start here, before the numbered modules
Before you write a single line of an Impact Award submission, you need the writing fundamentals that make judges care. This primer teaches you how to structure a story, write with clarity, and prove your claims with evidence, then connects each skill to the real constraints of the FIRST Impact Award (a 10,000-character essay, 500-character executive-summary answers, and an optional video). Start here, then move on to the department's main lessons.
Foundations: Storytelling and Clear Writing is the prerequisite module of the The Impact Award guide. It is the ground the 7 numbered modules after it assume you already have, and Understanding the Impact Award follows it. It holds 3 of the guide's lessons.
what is behind this tab
you can read them out of order, nothing is locked
words this module uses without explaining
when it breaks, not how it works
| no. | module | lessons |
|---|---|---|
| pre | Foundations: Storytelling and Clear Writingyou are here | 3 |
| 01 | Understanding the Impact Award | 4 |
| 02 | Building the Written Submission | 4 |
| 03 | The Presentation, Interview, and Video | 3 |
| 04 | Building a Program Worth Recognizing | 3 |
| 05 | Worked Examples & Mini-Projects | 5 |
| 06 | Common Mistakes & Troubleshooting | 4 |
| 07 | Advanced Techniques & Case Studies | 4 |