Coaches: Want to Learn More About Judging: Try Remote Judging at an FTC Event.

[Emily Nicole]

One of the best ways to grow as a FIRST® Tech Challenge coach is to see the program from the other side of the table — and you can do it without traveling.

We’re encouraging coaches — especially from outside South Texas — to consider serving as remote judges for the South Texas Regional Championship.

When you participate in remote judging, you get to:
🔍 See how teams from other regions approach engineering notebooks, outreach, and design strategy
🧠 Better understand how judging panels evaluate awards and technical depth
💡 Learn what differentiates strong interviews, documentation, and engineering processes
🌎 Gain perspective on how other regions interpret and execute the program
🤝 Connect with volunteers and coaches across Texas

Many experienced coaches say judging helped them:
✔ Improve how they prepare students for interviews
✔ Strengthen engineering documentation expectations
✔ Better align with FIRST Core Values and award criteria
✔ Bring new ideas back to their teams

📅 South Texas Regional Championship — Remote Judging Only
💻 Remote Judging Dates: February 17–18

👉 Volunteer / Judge Sign Up:
https://my.firstinspires.org/Volunteers/Wizard/Search/2?EventId=78799

✨ No judging experience required
✨ Training and support provided
✨ Participate from home or work

Even volunteering once can give you insight that directly benefits your team for seasons to come.

If you’ve ever been curious about how judging works behind the scenes, this is a great place to start.