First, follow the rubric. Notice that there are no comments/questions/standards related to applicability of a particular team’s presentation as it relates to the theme of any given year. In other words, no, you will not be disqualified if your project is somehow deemed to be “not applicable”. That just isn’t something that we assess.

Bottom line: No, your team’s project and solution does not need to be related to a hobby. If your project problem and/or solution are related to art AND technology, your team will be just fine. Remember to think about being innovative, and read the rubric! If your team is passionate about a particular art and technology project, then by all means, carry on with that project.

“Have to”? No, your team doesn’t HAVE TO make a prototype. There are very few things that FLL teams HAVE TO do, and making a prototype isn’t one of them. But again, read your rubric. Under “CREATE – Team developed an original idea or built on an existing one with a prototype model/drawing to represent their solution” there is a standard for “ACCOMPLISHED”. Did the team provide a “Detailed model/drawing that helps to share the solution”? If your team wants to get higher marks from the judges, some sort of “prototype” is needed. So what constitutes a prototype? It really can be ANYTHING. A lego model, a drawing, a cheese sandwich, an app on a phone, literally anything that makes your solution idea “easier to share”. And if your solution idea doesn’t involve a THING, there are still materials you can bring in that help explain your solution idea, like maps, flow charts, storyboards, etc. Five minutes is a very short time, so think very carefully about what can be used to most quickly explain your solution ideas.

Teams should use the Innovation Project rubric like a checklist for what to include in their presentation. Presentations should be no longer than 5 minutes long.

No judging rooms in VA/DC FLL have any sort of projectors, computers, screens, monitors, electric power, etc, for teams to use. This is to ensure fairness to all teams across the state. If you need something for your presentation, then you need to take it in the room with you.

That being said, the VA/DC FLL Judges would like to officially discourage the extensive use of video, PowerPoint or any multimedia materials during your five-minute presentation. We want your kids to tell us themselves and personally what they did and what they learned. Very short videos are fine, but think very carefully about the timing and flow of the overall presentation.

To be clear, for the Masterpiece season, if your team’s project problem and/or solution involves video (which is clearly an art, and involves technology), that is 100 percent fine. Have fun, and make the very best of it. But consider very carefully what you will do for your five-minute project presentation to the judges, using the guidance above. If you want to show part or all of your video to the judges in the judging room, that is OK, but remember you only have five minutes to present to the judges. If you choose to use a majority of your time by showing a video, consider the rubric entries under “COMMUNICATE”. Is your five-minute presentation engaging? What will your team do while the video is playing? Look at the rest of the rubric. Will the judges be able to answer all of those questions just by watching your project video? In short, video for your project is 100 percent OK. Video for your project PRESENTATION is probably not ok.

Judges will not be able to read any materials or watch any videos after your judging sessions (or before). They also can not come to your pit area for follow-on discussions. They are very busy and have a lot to do before the final closing ceremonies. Also, to keep it fair to every team, your team’s judging performance will only be based on what is presented to them during your allotted judging time. If you have something important for the judges to know, then use your time to do that.

It is very important that teams and coaches continue to check out the “Challenge Updates” that are constantly getting refreshed throughout the season.

After consulting the Challenge Overview and Challenge Updates, many teams consult our ListServ with questions or reach out questions@va-dcfll.org .

– Skype with an Expert
– FIRST Mentor Network

– Discovery Virtual Field Trips
– Unicef Kid Power
– X-STEM All Access
– Girl Scouts – Citizen Scientist Resources!
– More Virtual Field Trip Ideas