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3. STEM Advocacy Challenge - High School

Student Leadership in Advancing STEM Advocacy

This challenge recognizes and celebrates High School robotics and drone teams that have advocated at the local, state, or national level for the expansion of robotics or other STEM opportunities for all students. Entries for this challenge will demonstrate how the students advanced their advocacy goals and will include the documentation to support their efforts. Examples of student advocacy could include but are not limited to:

• Contacting and meeting with elected officials at all level about the benefits of robotics programs

• Inviting elected officials and/or city leaders to you build space and/or a local competition

• Crafting model legislation for introduction to a legislative body

• Organizing local teams to collectively advocate for STEM and/or robotics

Create a digital portfolio to show us the work that your team has accomplished in this or previous year and the effects of your advocacy at the local, state, and/or national level.

Visit this link for a printable summary of this challenge.

 

Prizes

One (1) Winner: $500 VEX Robotics gift certificate; if the winning entry is from a team that has competed in their program with a physical robot or drone during their competition season, they will also receive an automatic qualification to the 2025 VEX Robotics World Championship or their Aerial Drone Competition Championship.

Four (4) Finalists: $100 VEX Robotics gift certificate

Eligibility

Teams must be part of a registered high school VEX V5 Robotics Competition, VEX AI Robotics Competition, or Aerial Drone Competition team for the current season.

• Only one entry per team is permitted. However, each team in a multi-team school or club program may submit one entry. For example, teams 123A and 123B could each submit an entry, but team 123A could not submit two entries. Entries must vary in content and presentation to be considered separate entries. 

• Entries submitted in previous years’ Online Challenges are not eligible for submission this year.

By uploading a submission to an REC Foundation Online Challenge, you agree to follow the Submission Guidelines and certify that you understand the Intellectual Property Rights held by you and the REC Foundation regarding your submission. Please review the Submission Guidelines and Intellectual Property Rights information at this link before uploading your submission.

Requirements

Challenge Details

Think of this as a digital portfolio. Your submission can be created using Book Creator, Google Sites, slides, or other methods and converted/printed to a PDF for submission. Use a combination of imagery (news articles about the team, screen captures, etc) and supporting text to showcase your program’s advocacy efforts in the last year.

• Include examples of the advocacy work that your school /organization has accomplished in the last year at the local, state and/or national level.

• Tell us about the importance of STEM opportunities for students in your community.

• Tell us about a limitation on access to robotics or other STEM opportunities that affects your local, state, or national community, and describe the goals you set for your team to address it.

• Describe your advocacy efforts and their impact.

• Show evidence of how and what you prepared for your meetings with legislators, and of those meetings

• Provide a statement from a school administrator (principal, vice principal, or dean) or legislator that verifies the successful completion of your work.

Examples of Advocacy (but not limited to):

• Contacting and meeting with elected officials at any level to discuss the benefits of robotics programs.
• Inviting elected officials or city leaders to your build space or a local competition.
• Crafting model legislation for introduction to a legislative body to support STEM programs.
• Organizing local teams to collectively advocate for STEM and robotics education.

Minimum Requirements

A PDF submission must meet these minimum requirements in order to be judged.

1. Entry is created and produced solely by student team members.

2. Format: One PDF file (up to 20MB) that includes all content, including images. A submission created in any other format must be converted or printed to a PDF file for upload. Submissions in other formats will not be reviewed. 

3. Title Page:  Each entry must include a title page that includes:

   • Title of submission

   • Names of students who participated (using first names only is acceptable)

   • Team number 

   • Location of school/organization

4. If applicable a statement from a school administrator (principal, vice principal, or dean) that verifies the successful completion of the project

Intellectual Property Rights

Your submissions help the REC Foundation further our mission. You will retain all rights to any material you submit, including ownership if applicable. The REC Foundation will endeavor to credit all submissions with the appropriate team number when used in part or in whole.

By submitting entry for an REC Foundation Online Challenge, you grant the REC Foundation and its related entities such as existing and/or potential sponsors and partners a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive right in perpetuity to use any part of the submission for any purpose, including but not limited to:

• Display of all or part of the submission on REC Foundation websites.

• Allowing third parties, including but not limited to REC Foundation partners, sponsors, and individuals, to share all or part of the submission on social media.

• Use of all or part of the submission on the Internet and in social media in support of the REC Foundation mission.

• Use of all or part of the submission in the REC Foundation’s and related entities’ internal and external communications and marketing materials including but not limited to web sites and web publications, fact sheets, fundraising publications, advertising, multimedia, displays, presentation and membership services, annual report, and newsletters.]

Upload Instructions

Note: Beginning with the 2023-24 season, challenge entries must be uploaded by the primary contact for a registered team. This individual should ensure that the submission meets all requirements and criteria before uploading.

1. Click the green Submit an Entry button on the right side of the screen.

2. Fill out the submission form and add an optional description of the entry to the Short Description field.

3. Ensure you are entering the correct team number and letter, with no spaces.

4. Click Save.

5. Click the blue Files /Images button in the upper right of the screen.

6. Drag/drop your PDF file into the Upload a File box, then refresh if needed to view file details below the Upload a File box.

7. Edit the Display Name and file information to include your entry title and your team number; for example, "MathWorks Challenge entry, team 007x."

8. Click on Save to record your edits.

Judging Information

Enhanced Judging Information (up to 5 points for each criterion):

• Identification & Explanation (up to 5 points): Clearly describes a problem regarding equitable access to robotics and the students' resulting legislative goals.
• Project & Impact: (up to 5 points): Tells a clear and detailed story of the students' advocacy efforts at the local, state, and/or national level, with impact described.
• Evidence: (up to 5 points): Includes clear and compelling evidence (e.g., news articles, screen captures) of actions taken to prepare materials and meet with legislators.
• Official Statement (up to 5 points): Includes a signed statement from a school administrator or legislator verifying advocacy work.
• Presentation & Organization (up to 5 points): Well-structured submission, effectively using diverse content. Enjoyable to review.
• Scope of Project (up to 5 points): Strong overall effort by students with a significant community impact.

Current time:
Fri, Dec 6, 2024 7:30 AM CST

Opens:

Wed, Nov 6, 2024 12:00 AM CST

Closes:

Wed, Jan 29, 2025 4:00 PM CST

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