What is mandatory for some awards, such as Inspire or Think?

For awards like Inspire or Think, the requirement for portfolio submission is essential because these awards typically assess a team's overall journey, achievements, and documentation throughout the competition season. The portfolio serves as a comprehensive record that highlights the team's strategy, robot design, engineering processes, community engagement, and reflections on their learning experiences.

Having a well-prepared portfolio allows teams to showcase their hard work and innovative thinking in a structured format, which judges can review to understand the team's strengths and contributions better. This documentation is crucial for awards that prioritize not only performance but also the culture of learning and growth within the team.

In contrast, team strategy presentation, public voting, or additional practice matches may be relevant to certain aspects of competition or other types of recognition but are not specifically mandatory for prestigious awards like Inspire or Think. These awards focus more on the depth of a team's approach and their reflective practices as documented in the portfolio.