FIRST^® Community News & Updates
March 27, 2020

FIRST Virtual Showcase presented by Qualcomm

• Last Friday, we sent a save the date to participate in the FIRST Virtual Showcase presented by Qualcomm, on May 2. As part of this event, we will be creating videos and content to recognize the accomplishments of teams in our global robotics community during the FIRST^® RISE^℠ powered by Star Wars: Force for Change.
  
  Now through May 2, share how your team is a Force for Change, as well as your team’s favorite moments during the FIRST RISE season, on Twitter and Instagram using #FIRSTFFC. We’ll be collecting your favorite moments, stories, monumental breakthroughs, and team accomplishments on FIRST RISE Rewind. Follow along as we compile these posts from our community around the world, honoring your hard work and achievements throughout the year. Together, we RISE.
  
• FIRST^® Tech Challenge Promote & Compass Awards
  FIRST Tech Challenge is excited to open the Promote and Compass award submissions to all registered FIRST Tech Challenge teams. Any FIRST Tech Challenge team who created a Compass or Promote video during their season can submit it to FIRST HQ by April 10. (See video specifications listed in Game Manual Part 1.) Videos will be reviewed by FIRST and winners will be announced at the FIRST Virtual Showcase. Detailed instructions coming soon in the FIRST Tech Challenge team blast.

FIRST^® Robotics Competition Chairman's Award
FIRST Robotics Competition is committed to recognizing the impact that teams have had on the community. For that reason, the Chairman’s Award will be selected and presented for all Regional and District events that have been suspended. Recognizing our Chairman’s Award winners in the short term has no impact on decisions regarding the suspended events in the long term.

• Given that the safety and health of our participants is our number one priority, FIRST will select winners based solely on submitted essays.

• Since the 2020 FIRST Championship has been canceled, FIRST Championship Chairman’s Award Winners will not be selected for the 2020 season. Decisions about advancement to the 2021 FIRST Championship will be made later.

• Additional details can be found in the FIRST Robotics Competition team blast, which will be sent later today and archived here.

FIRST^® LEGO^® League Global Innovation Award
This year's FIRST LEGO League Global Innovation Award presented by Disney is moving forward, and will shift to a virtual platform to judge and honor the 20 Semi-Finalist Global Innovation Award teams. A new date will be shared in the coming weeks so you can tune-in and recognize how FIRST empowers young people to be catalysts for change.

The virtual judging of nominated teams from around the world is already underway, supported by expert judges from Global Innovation Award Partners in Innovation Booz Allen Hamilton and LEGO Education; Global Innovation Award Collaborators John Deere, Collins Aerospace, and Qualcomm; and in cooperation with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.