Recognition
Awards
Our achievements by season. Hover each award to learn what it represents.
2025–2026
Decode
Sustain Award
The Sustain Award recognizes teams that demonstrate long-term growth, stability, and sustained impact within the FIRST community. It celebrates teams that build strong team structures, maintain continuity across seasons, and create lasting contributions through outreach and mentorship.
Winning Alliance
This recognition indicates that our team was selected as the first partner on an alliance that won the tournament. Being chosen as the first alliance partner reflects strong robot performance, reliability, and strategic contribution during elimination matches..
FIRST® Leadership Award Semi-Finalist
The FIRST® Leadership Award recognizes students who demonstrate outstanding leadership, initiative, and commitment to their team and the FIRST community. During the 2025–2026 season, two students from our team were recognized as FIRST Leadership Award Semi-Finalists for their leadership and impact within the team and broader STEM community.
2024–2025
Into the Deep
Connect Award
The Connect Award recognizes teams that actively engage with the STEM community and develop relationships with engineers, mentors, and industry professionals. It celebrates teams that connect the values of FIRST with real-world engineering and demonstrate meaningful outreach and collaboration.
2023–2024
Centerstage
Motivate Award
The Motivate Award celebrates teams that actively promote the mission of FIRST through outreach, community engagement, and collaboration with other teams. It recognizes teams that inspire others to participate in STEM and expand the impact of FIRST within their communities.
2022–2023
Power Play
Motivate Award
The Motivate Award celebrates teams that actively promote the mission of FIRST through outreach, community engagement, and collaboration with other teams. It recognizes efforts to inspire others to participate in STEM and expand the impact of the FIRST community.
Think Award
The Think Award recognizes teams that clearly document and communicate their engineering design process. Teams earning this award demonstrate strong technical reasoning, problem-solving, and organized documentation showing how their robot evolves through testing and iteration.
2021–2022
Freight Frenzy
Dean’s List Semi-Finalist
The Dean’s List Award recognizes exceptional student leaders who embody the spirit of FIRST through leadership, technical contribution, and dedication to their team and community. During the 2021–2022 season, a student from our team was recognized as a Dean’s List Semi-Finalist for their impact and commitment to STEM.
Finalist Alliance
As an alliance captain, our team ranked highly during qualification matches and led an alliance during the elimination rounds. The alliance advanced to the final matches, demonstrating strong robot performance, strategic play, and leadership in alliance selection.
Innovate Award (Sponsored by Raytheon Technologies)
The Innovate Award celebrates teams that demonstrate creativity and engineering innovation in robot design. Teams earning this award develop unique mechanisms or systems and clearly document their engineering design process from concept through testing and iteration.
Inspire Award
The Inspire Award is the highest honor in FIRST Tech Challenge and recognizes teams that best represent the ideals of FIRST. Teams receiving this award demonstrate excellence in robot design, engineering documentation, outreach, teamwork, and community impact.
Motivate Award
The Motivate Award celebrates teams that actively promote the mission of FIRST through outreach, community engagement, and collaboration with other teams. It recognizes efforts to spread STEM awareness and inspire others to participate in robotics.
Think Award
The Think Award recognizes teams that effectively document and communicate their engineering design process. Teams earning this award demonstrate strong problem-solving, technical reasoning, and clear documentation of how their robot evolves through iteration.
Finalist Alliance
This recognition indicates that the team was selected as the second robot on an elimination alliance that advanced to the final round of the tournament. Alliance selection reflects strong robot performance, reliability, and strategic contribution during competition matches.
2020–2021
Ultimate Goal
Connect Award
The Connect Award recognizes teams that actively engage with the STEM community and develop relationships with engineers, mentors, and industry professionals. It celebrates teams that connect FIRST values to real-world engineering and demonstrate strong outreach and collaboration.
Control Award (Sponsored by Arm, Inc.)
The Control Award celebrates teams that demonstrate innovative and effective use of sensors, software, and control systems. Teams earning this award showcase advanced programming, autonomous routines, and well-documented control systems that enhance robot performance.
Dean's List Semi-Finalists
The Dean’s List Award recognizes exceptional student leaders whose passion for STEM and FIRST inspires their team and community. During the 2020–2021 season, two students from our team were recognized as Dean’s List Semi-Finalists for their leadership, technical contributions, and dedication to advancing FIRST values.
Design Award
The Design Award celebrates teams that demonstrate a strong engineering design process and a well-organized approach to robot development. It recognizes thoughtful planning, detailed documentation, and clear engineering decisions that lead to effective robot design.
Think Award
The Think Award recognizes teams that effectively document their engineering journey and demonstrate a clear understanding of the engineering design process. Teams earning this award show strong technical reasoning, problem-solving, and organized engineering documentation.
Top Ranked
This recognition indicates that the team finished the qualification matches ranked second overall based on match performance. Ranking reflects consistent robot performance, scoring ability, and effective alliance collaboration during competition.
2019–2020
Skystone
Collins Aerospace Innovate Award
The Collins Aerospace Innovate Award recognizes a team that demonstrates creativity and innovation in robot design. Teams earning this award develop unique mechanisms or systems and document their engineering design process, showing how ideas evolve through testing and iteration.
Finalist Alliance Partner
This recognition indicates that the team was selected as the second robot on an elimination alliance that advanced to the final round of the tournament. Alliance selection reflects strong robot performance, reliability, and strategic contribution during competition matches.