Behind every successful robotics event is a dedicated Judge Advisor guiding volunteers and helping recognize the best teams for their effort, innovation, and teamwork.

Updated July 2026 - all links below point to the Global Robotics & Science Foundation's current judging library and the 2026-2027 season resources.

What Is a Judge Advisor?

The Judge Advisor (JA) is a key leadership volunteer role at every VEX Robotics event. The JA manages the entire judging process - from organizing team interviews and Engineering Notebook reviews to guiding volunteer judges through award deliberations. Their work ensures that all awards are presented fairly, consistently, and in alignment with the Global Robotics & Science Foundation's official guidelines.

Judge Advisors must be at least 21, certified, and free of conflicts of interest. Judges have their own age requirements by program: 18+ for VEX IQ, 20+ for V5, and 21+ for VEX U and VEX AI (16-17 year olds may judge VEX IQ when paired with an adult judge). Larger events often add Assistant Judge Advisors to keep interviews and deliberations moving.

JAs don't just hand out trophies - they help shape how students experience recognition and feedback throughout their STEM journey.

Official Resources 📘

The Global Robotics & Science Foundation maintains the authoritative judging resources:

  • The Judging Library - The official home of all judging content. There is no separate printable "Judge Guide" this season - this web-based library is the guide, and it's updated in place, so bookmark it and re-read it before every event.
  • Judge Advisor Certification / Judge Training Courses - How to access the certification courses (hosted at training.recf.org, login required). Certification is required for Judge Advisors and recommended for judges.
  • Official Q&A: Judging (2026-2027) - Ask the Competition Judging Committee questions about judging and awards. Their answers are as official and binding as the judging library itself. (Note: the Q&A moved from robotevents.com to events.vex.com.)

📚 The Judging Library, Article by Article

The library's Judges category is organized into four sections. These eleven articles cover every aspect of the judging process:

Being a Judge

Engineering Notebooks

  • Judging Engineering Notebooks - What judges look for: the engineering design process and student ownership, not aesthetics. Notebooks are categorized as "Developing" or "Fully Developed" - and only Fully Developed notebooks are eligible for major awards.
  • Engineering Notebook Rubrics - Download the official rubric plus a student-friendly version, each in Letter and A4 sizes.

Team Interviews

  • Judging Team Interviews - Running fair 10-15 minute initial interviews, interviewing students (not adults), and using the rubric as a sorting tool - not an automatic award calculator.
  • Team Interview Rubrics - Download the official Team Interview Rubric plus a student-friendly practice version, each in Letter and A4 sizes.

Awards

  • Awards and Recognition Structure - The four award categories (Performance, Judged, Nominated, Recognition), what qualifying events must offer, and eligibility rules.
  • Award Descriptions - Every award's intent and key criteria, including Excellence Award eligibility (top 40% across ranking categories).
  • Judging Deliberations - Building nomination lists, using Tournament Manager reports (including the Excellence Award Eligibility report), and securing or destroying all judging materials after the event.

There's also a Glossary that defines the judging terms used across all of these articles.

Key Rules Every JA Should Know 📋

A few load-bearing rules from the current library that come up at every event:

  • Every team is interviewed, and all judging is completed before Finals - award decisions are based only on information available beforehand.
  • No team may receive more than one Judged Award at an event (Performance and Nominated awards are separate).
  • Qualifying events must offer the Excellence, Design, and Judges Awards at minimum.
  • The Excellence Award requires eligibility in the top 40% of ranking categories - use Tournament Manager's Excellence Award Eligibility report during deliberations.
  • Rubrics sort, they don't decide - deliberations weigh the complete picture of each team.
  • After the event, all judging materials - notes, rubrics, ranking sheets - are confidential and must be destroyed.

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. 🚀