FIRST Tech Challenge Logo

It’s way more than building robots. FIRST Tech Challenge teams, made up of up to 15 team members in grades 7-12, are challenged to design, build, program, and operate robots to compete in a head-to-head challenge in an alliance format.

Guided by adult coaches and mentors, students develop STEM skills and practice engineering principles while realizing the value of hard work, innovation, and working as a team.

The robot kit is reusable from year to year and can be coded using a variety of levels of Java-based programming. Teams design and build robots, raise funds, design and market their team brand, and do community outreach to earn specific awards. Participants are eligible to apply for $80M+ in college scholarships.

Guided by adult Coaches and Mentors, students develop STEM skills and practice engineering principles while realizing the value of hard work, innovation, teamwork, and the sharing of ideas.

FIRST Tech Challenge allows middle and high school students and their adult mentors to work and create together to solve a common problem. Teams are challenged to design and build a robot using a kit of parts and within a common set of rules to play a sophisticated field game. The robot game changes every season and is a blast! The robot kit is reusable from year to year and can be programmed using a variety of languages.

Quote from an Indiana student, “I am learning new trade skills and working on my programming skills. I’m more confident and feel like I’m helping make an impact on the team, in a positive sense.”

Teams must also raise funds, design, market their team brand, and do community outreach for which they can win awards. Participants have access to tens of millions of dollars in college scholarships. Each season concludes with a State Championship and an exciting FIRSTChampionship.

FIRST redefines winning by rewarding teams for achievements both on and off the field − excellence in design, demonstrated team spirit, Gracious Professionalism™, and outreach efforts are some of the award criteria. Winning is always secondary to the quality of the overall experience.

As we work as a community to prepare young people for a STEM future, FIRST aims to ensure its programs are having a lasting, positive impact on participants across all demographic groups. Our rigorous multi-year longitudinal study, conducted by Brandeis University Center for Youth and Communities, provides strong evidence that participation in FIRST does just that. Even with just one year of FIRST participation, study participants are 2-3xs more likely to have gains in STEM outcomes than a comparison group of peers not participating in FIRST.

87% Express Interest for College

98% Problem Solving Skills Increase

100% Teamwork Skills Increase