VEX Robotics Judge Advisor Resources ⚖️
Behind every successful robotics event is a dedicated Judge Advisor guiding volunteers and helping recognize the best teams for their effort, innovation, and teamwork.
What Is a Judge Advisor?
The Judge Advisor (JA) is a key leadership volunteer role in every VEX Robotics event. The JA oversees the entire judging process - from organizing interviews and notebook reviews to guiding volunteer judges through awards deliberation. Their work ensures that all awards are presented fairly, consistently, and in alignment with the REC Foundation’s official guidelines.
JAs don’t just hand out trophies - they help shape how students experience recognition and feedback throughout their STEM journey.
Official Resources 📘
The REC Foundation provides several official resources and certifications to support Judge Advisors at all levels of competition:
- Judge Advisor Certification Course - An online course that covers the judging philosophy, process, and award structure for both VEX IQ and VEX V5 competitions.
- Judge Q&A (2025–2026 Season) - For questions related to the official judging of awards.
- Judge Guide (2025–2026 Season) - The definitive reference for the judging process, including rubrics, interview questions, and award descriptions. Printable version
- VEX Coach, Event Partner, and Volunteer Training Webinars
📚 Guide to Judging Series
These official articles from the REC Foundation Knowledge Base break down every aspect of the judging process:
- Guide to Judging: Introduction and Terms
- Guide to Judging: Judging Principles
- Guide to Judging: Judging Roles
- Guide to Judging: Event Preparation and Execution
- Guide to Judging: Awards
- Guide to Judging: Judging Engineering Notebooks
- Guide to Judging: Team Interviews
- Guide to Judging: Award Deliberations
- Guide to Judging: Remote Judging
- Guide to Judging: Judged Awards Appendix
These materials are updated each season, and all Judge Advisors should review them before every event to stay aligned with current expectations.
Tools & Resources 📋
Here are a few optional tools that can make your judging team more effective:
- Engineering Notebook Rubric - The official VEX Robotics engineering rubric.
- Team Interview Rubric - The official VEX Robotics team interview rubric.
- Team Interview Notes - Use this sheet to take notes during each team interview.
- Team Interview Tips and Sample Questions
- Single-Page Outline of the Judging Process
- Judging Single-Page Reference Sheet
- Initial Award Candidate Ranking Sheet
- Final Award Nominee Ranking Sheet
- Award Descriptions for Judges Room - This PDF contains award descriptions and lists key criteria for each award; useful for guiding judges’ deliberations.
- Excellence Award Criteria Checklist - Use the Excellence Award report to verify team eligibility for the Excellence Award.
- Judge Volunteer Check-In Sheet - Use this sheet to check in judge volunteers during the tournament.
- Volunteer Field Note to Judge Advisor
- Innovate Award Submission Information Form - The form that teams fill out for the Innovate Award submission at each tournament.
- Why Don’t Teams Get Feedback from Judges? - A visual guide for moving from rubric results to award decisions (available in the official Judge Guide).
Learn, Share, and Connect 🤝
The Judge Advisor community grows stronger through shared experience. If you’d like to shadow another JA, join an online workshop, or help train new judges, let us know - gainingSTEAM helps connect volunteers with opportunities to grow and make an impact.
Get Involved
Interested in becoming a Judge Advisor or supporting judging at an event?
👉 Visit gainingSTEAM.net
👉 Email [email protected]
Together, we can build a culture of recognition that inspires the next generation of innovators. 🚀