How does one qualify for the national tournament?
Unlike the regionals, only certain teams can go to the national competition. In order to go, a team can either be awarded a spot by FIRST or can qualify in various ways. Teams that win a national Chairman’s Award (no easy feat!), the seven remaining teams that registered in or before 1992, the national winners of the previous year’s competition, and the team that won the Engineering Inspiration Award, an award given for advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within the local community, at nationals the previous year are automatically given a spot at nationals. Teams who do not fall under these fields can qualify by winning a Chairman’s Award at a regional, winning an Engineering Inspiration Award at a regional, winning a Rookie All-Star Award at a regional, and winning a regional competition. Teams who do not qualify in these ways can still attend the national competition using the “Tier system.” Under the tier system, teams in certain brackets (or “tiers”) are offered a ch
