FIRST - Coaches email 12-19-2012

-->Last Call! Voting ends Thursday!
Check out this short film on FIRST founder Dean Kamen’s Slingshot water purification device, which was produced and directed by FRC Game Design Committee member Paul Lazarus. The film is currently a semifinalist in the Focus Forward Film Competition, and the FIRST family can help name it an “Audience Favorite” by voting for it online.  Watch the film, then click the “Vote Now” button that appears at the end - http://vimeo.com/focusforwardfilms/semifinalists/51890022 Voting ends Thursday!
-->Inspired by Example
We want to take a moment to refocus the FLL community on one of the core concepts of FIRST LEGO League. Lately, we have noticed some community members, albeit well-intentioned community members, post solutions for the current seasons’ Robot Game and robot design via social media. While sharing is an important part of FLL, we strongly urge all who post this information to take a close look at what they are posting. The goal of sharing is to inspire others and to let them experience and celebrate their own learning process. We encourage all teams to share tips on the FLL Challenge and respectfully request that solutions be discovered on an individual basis. We also encourage teams who find inspiration from the FLL community to use that inspiration to develop their own innovative solutions to solve Robot Game missions. Thank you.
-->Coming Soon - FLL Global Innovation Award, Senior Solutions Season
Have an amazing and innovative FLL Project? Want to help your team win the opportunity to develop their idea further? Beginning January 17, 2013 (12pm ET), FLL teams will be able to submit their inventions on the FLL Global Innovation website, fllinnovation.firstlegoleague.org/, to be considered for the top prize. Voting opens February 11, 2013 (12pm ET), so you will have plenty of time to tell all your family, friends, and extended networks to vote for your team’s invention.
* What is the FLL Global Innovation Award?
The FLL Global Innovation Award is designed to encourage and assist FLL teams to further develop their innovative solutions to real-world problems.
* We would like to enter. How do we prepare?
Details on how to enter and what teams should submit are being finalized. We will release as soon as possible. However, FLL strongly recommends learning the basics about how to protect your idea before posting it online. View past winners at : fllinnovation.firstlegoleague.org

The FLL Global Innovation Award is optional and in no way affects the judging outcome of qualifying events or tournaments.