The 2026 FIRST Robotics Competition Aerospace Valley District Event, held April 2 to 4 at Eastside High School, brought together 34 high school teams from across California for a high-energy Week 5 competition. As part of the FIRST California District season, students designed, built, and competed with industrial-sized robots in the 2026 FIRST® AGE game, demonstrating innovation, collaboration, and advanced engineering skills.
The event welcomed hundreds of students, mentors, volunteers, and spectators, continuing Aerospace Valley’s strong tradition of connecting education with the region’s deep roots in aerospace and engineering. Opening ceremonies featured remarks from Keith Pedersen, Vice President of ADP Skunk Works at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, highlighting the importance of programs like FIRST in developing the future technical workforce. The event also featured a NASA flyover.
Each day began with performances by the Eastside High School Color Guard, whose presentations added energy and pride to the opening ceremonies and set the tone for competition.
As a key late-season district event, teams competed in qualification and playoff matches to earn valuable district ranking points toward advancement to the Southern California District Championship. The Aerospace Valley District Event once again showcased the power of partnerships between schools, industry leaders, and volunteers in inspiring the next generation of engineers, innovators, and problem-solvers.
Awards
- Impact Award Winner: Team 3749, Team Optix
- Winning Alliance: Team 294, Beach Cities Robotics; Team 2659, RoboWarriors; Team 9706, R^3
- Leadership Award Semi-Finalists: Kayla B with Patribots Team 4738, Aditi K with Team Optix Team 3749
- Engineering Inspiration: Team 1622, Team Spyder
- Full Awards List: 2026 Awards
A heartfelt thank you to all teams, mentors, volunteers, and sponsors who helped write the first chapter of the Aerospace Valley District Event.
Feel free to download and share any of these photos. You can tag FIRST California at @firstroboticscalifornia on Instagram and use hashtags #FIRSTinCA, #morethanrobots, #omgrobots, #REBUILT and #FIRSTAGE.