Tournament Tips: Preparing for Your Judging Session

As your FIRST^® LEGO^® League tournament approaches, it’s time to prepare for your team’s judging session. In this 30-minute session, you’ll share your Innovation Project, Robot Design, and teamwork while showcasing what you’ve achieved and the challenges you have overcome. Here are some tips to help your team get judging session ready: 

1. Make a Packing List. There will be a lot to do and remember on tournament day, and you’ll need different materials for the judging session than for your Robot Game matches. Create a checklist of everything you need to bring to the judging room — your robot, attachments, project materials (like a poster, model, or prototype), and anything else you plan to show the judges. Assign each team member an item to carry and double-check your list when leaving the judging room to ensure nothing is left behind. 
2. Practice Your Presentations. You’ll have a limited amount of time to share  all your team has been working on since the season began with the judges. While judges will help guide the session flow, use the Judging Session Flowchart to practice staying within the time limits. Set a timer and plan which team members will share during each part. Everyone should contribute in some way, even if not everyone speaks. 
3. Have an Offline Backup Plan. Judging rooms may not have internet or power outlets, so ensure your presentation materials are accessible offline. Download slides, save pictures to your device, or print paper copies to show the judges. If technology doesn’t cooperate, don’t panic — explain or describe your work as best you can to keep the presentation moving. 
4. Read the Rubrics Carefully. The rubrics are your roadmap to success! Take time to review them as a team and use them when planning your presentations. Each area of the rubric emphasizes the progress your team has made, rather than focusing solely on final products or outcomes. Use your presentations to help judges understand the steps your team took to reach your goals, from brainstorming ideas to testing solutions. This approach allows judges to see the full scope of your work. 
5. Explain with Examples. Condensing weeks or months of work into short presentations can be challenging! Try to be as specific as possible to help judges understand your process and the creativity you used. Show your robot’s attachments and programming and explain how you decided which missions to tackle. Share drawings or models of your project  and describe how it could make an impact. Highlight how each team member contributed to these efforts.
6.  Practice Answering Questions. Judges will ask questions about your project, robot, and teamwork to learn more about your journey. Review your Engineering Notebooks and brainstorm potential questions as a team. Practicing answers will help everyone feel more confident when speaking on the spot. 
7. Celebrate Big and Small Successes. Judges are interested in hearing about all aspects of your progress — whether you achieved everything you set out to do or made strides in just one area. Celebrate how far you’ve come, and don’t underestimate the value of small successes. Every step of your journey matters! 
8. Be Open About Challenges and Failures. It’s natural to want to highlight your successes, but don’t shy away from sharing challenges and failures too. Judges value hearing about obstacles your team faced, how you worked together to solve problems, and what you learned. These stories demonstrate resilience, creativity, and teamwork—all key aspects of FIRST LEGO League. 
9.  Highlight Core Values. Core Values are embedded in the rubrics, marked with gear-shaped checkboxes that count toward both Core Values scoring and the related rubric area. Review these checkboxes and make connections to Core Values. Share examples of how Core Values guided your efforts in achieving specific goals. 

Each event will look slightly different, so reach out to your tournament organizer if you have questions about what to expect at the event. By preparing ahead of time, your team can approach the judging session with confidence. Remember, judges are excited to celebrate your journey, and the results are just one part of your overall experience. The outcome will be a celebration of everything you’ve learned as a team. 

Good luck- we can’t wait to hear about all you have achieved!