THE COMPETITION
Music City BEST Robotics isn’t just about building a robot—it’s about running a company. Each team takes on the challenge of designing, building, and marketing their robot, while also developing the business and communication skills needed to succeed in today’s industries. At the end of the season, teams compete on Game Day, where their robots face off in the arena and their company deliverables are judged.
The BEST Award is given to the team with the highest average score across all categories, including the Engineering Notebook, Team Exhibit and Interviews, Marketing Presentation, Team Spirit and Sportsmanship, and Robot Performance. The first-place BEST Award Team earns a guaranteed spot in the regional competition, making the BEST Award the highest honor in Music City BEST Robotics.
Engineering Notebook (30%): A professional record of the team’s design process, strategy, and project management.
Team Exhibit & Interviews (20%): A booth-style display that showcases the team’s brand, outreach, creativity, and ability to communicate their work.
Marketing Presentation (25%): A professional-style presentation to judges, explaining the team’s company structure, design decisions, outreach, and innovation.
Team Spirit & Sportsmanship (10%): The energy, enthusiasm, and encouragement teams bring to the event, as well as how they respect and uplift others.
Robot Performance (15%): Points earned by the robot during the competition rounds in the arena.
In addition to the BEST Award, teams have the opportunity to compete for several other honors that highlight specific strengths:
- Founders Award for Creative Design: Recognizes innovative and unique engineering solutions.
- Software Design Award: Honors excellence in coding and software integration.
- Most Robust Machine: Awarded to the robot built to endure the toughest competition.
- T-Shirt Design Award: Celebrates outstanding creativity in team apparel design.
- Engineering Notebook Awards: Acknowledges the best-documented design processes and project management.
- So many more: Additional awards to recognize and celebrate the diverse accomplishments and talents of every student.
These awards, and many more celebrate the wide range of talents and achievements that students demonstrate throughout the season, emphasizing the multifaceted nature of the competition.