About the WFFA
Congratulations to all of the Woodie Flowers Finalist Award (WFFA) recipients! At FIRST® Robotics Competition Regionals and District Championships, these mentors were recognized as WFFA recipients. Each of these recipient mentors have a wonderful impact on their team. Every recipient was nominated by students on their teams, submitting essays describing their role model mentors.
From 1997–2003 FIRST recognized only a Championship Woodie Flowers Award (WFA) recipient. Starting in 2004, WFFA recipients were chosen and recognized at regional and district events.
Spirit of the Award
High school students on a FIRST Robotics Competition team choose one adult team member as their WFFA candidate. The students describe how this mentor has given them the best understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and satisfaction involved in the discipline of engineering and design. Professor Flowers used to lead the past Championship Woodie Flowers Award (WFA) recipients; today, the Finalists and Championship recipient are judged and selected by the past Championship recipients based on student essays.
This award recognizes an individual who has done an outstanding job of motivation through communication while also challenging the students to be clear and succinct in recognizing the value of communication. As such, it is very important that this is a student-led effort and a student decision.
Team mentors should direct their students to the online entry site and let the high school student nominators decide who to nominate. Adults can help edit, but this must be a student-led effort, since any team mentor is eligible. Authors must be clearly identified as high school students in the online submission.