Which Awards Qualify Teams at VEX AIR Drone Competition Events

A Qualifying Award is an award that qualifies a team for a higher competition pathway, such as a Championship Event or the VEX Robotics World Championship. Which awards those are is not the same at every event: your event receives a set number of qualifying spots, and that number determines how far down the order of awards they reach. This article gives the full list for every total for VEX AIR Drone Competition events, up to a maximum of 9.

This article is written for Event Partners preparing to post an event, and for teams checking which awards would advance them.

Definitions of the terms used here are maintained in the central glossary.

For the criteria an event must meet to offer advancement through qualifying spots, see VEX AIR Drone Competition Event Qualifying Criteria. For what each award recognizes, see VEX AIR Drone Competition Award Descriptions.

How Qualifying Awards Are Determined

Your event's number of qualifying spots is determined by your Program Support Team, and appears on your event's page at events.vex.com. Qualifying spots are given out down a fixed order of awards, from the top, until they run out. The lists below follow the standard order. Because the order is published each season and can differ by region, event type, or division, confirm your list with your Program Support Team.

Teamwork Champions qualifies two teams, the full Alliance that wins the Finals. An Alliance is never split. The Autonomous Skills Champion and Piloting Skills Champion are added together, which is why there is no list for 7 qualifying spots.

Qualifying Awards at Your Event

Awards Presented Whether or Not They Qualify

Every VEX AIR award can be a Qualifying Award, and at 9 qualifying spots, all of them are. Some awards are presented even when your event's total does not reach them:

• All four Performance Awards (Teamwork Champions, Overall Skills Champion, Autonomous Skills Champion, and Piloting Skills Champion) are presented at every tournament.
• An event that offers judging must offer both the Excellence Award and the Mission Planning Award.

The Full Order

The lists above follow this order.

Check Your List with Your Program Support Team

Before you announce your event's Qualifying Awards, confirm your number of qualifying spots with your Program Support Team. They know which awards teams in your region expect and can check your list before teams start planning around it.