Robotics Education & Competition Foundation
Inspiring students, one robot at a time.

Refusal to Take Photo


Dale Nacianceno
21-Jun-2024

Page 30, Guide to Judging:

Judges should consider taking a picture of each robot with the team number visible to help recall details about robot designs mentioned in their notes.

Participant Release Form:

Participant understands that photographs, videotapes, and other recordings will be made of participants at such Events, including the Participant.

Participant consents to those photographs, videotapes, and other recordings and the use thereof (i) as part of a record of the Event and (ii) in promotion of VEX, the REC Foundation and other Events. I further acknowledge that any works made by or for VEX ("Works") to be "works made for hire," under applicable copyright laws, and to the extent I have or may claim any rights in or to such Works, I hereby grant to VEX any and all such rights, including, without limitation, the right to use or sub-license these Works in any and all media, now known or later discovered or developed, and in all forms and for all purposes, including without limitation, advertising and other promotions for any VEX Events, without any further consideration due to me or any limitation whatsoever.

Scenario:

A Judge asks a team to take photos of their robot. The team respectfully declines.

  1. Can judges remove them from consideration for certain awards because of this refusal?
  2. If the answer to #1 is yes, are judges permitted to inform them that if they decline, it can potentially affect their chances of winning an award?
Answered by Competition Judging Committee
1-Jul-2024

Refusing pictures of the robot to assist judges on deliberations should not trigger an automatic removal from Judged Awards, but is anomalous and certainly raises questions as to why they would refuse. That can certainly be taken into consideration by judges, along with all other appropriate factors normally taken into consideration by judges at an event.

Universally speaking, teams should not be told they have been removed from consideration from Judged Awards, or why they may not have won an award. This would be an internal judging decision at the event and as such would fall under the Confidentiality Principle in the Guide to Judging.