Style
In a nutshell, Style is what makes your team's problem solution stand out. It's what everyone is eager to talk about after watching your performance. "Could you tell what they used to make that amazing butterfly costume?" "That museum backdrop was incredible!" "The platypus character had me laughing the entire time!"
The Style portion of the competition allows teams to further showcase their talents and creative skills and to elaborate on their long-term problem solution. Each problem has its own required Style elements, as well as free-choice Style categories that the team determines. These provide incentive for creativity because teams can choose the elements they want scored. The Style score is in addition to the long-term problem score.
The Style portion of the competition allows teams to further showcase their talents and creative skills and to elaborate on their long-term problem solution. Each problem has its own required Style elements, as well as free-choice Style categories that the team determines. These provide incentive for creativity because teams can choose the elements they want scored. The Style score is in addition to the long-term problem score.
- Required Style elements — Most problems include one or two required Style categories, which are scored in every team's solution for that problem. However, a different element or a different aspect of that element may be scored from team to team. For example, if one Style category is "costume of one team member," the team must decide which costume and/or which aspects of that costume to have scored.
- Free choice of team — For these categories, teams may not select something that already is being scored. However, they may list a different aspect of something already being scored. For example, a vehicle scored for how well it functions may be scored for its appearance. Teams should select their free choice categories based on what they feel are the most creative elements of their problem solution. Common "free choice" categories include special effects, artwork, costumes, music, dance, poems or the integration of a specific dramatic or humorous element.
- Overall effect of the four Style elements in the performance — For this category, the team is scored on how well all of the Style elements come together to enhance the presentation of the long-term solution.
- "Appearance of the duck" would score all elements of the duck's overall appearance, including (but not limited to) the costume, makeup and hairstyle.
- "Appearance of the duck's makeup" would score only one aspect of the duck's costume: its makeup.
- "Materials and technique used to make the duck's feet" might showcase items used in an unexpected way.
- "Engineering method of the duck's wings" might highlight the technical skill involved in making the duck's wings
- "The duck" would have judges consider all aspects of the duck, including its performance, which could result in a lower score than having a specific element scored.