The Documentation Form and Proving Your Claims

What the documentation form is

The FIRST Impact Award Documentation Form is an editable Word document entered with your executive summaries and essay as part of the submission. FIRST does not require it, but strongly encourages it to show your team is organized and documented. It sorts your activities into the official definition buckets: Started, Mentored, Provided Published Resources, Hosted, Supported, Reached, Advocated, and related categories.

Why judges love it

The judging guidelines reveal exactly how it is used: after judges build a shortlist of top contenders, they can use the FIRST Impact Award Documentation Form to verify the team's claims. The guidelines add that while it isn't required, it helps show judges the team is using the correct terminology and offers proof of the activities. In a tight field, a well-documented team beats an equally impactful but unverified one.

What counts as documentation

The definitions document repeatedly suggests concrete proof for each category:

• Started / Mentored — a letter from the team you Started or Mentored confirming the relationship.
• Hosted / Supported — a letter from the organizing body, Regional Director, or Affiliate Partner the event was hosted for.
• Reached — letters from event organizers stating attendance, or screenshots showing views/engagement. FIRST notes documented evidence and breakdowns of Reach numbers are far more compelling than simply stating an estimated Reach.
• Advocated — confirmation of meetings with officials, a bill or resolution you helped craft, or a letter from a leader.

How to assemble it

1. Collect throughout the season. Every time you run an activity, request a short confirmation email or letter immediately. Chasing these in January is painful.
2. List every claim on the form. The definitions repeat that "all provided documentation must be listed on the FIRST Impact Award Documentation Form."
3. Match the form to your essay. Every Started, Mentored, Hosted, or Reached claim in your writing should have a corresponding documented entry. Mismatches invite tough Q&A.
4. Keep numbers honest and conservative. Judges respect a low, defensible estimate far more than an inflated one they can poke holes in.

Documentation strengthens the interview too

When a judge asks "Could you expand on [program]?" or "How does [program] spread the values of FIRST?", students who helped build the documentation answer with specifics and confidence. The form is not just paperwork; it is the team's shared institutional memory and the backbone of a credible presentation.