Innovative Solution
Team Solution – Similar to the Problem Identification requirements, the team’s solution should focus directly on the
problem they are trying to solve, explain how it solves that problem, and be clearly stated.
Innovation – The main issue of subjectivity here surrounds the question “What does ‘original’ mean when it comes to
innovation?” A team may develop a truly innovative device to assist someone who is blind, or they may come up with
the idea to apply Velcro to walls to serve as a sensory guide; both are innovative. Teams will sometimes believe their
solution to be something they’ve developed on their own only to find out from an expert judge that some other group
has already developed that same solution. They may also find this out days before the competition and not have time to
develop a new, completely original solution. Be sensitive to these situations. A team does NOT have to develop a
completely new, patented by the team idea to be considered for this award or to score high in this area. Note that FLL
has a separately judged, non-event based award called the Global Innovation Award for teams that choose to pursue a
patent opportunity.
Implementation – Teams should demonstrate that they have considered how their solution might be implemented.
Team solutions should be more grounded than pie in the sky, but solutions need not be implementable now. For
example, a team should not be penalized for a solution that may require the invention of an additional component to be
workable. While not required, a team that builds a prototype of their solution should most likely be considered
Exemplary, provided they consider other aspects of how to implement their solution.