Overview
This article describes the qualification process for REC Foundation championship competitions and how qualifying spots are added to events. Note: Should anything in this section contradict the annual Qualifying Criteria document, that document takes precedence. Click here to view the current Qualifying Criteria.
Championship events require teams to qualify before they can register for the event. The Qualification Process provides a structured method for teams to qualify from local events, to championship events, and then to the VEX Robotics World Championship.
Event Regions
An event region is a defined geographic area that is usually a state, province, country, or territory; all teams and events belong to an event region. In the U.S., most event regions are a state. Outside the U.S., most event regions are a province, country, or territory. The REC Foundation determines the boundaries of event regions with respect to governmental boundaries, geography, and team distribution. In some cases, the REC Foundation will combine or split geographic areas for event regions to better serve the needs in that area.
Each event region has a championship event that qualifies a certain number of teams in that region to the VEX Robotics World Championship. Some event regions have more than one championship event; however, each team may only attend one championship event in their region.
Qualifying Events
A qualifying event is an event that makes a certain number of teams eligible to register for a championship event. Events must follow the Qualifying Criteria to be qualifying events. Be sure to discuss the qualifying criteria with your Regional Support Manager (RSM). Your RSM will help ensure your event follows the qualifying criteria.
Awards
An award is recognition for a team’s achievement at an event. Awards are usually recognized with a trophy at an event; however, this is not an absolute requirement. Some awards may be recognized with a printed certificate. Awards are categorized into either performance-based, such as Tournament Champion or Robot Skills Champion, or judged awards, such as the Excellence Award or Design Award.
Qualifying Award
A qualifying award is an award that makes the team eligible to attend the championship event. The specific awards that will qualify teams to the championship event are based on the number of qualifying spots assigned to the event by the RSM, and are determined by the rules in the Qualifying Criteria. Your RSM will configure the qualifying awards for your event, and they can be viewed on the event’s Awards tab. Here are a few examples of the qualifying awards based on the number of qualifying spots assigned to an event:
- 1 Spot – 1 Excellence Award winner qualifies to the championship event
- 3 Spots – 1 Excellence Award and 2 Tournament/Teamwork Champions Award winners qualify to the championship event
- 4 Spots – 1 Excellence Award, 2 Tournament/Teamwork Champions, and 1 Design Award winners qualify to the championship event
- And so on, according each program’s Qualifying Criteria document.
When a team earns a qualifying award, an invitation is automatically sent to the team through Robotevents.com when the results of the event are uploaded. The invitation allows the team to register for the championship event.
Qualifying Process for Teams
Teams may participate in as many local qualifying events (tournaments or leagues) as they wish. If the team earns a qualifying award at an event in their region, the team qualifies for the championship event in their region. Each team may participate in only one championship event in their region. Teams may attend events outside their event region and earn qualifying awards at those events, but the qualification invitation is passed to the next eligible local team based on the Robot Skills rankings at the event.
Example: If a team from Region A earns the Excellence Award at a qualifying event in Region B, they cannot attend Region B’s championship event. The team from Region A will take home their earned award, but the qualification invitation to Region B’s championship event will pass to a team at the event from Region B with highest Robot Skills score at the event.
Events with teams who are out of region should not consider their locations in determining judged awards; rather, awards should be based on a team's merits as articulated in the Judges Guide. Teams may earn more than one qualifying award at an event, and the “double qualification” is passed to the next eligible team based on the Robot Skills rankings at the event. Teams may earn qualifying awards at more than one event during the season; there is no “look-back” to see if a team has previously qualified to a championship event.
If the championship event in the team’s region is not filled to its stated capacity through qualifying awards, teams may qualify through the World Skills Standings sorted for the event region. Teams invited through World Skills Standings are invited by the RSM in ranked order after the results of the last qualifying event in the region has been posted to RobotEvents.com.
Helpful Hint: Your RSM will ensure all invitations due to double qualifications or out of region teams are completed once the event results are uploaded to RobotEvents.com. It is not the responsibility of the EP to complete these invitations, and qualification questions from teams should be referred to the RSM for the region.
Qualifying Spot Assignments
Championship Events
The number of qualifying spots from local events to championship events is determined by the RSM and is likely to be different in each region. The number of qualifying spots is calculated using several factors:
- The team capacity of the championship event in the region
- The number and team capacities of qualifying events in the region
- The historical rates of double qualifications in the region
Qualifying spots are assigned proportionately to events based on the capacity of the event. Larger events are likely to be assigned more qualifying spots than smaller events. Example: In a given event region, events with a capacity of 16-24 teams might receive 3 spots, and events with 25-32 teams might receive 4 spots.
Because there is a variation in the distribution of teams, qualifying events, and championship events across event regions, there is a variation in the number of qualifying spots between events of a similar size across event regions. Each season, your RSM reviews these factors and determines the qualifying spots. Your RSM will assign the qualifying spots to the qualifying events in your region when the calendar of events is finalized for the current game season, typically in early October.
VEX Robotics World Championship
The number of qualifying spots from Championship events to the VEX Robotics World Championship is determined by the REC Foundation leadership team. Qualifying spots are assigned proportionately to each event region based on the number of teams in the region during the prior season and the capacity of the VEX Robotics World Championship. Additional spots may be assigned to some event regions mid-season.