Guide to Judging: Event Preparation and Execution

Last revised on June 30, 2025

Section 3: Event Preparation and Execution

Overview: Preparations for judging should be considered during the initial stages of event planning. The size of the event, the number of awards given out, the event agenda, and volunteer recruitment all impact the judging process. Coordination between the Event Partner, the Judge Advisor, and Judge volunteers is crucial for the judging process to operate smoothly and effectively.

In the case of tournaments, judging should conclude on the last day of competition. In the case of leagues, judging must occur close to the date of league finals. If remote judging is utilized, that process should take place as close to the final date of the event as possible to ensure that the teams and robots that Judges evaluate in initial interviews are as close as possible to what is brought to competition and observed by Judges in person.

Prior to Event – Tasks by Role

<JT1> Event Partner - Tasks Prior to the Event

• Recruit a qualified Judge Advisor and Judges for the event well in advance to ensure there are enough Judges to meet the needs of the event.
• Work with the REC Foundation RSM to ensure that all required awards are listed on RobotEvents.com, and corresponding trophies/certificates are procured.
• Ensure that there is a secure and quiet room with adequate space for the judging panel to deliberate (the Judges’ Room). Only the judging panel, REC Foundation staff, and specifically authorized volunteers for the event should have access to this room. It is recommended that this room be clearly labeled from the outside to prevent unauthorized entry, and that this room is separated from a general volunteer lounge.
• Know and understand the roles of the Judges and the Judge Advisor.
• Ensure that the judging panel has appropriate judging materials, including clipboards, pens, highlighters, sticky notes, copies of current judging documents such as rubrics and note-taking sheets, and other needed items. These documents cannot be modified or replaced with unofficial versions.

<JT2> Judge Advisor - Tasks Prior to the Event

• Pass the Judge Advisor Training & Certification Course for the current season prior to the start of judging for the event.
• Ensure that you have no or minimal conflicts of interest with teams attending the event.
• Review the awards to be offered at the event.
• Work with the Event Partner to ensure adequate Judges are recruited and confirm their attendance and skill sets.
• Manage any potential conflicts of interest that individual Judges may have with teams at the event.
• Train Judges either before the event or at the event to ensure that volunteers understand the judging process and how to perform the tasks they are assigned.
• Prepare a judging schedule based on the number of teams registered and the agenda for the event.
• Formulate a clear process for how Engineering Notebooks will be collected and judged.
• Confirm with the Event Partner that the judging panel will have all appropriate and current judging materials and documents, including team lists and match sheets from Tournament Manager.

<JT3> Judge - Tasks Prior to the Event

• Review the game video and game description to understand the fundamentals of the game that teams will be playing.
• Communicate any potential conflicts of interest with teams at the event to the Judge Advisor.
• Become familiar with the current judging materials including official judging documentation, rubrics, and award descriptions. Complete the Judge Training Course (highly encouraged but not required).

Event Day – Tasks by Role

<JT4> Event Partner - Event Day Tasks

• Ensure the judging panel has all needed materials and access to the secure Judges’ Room.
• Communicate any team or schedule changes to the Judge Advisor.
• Remember that Event Partners may not recommend or assign Judged Awards to any team or be involved in award deliberations. EPs may recommend or assign awards given to individuals, such as the Volunteer of the Year Award.
• Oversee the entering of awards into Tournament Manager and do a final check to ensure no team is being given more than one Judged Award. If a team was assigned multiple Judged Awards, the Event Partner should consult with the Judge Advisor to rectify the situation.

<JT5> Judge Advisor - Event Day Tasks

• Review the judging process with Judges prior to the start of the event and answer any questions they may have.
• Receive submitted Engineering Notebooks (if being submitted physically or digitally on the day of the event).
• Ensure Judges sign in on the Judge Volunteer Check-In Sheet.
• Train Judges either before the event or at the event to ensure they understand the judging process and how to perform the tasks they are assigned.
• Group Judges and assign each group a subset of teams to interview, managing potential conflicts of interest. This may be done prior to the event. Judges should not be placed in a position to interview or deliberate for teams with which they have a conflict.
• Assign Judges with pre-existing relationships to each other—or with similar backgrounds—to different Judge groups so that teams are interacting with Judges who have different perspectives and backgrounds. Note: the Judge Advisor should not participate in interviews as part of a judging group unless there is a dire need due to an unforeseen lack of personnel.
• Manage time and ensure judging groups are keeping pace to interview all teams within time constraints.
• Monitor Team Interview completions and the match schedule to ensure judging is completed in time.
• Collect Field Notes to Judge Advisor from event staff prior to final deliberations.
• Guide deliberations for Judged Awards.
• Ensure no team earns more than one Judged Award.
• Record the results of all Judged Awards and communicate the list of award winners to the Event Partner and/or Tournament Manager operator.
• Have the Tournament Manager operator print the award scripts for the award ceremony.
• Maintain confidentiality of judging deliberations and discussions. Teams should not receive any feedback from the Judges or Judge Advisor. Event Partners should only receive specific information discussed by Judges if it directly relates to Code of Conduct violations reported by the judging panel.
• Collect all judging materials to ensure confidentiality. After the event, these materials should be destroyed.
• Ensure the process for returning all Engineering Notebooks to teams is completed, if applicable.

<JT6> Judge - Event Day Tasks

• Conduct one or more tasks depending on the needs at the event, including:
  • Evaluate Engineering Notebooks using the Engineering Notebook Rubric.
  • Interview teams and evaluate using the Team Interview Rubric.
  • Observe teams in competition.
  • Present awards to teams during the award ceremony.
• Communicate any potential conflicts of interest with attending teams to the Judge Advisor.
• Deliberate with other Judges under the direction of the Judge Advisor to assign award winners following the guidelines in the official judging documentation.
• Hand in all judging notes and rubrics to the Judge Advisor.
• Maintain confidentiality of any judging deliberations and discussions. Teams should not receive any feedback from Judges aside from positive encouragement and thanks at the end of their interview.

Note: If remote judging is conducted, Engineering Notebook evaluations and/or initial Team Interviews are completed prior to the event. See Section 8: Remote Judging for more details.

In-Person Event Timeline Example

The table below is an example of how the in-person judging process might operate in parallel with the rest of the competition schedule during a typical one-day event. Events may operate under different time constraints and as such may not follow this exact sequence. In general, it is advised that Judges begin to interview teams as soon as possible, with a goal of completing all initial interviews in the morning. Engineering Notebook evaluations and followup interviews should be concluded by the end of Qualification Matches at the latest. No part of the judging process is contingent on Finals / Elimination Match performance. All award winners should be determined before the start of finals.

Continue to the next section, Guide to Judging: Awards