What to Expect at Virtual Competition (Regional Finals)
How do Virtual Competitions work for Competitors?
Often one of the first steps toward the National Finals is a virtual competition. This is normally a Regional or State Final that serves as a qualifier event. Virtual competitions are a great opportunity to get feedback from the judges in a very cost effective environment and with less travel logistics involved for brand new teams.
The biggest difference between virtual and physical competitions is the submission of project elements. For Regional and State Finals, project elements will often be reduced forms or the element (ex. shorter portfolios, less cars). Always be sure to verify with the current Technical and Competition Regulations for your specific competition. A summary of the major components of competition are listed below.
Portfolios -
Portfolios for virtual competitions are submitted digitally for judges to review. You should NOT mail physical copies. Judges will review the materials as if they were physical documents. This means, if you have hyperlinks or embedded videos within your portfolios, they will not be clicked on our reviewed.
Verbal Presentation -
Since your team won’t be in person to deliver your Verbal Presentation, you will submit a recorded copy for the judges to review. This presentation should emulate the conditions of a physical competition - no editing is permitted. The video should be a single-take recorded and then submitted as an enlisted YouTube Link. Many teams get together at school or home and use a TV to present any slides they may have prepared. Keep in mind there will not be an option to share any materials other than the YouTube link with the judges (ex. Slideshow copy). Be sure to check your camera setup to ensure you can clearly see all team members, presentation materials and that you have clear audio.
If your team are not all based in the same location (i.e. multiple states) you can record a virtual meeting as your presentation. All team members need to be on the call with their cameras on at all times.
PRO TIP: you can record your Verbal Presentation as many times as you see fit! Unlike a physical competition where there are no do-overs, your virtual competition presentation can be recorded until you are happy with it. Just remember - NO EDITING - so be sure not to splice segments together.
PRO TIP: Sometimes talking directly to a camera can be scarier than you think! When recording your presentation, you may want to have your Lead Adult sit next to the camera. Pretend you’re just talking to them and not the camera.
Pit Display -
A secondary purpose of the Regional or State Finals is to help prepare your team for future competitions. The Pit Display is the best example of this. For virtual competitions, teams prepare a Pit Display Plan (Pro. Class) or Pit Display Poster (Dev. Class). These materials are intended to help you plan what a physical display might look like at competition for your team. You’re selling the judges on a PLAN so be sure to be realistic - if your budget can only afford a computer in the display, don’t put 10 60” flatscreen TVs in your Pit Display Plan!
It is also important to consider sustainability when it comes to planning your display. How will materials be used after competition? Will they be thrown away or reused in some way? How will you be transporting them to the venue or event? What are the environmental impacts of this transportation method?
Templates for both the Pit Display Plan and Poster can be found in the Regulations.
Interviews -
Interviews do not typically take place during virtual competition. This means your judges will be without the opportunity to ask your follow up questions on your submitted materials. How can your team best prepare for no interviews? Have a trusted teacher, parent, or friend read through your portfolios or watch your Verbal Presentation with a copy of the scorecard from the regulations. After they review the material, do they have any questions? Do they feel that a section wasn’t well explained? This review may help indicate to your team what area of the element that you need to expand upon. Often teams, as a STEM Racing team working day-to-day on your project, it’s easy to forget about all the great things you are doing (they begin to seem “normal”). Having someone with an outside perspective review your materials helps highlight areas that may have been omitted since they seemed obvious to your team.
Meeting the Other Teams -
One of the most exciting parts of competition is meeting students just like you from across the country - virtual finals are no exception! Leading up to competition, teams submit a questionnaire and video about themselves. In the digital Event Program, each team is given a spotlight section to feature their name, photos, cool facts, and social media. Additionally, the presubmitted videos from teams are shared during the Racing Premiere and on social media - be sure to check out the other teams in your region!
Scrutineering & Racing -
Cars are mailed into STEM Racing USA for scrutineering and racing. Cars are inspected upon arrival. If a car arrives damaged, STEM Racing USA does their best to contact the team to make them aware of the situation. Unfortunately, it is not always possible for the scrutineering team to fix a breakage that occurs during transport. Proper packaging is very important - be sure to check out the video further down this page. Breakages during shipping are rare but can happen.
After arrival, the scrutineering team reviews each car against the Technical Regulations and determines compliance with safety regulations for racing. Cars that are deemed safe to race proceed to the Racing Session. At an in-person competition, teams would be given an opportunity to remain damaged cars or cars with critical violations that prevent racing. At a virtual final, however, there are no opportunities to correct the car. It is highly suggested that teams scrutineer their own cars prior to sending them to try to catch any violations with enough time to correct them.
Cars race according to the procedures outlined in the Competition Regulations. Please refer to these documents for the most up-to-date procedure. Racing is filmed and edited to remove long gaps between races where the Track Staff load more cars on the track. The video then premieres ahead of the Awards Ceremony for teams to watch their car and see their times.
Awards Ceremony -
Awards and top finishers for virtual competitions are annouced via a live Zoom session. All teams are shared a link ahead of time to join the session, as well as a Youtube Link to share with outside supporters, family, and friends so they can tune into the action as well. Winners find out live and trophies are mails to each team in the weeks after competition.
How do Virtual Competitions work behind the scenes for the Judges?
Virtual judging takes place very similar to in-person procedures. During the selection process, the judging panel is formed from industry professionals, qualified alumni, and specialists in all areas of the competition. While the judges are not all in the same location together, they meet regularly to align their scores to ensure each team’s materials are being judged in the same way. After teams submit their Portfolios and recorded Verbal Presentations, judges begin to review the content. The week prior to the Awards Ceremony is spent reviewing, scoring, and tallying scores. Winners are then announced at the live Awards Ceremony!
Submitting your materials
Cars: Car(s) are submitted physically for racing. Check out the video below for tips when it comes to packing your car. Be sure to send it in with enough time for it to arrive before the deadline!
Portfolios & Recorded Presentation: digital project elements are submitted through an online form by the deadline listed in the Competition Regulations. A link to this form can be found in the Team Portal and is distributed by email to all Team Managers prior to the deadline.
Tips & Tricks for Winning a Virtual Competition
Put your best foot forward! No matter how many teams may be competing, always take competition seriously and prepare to your team’s best.
Have a trusted teacher, parent or friend review your materials ahead of time to help catch simple mistakes or omitted content.
Practice, practice, practice your Verbal Presentation! Even though it is recorded, you’ll still want it to be polished for the final copy.
Scrutineer your car BEFORE competition to try to catch critical violations that would prevent you from racing.
Don’t wait until the last minute! The most successful teams are ones that leave themselves time for contingencies. Remember to leave a few days extra for items to be reviewed, cars to ship, and for videos to export. All of these things can take longer than you expect!