 3 - Training
It is important that Judges are available for the dinner and both days of the event. It is difficult to plan the judging schedule when judges are not available for the whole event.
To Register as a Judge (FIRST Tech Challenge)
Step 1 - Register
Here’s a video tutorial covering these steps in Step 1.
To see all event listings visit the event page at firstroboticscanada.org/events
Step 2 - Youth Protection Program
Step 3 - Training
The primary role of a Judge is to interview teams, and to decide which teams deserve an award based on team interviews, the robot, match play, and the engineering notebook. Judges are paired in groups of 2-3 to interview a set number of teams before the competition beginning as well as interviews in the pit area.
- Interview and observe teams in the judging rooms, the pit, and on the playing field.
- Participate on Judge panel to decide team award recipients.
- Minimum Age Requirement: Must be at least 21 years of age to serve in this role.
- Must be at least 3 years removed from a team to serve in this role
To Register as a Judge (FIRST LEGO League)
Step 1 - Register
Once the events are posted on the above link, logon to register to be judge at one of the following events happening in Ontario!
Here’s a video tutorial covering these steps in Step 1.
To see all event listings visit the event page at firstroboticscanada.org/events
Step 2 - Youth Protection Program
Step 3 - Training
You need to do FLL1 and FLL1C for general training/certification and then ONE of the other sets of training/certification based on what role you are assigned to for your event.
- FLL1 (General Judge Training) AND FLL1C (General Judge Certification)
AND (any one below)
- FLL2 (Core Values Judge Training) AND FLL2C (Core Values Judge Certification)
- FLL3 (Project Judge Training) AND FLL3C (Project Judge Certification)
- FLL4 (Robot Design Judge Training) AND FLL4C (Robot Judge Certification)
Click here to view a video tutorial on accessing Training
Note: Judges Training Information will only appear if you’ve passed through the YPP screening and then have been assigned as a judge.