Destination Imagination’s regional tournament judging comes to an end Friday, with the competing teams getting their results via a slideshow on Feb. 27 and picking up their physical awards on Feb. 28 at Russell Creek Park in Plano.

“Our ceremony is virtual this year and will be in an online presentation format with recognition to graduating seniors,” meeting coordinator Stephanie Timiney said via text. “[We have] bagged and tagged shirts and this year’s pins so they are ready for Sunday.” 

Typically, the awards ceremony would take place the afternoon of the in-person tournament in a mass event, where teams and individual competitors collect medals and pins and winning teams would be celebrated live.

“Each of the six challenges had a set of rules for the students to follow and a problem for them to solve,” Technical Challenge Master Pandian Chidambaram said. “In the technical challenge, specifically, they had to build a video game. A panel of appraisers have reviewed the videos and scored them for the technicality and the creativity of the team. On Saturday, winners will be announced and three different awards will be presented to either specific teams or individual students.”

And despite the ceremony being digital, Junior Board president and competitor Eujin Chung remains excited to see how it turns out. 

“I’m looking forward to the awards ceremony for the same reason most teams do, just to see all the hard work pay off and getting tournament results,” Chung said via text. “This will be my team and I’s fourteenth DI award ceremony and the nervousness and excitement never fades. From a Junior Board standpoint, it’s going to be so different this year.”

Winners will proceed to State, and if they win there as well, Globals. Timiney believes going to Globals and pin-trading is not only a great experience, but the best part of DI. 

“Again, the kids are just wonderful,” Timiney said via text. “This is a photo of my lanyard I wore at Globals covered in pins from across the world.”