FIRST Robotics Competition
High school aged teams compete head to head on a playing field with robots they have designed, built and programmed.
FIRST LEGO League
Grades PreK-8
FIRST Tech Challenge
Grades 7-12
FIRST Robotics Competition
Grades 9-12
The excitement of sports + the rigors of science and technology.
WE CALL IT
“The Ultimate Sport for the Mind“
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS CALL IT
“The hardest fun you’ll ever have. “
FIRST ROBOTICS COMPETITION
Under strict rules, limited time and resources, teams of students are challenged to raise funds, design a team “brand,” hone teamwork skills, and build and program industrial-size robots to play a difficult field game against like-minded competitors. It’s as close to real-world engineering as a student can get.
Volunteer professional mentors lend their time and talents to guide each team. Each season ends with an exciting FIRST Championship.
2020-2021 STAR WARS-INSPIRED CHALLENGE
INFINITE RECHARGE
This year’s game is part of the 2020-2021 FIRST season, FIRST GAME CHANGERS, powered by Star Wars: Force for Change.
In INFINITE RECHARGE, two alliances work to protect FIRST City from approaching asteroids caused by a distant space skirmish. Each alliance, along with their trusty droids, race to collect and score Power Cells in order to energize their Shield Generator for maximum protection. To activate sections of the Shield Generator, droids manipulate their Control Panels after scoring a specific number of Power Cells. Near the end of the match, droids race to their Rendezvous Point to get their Shield Generator operational in order to protect the city.
New Remote Challenges for FIRST Robotics Competition 2021 Season
Recognizing ongoing challenges for robotics teams with remote and hybrid learning during the pandemic, limited access to build spaces, tools, and robots, as well as uncertainty for traveling to and attending in-person events, FIRST introduced new challenge opportunities for FIRST Robotics Competition teams to participate remotely this season.
- INFINITE RECHARGE at Home gives teams around the world an opportunity to demonstrate their robot’s technical skills in competition. Teams compete for awards by remotely showing off what their robots and drivers can do in five skills challenges based on the 2020 INFINITE RECHARGE field game, which was unveiled prior to pandemic-related shut-downs last year. Teams without access to their robots can compete for technical awards through virtual interviews with judges about their machine’s abilities.
- The Game Design Challenge invites teams to design an original FIRST Robotics Competition game and compete for judged awards, an opportunity to get creative and artistic while applying fundamental engineering principles. Winning concepts will also be considered for use in future official games.
- The FIRST Innovation Challenge presented by Qualcomm challenges teams to explore the invention and innovation process through identifying a problem or opportunity to help people and communities keep, regain, or achieve optimum physical and/or mental health and fitness through active play or other forms of movement – a challenge inspired by the season’s sports and fitness theme.
2021 Season Workshops
To support teams through the new Innovation Challenge.
- FIRST California PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT + DESIGN THINKING workshop series
- FIRST Expert Education Series
"Competition for the sake not of destroying one another, but for the sake of bettering and improving both competitors as a result of the competition."
- Dr. Woodie FlowersCalendar
REGIONAL EVENT WEBSITES IN CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles North
Los Angeles
Del Mar
San Diego
Central Valley
Ventura
San Francisco
Sacramento
Monterey Bay
Orange County
Silicon Valley
Aerospace Valley
GET SUPPORT
Click the button below to find a Regional Director or Senior Mentor in your area.
START A TEAM
VOLUNTEER
FIND AN EVENT
CONNECT
#FIRSTinCA
#FIRSTINSPIRES
#OMGROBOTS