Remote Judging allows Engineering Notebook evaluations, initial Team Interviews, or both to be completed before the event. This article covers how remote judging works and the consistency, scheduling, and youth-safety requirements that apply. It is written for judges, Judge Advisors, and Event Partners.
Definitions of the terms used here are maintained in the central Glossary.
All judging principles and award criteria remain the same as in-person judging, and remote judging supplements rather than replaces the in-person deliberations where final award decisions are made. See the Competition Judging Overview for the full judging process.
Consistency Requirements
All teams must be judged using the same format: if notebooks are judged remotely, all notebooks are judged remotely, and if initial interviews are remote, all initial interviews are remote. Remote judging should occur as close to the event as possible, preferably within two weeks of the event.
Remote Engineering Notebook Judging
- Teams submit Digital Engineering Notebook links through events.vex.com.
- All notebooks should be evaluated under the same conditions and time constraints.
- Multiple judges should evaluate each notebook.
- Judges at the event must still have access to the notebooks for deliberations and follow-up interviews.
- Teams are responsible for ensuring notebook links work and are accessible.
- Any downloaded copies of notebooks must be deleted after the event.
Remote Initial Team Interviews
Initial interviews may be conducted remotely before the event, using the Team Interview Rubric, to identify award nominees. Follow-up interviews for finalists must be conducted in person, and teams should not be moved to different award categories based solely on those follow-up interviews.
Remote Interview Requirements
- All judging principles still apply.
- An adult representative (18+) must be visible for the entire interview.
- Judges must work in groups of two or more.
- Remote interviews may not be recorded by any party.
- All notes and records remain confidential and must be destroyed after the event.
Scheduling
Schedule interviews consistently for all teams and allow time for technical issues and follow-up. A 30-minute interview cycle is recommended: 10–15 minutes for the interview, with the remaining time for scoring, discussion, and preparing for the next team.