The Ultimate Guide to Engineering Notebook Judging for VEX V5 World Championship

Congratulations on qualifying for the 2025 VEX Robotics World Championship! Your hard work and dedication have paid off, and now you’re preparing for the biggest stage in competitive robotics. To maximize your experience and be considered for judged awards, understanding the judging process is crucial, especially the role of your Engineering Notebook and team interviews. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about Engineering Notebook judging for the VEX V5 competition, ensuring your team is fully prepared to impress the judges.

Understanding the VEX Robotics World Championship Judging Process

The VEX Robotics World Championship judging process is designed to recognize teams that exemplify excellence in various aspects of robotics, beyond just on-field performance. Judged awards celebrate innovation, design, teamwork, and the overall engineering process. To be in the running for these prestigious awards, your team must participate in the remote Initial Team Judged Interview and submit a Digital Engineering Notebook.

All judging at the World Championship adheres to the REC Foundation’s Guide to Judging. Familiarizing yourself with this guide is your first step to success.

Navigating the Initial Team Judged Interview

The Initial Team Judged Interview is your team’s first opportunity to directly engage with the judges and showcase your work. These interviews are conducted remotely via Zoom, ensuring accessibility for all teams.

Key Details for Your Remote Interview:

Remote Format: All initial interviews are conducted online via Zoom. There are no in-person initial interviews.
Scheduling: Interviews are scheduled in 30-minute slots within a 3-hour block that your team’s Primary Contact selects on RobotEvents.com. Time slots are offered based on your team’s invitation date, so early acceptance of your invitation is beneficial for scheduling flexibility.
Sign-Up Deadline: You have a strict deadline of SIX DAYS (144 hours) from your invitation timestamp to sign up for an interview. Even if you are unsure about attending, it’s wise to sign up, as rescheduling missed interviews is not possible.
Adult Supervision: An adult must be visible with the team throughout the interview. This adult cannot participate in the interview itself but serves as a supervisor. VEX U teams are exempt from this requirement due to their age range.
Question & Answer Format: The interview follows a question-and-answer format, based on the Team Interview Rubric. Prepare to discuss various aspects of your robot, design process, and team dynamics.
No Presentations: Interviews are conversational. Avoid prepared presentations, slideshows, or videos. You can optionally have your robot or a printed Engineering Notebook available to show, but this is not mandatory.
No Recordings: Recording of any kind is strictly prohibited by any party.
Punctuality is Key: Be on time! Late arrivals may result in lost interview time or forfeiture of the interview. Missed interviews are not rescheduled.

For detailed instructions on scheduling, refer to the Scheduling Initial Team Interview page.

Mastering the Engineering Notebook for VEX V5 Judging

The Engineering Notebook is a critical component of judged awards at the VEX Robotics World Championship. It serves as a comprehensive record of your team’s engineering journey, design process, challenges, and solutions throughout the VEX V5 season. Judges use it to assess your team’s engineering expertise, design methodology, and overall understanding of the robotics challenge.

Key Aspects of Your Digital Engineering Notebook:

Digital Submission: Engineering Notebooks are submitted digitally via a link. Physical notebooks are not accepted for initial judging.
Remote Judging: Notebooks are judged online by a panel of judges using the Engineering Notebook Rubric. Understand this rubric thoroughly to align your notebook with judging criteria.
Accessibility is Crucial: Your submitted link must grant access to judges without requiring login credentials. Test your link from an external source to ensure it works correctly before submission.
Single File Submission: Submit a link to a single file containing your entire Engineering Notebook. Do not link to a folder with multiple files.
Submission Deadline: The deadline for submitting your Digital Engineering Notebook link is also SIX DAYS (144 hours) from your team’s invitation date. Meeting this deadline is crucial for award eligibility.
Award Eligibility: Submitting a Digital Engineering Notebook link is mandatory for eligibility for prestigious awards like the Excellence, Design, Innovate, Amaze, Build, Create, and Think Awards.
Innovate Award Specifics: For the Innovate Award, ensure your submission aligns with the specific guidelines outlined in the Guide to Judging.
Unique Link per Team: If your organization has multiple teams, a unique notebook link must be submitted for each team.

Crafting a Winning Engineering Notebook: Tips for VEX V5 Teams

Creating an effective Engineering Notebook is more than just documenting your robot’s build. It’s about showcasing your team’s engineering process, problem-solving skills, and learning journey. Here are key tips to make your notebook stand out:

Consistent Documentation: Regularly update your notebook throughout the season. Don’t wait until the last minute. Consistent entries provide a richer, more accurate reflection of your progress.
Detail Your Design Process: Judges want to see your design thinking. Document your brainstorming sessions, initial ideas, sketches, CAD designs, prototypes, testing, and iterations. Explain why you made certain design choices.
Showcase Problem-Solving: Every team faces challenges. Document the problems you encountered, your troubleshooting process, and the solutions you implemented. This demonstrates resilience and engineering ingenuity.
Reflect on Learning: Robotics is a learning experience. Reflect on what you learned from successes and failures. Explain how you applied new knowledge to improve your robot and strategies.
Team Collaboration: Highlight how your team worked together. Document individual roles, team meetings, and collaborative decision-making processes.
Use Visuals: Incorporate photos, sketches, CAD drawings, and graphs to visually represent your robot, designs, and data. Visuals make your notebook more engaging and easier to understand.

Example of a VEX Robotics Engineering Notebook entry showcasing design sketches and notes. This visual approach helps judges understand the team’s design process and ideas.
Organized Structure: Structure your notebook logically with clear sections and headings. A well-organized notebook is easier for judges to navigate and assess. Consider using tabs or a table of contents for digital notebooks.
Professional Presentation: While content is paramount, presentation matters. Ensure your notebook is neat, legible, and professionally presented. Proofread for grammar and spelling errors.
Align with the Rubric: Constantly refer to the Engineering Notebook Rubric throughout your notebook creation process. Ensure you are addressing all criteria judges will be evaluating.

In-Person Follow Up Interviews and Final Deliberations

While initial judging heavily relies on remote interviews and notebooks, in-person judges at the World Championship may conduct follow-up interviews in your pit area. These interviews are for clarification and to assist in final award deliberations. Your team’s on-field performance and conduct at the event are also considered during final judging.

Judged Awards at the 2025 VEX Robotics World Championship

The specific judged awards offered at the 2025 VEX Robotics World Championship can be found on RobotEvents.com under the Awards tab for your specific event. Check this list to understand which awards are available and align your efforts accordingly.

Important Communication: Ensure your Primary and Secondary Team Contacts, as registered on RobotEvents.com, are actively monitoring their emails. Critical information regarding judging and the World Championship will be sent to these contacts. Effective communication within your team and with your contacts is essential to meet deadlines and stay informed. Delegating responsibility for managing judging tasks to one team contact can streamline this process.

Quick Links for VEX World Championship Judging:

By understanding and preparing for the Engineering Notebook judging and interview process, your VEX V5 team can significantly enhance your World Championship experience and increase your chances of being recognized for your achievements. Good luck, and we look forward to seeing your innovation and engineering excellence at the World Championship!