PRESS ROOM & NEWS

FIRST® and LEGO® Education Challenge Students from More Than 100 Countries to Explore the Role STEM Plays in the Arts During the FIRST® LEGO® League MASTERPIECESM Season

MANCHESTER, N.H., August 1, 2023 – FIRST®, a robotics community that prepares young people for the future, and LEGO® Education announced that the 2023-2024 FIRST® LEGO® League season, MASTERPIECESM (for students in grades PreK-8) will inspire students to imagine and innovate new ways to create and communicate art across the globe.

For the FIRST LEGO League MASTERPIECE season, FIRST collaborated with experts in the fields of museums, theaters, and other creative fields. These experts, who made up the Challenge Advisory Team, helped create a theme and challenge missions that reflect what it takes to communicate, engage, and entertain an audience of any size.

“The FIRST LEGO League MASTERPIECE season will allow students to see the vast array of opportunities they have in the STEAM industry and beyond. Through their exploration as part of MASTERPIECE, students will learn how science, technology, engineering and math relate to the arts in surprisingly integral ways.” said Chris Moore, CEO, FIRST. “We can’t wait to cheer on these students as they take the stage, build critical skills, and feel empowered to create the future they envision.”

Team registration for all FIRST LEGO League divisions is now open.

  • FIRST® LEGO® League Discover students (grades PreK-1) will get creative and imagine and innovate new ways to create and communicate art across the globe.
  • FIRST® LEGO® League Explore students (grades 2-4) will explore how people share their hobbies and interests in creative and captivating ways, and learn about different places where people share their talents or go to enjoy a show. They’ll learn how to share their own interests and build a place of their own design.
  • FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge students (grades 4-8) will learn about how we share our own hobbies and interests while learning about experts in museums, theaters, and other creative fields. Children will use critical thinking and innovation to inspire others to learn and be entertained.

“Through hands-on STEAM learning opportunities, FIRST LEGO League inspires young minds to creatively and confidently explore real-world concepts such as the roles our STEM skills play in the arts,” said Camilla Bottke, Global Head of Competitions, LEGO Education. “LEGO Education is excited to see teams collaborate from around the world during the MASTERPIECE season, and have fun as they discover, learn, and grow as critical thinkers and savvy problem solvers.”

FIRST LEGO League MASTERPIECE is part of the 2023-2024 FIRST® IN SHOWSM season, presented by Qualcomm Incorporated. FIRST LEGO League Global Program Sponsors are LEGO® Education and The LEGO® Foundation. The FIRST LEGO League Challenge Division Sponsor is Rockwell Automation.

FIRST LEGO League is available as an individual team or Class Pack depending on the number of students participating in the program. FIRST Class Packs can be implemented in classrooms or structured after-school programs and provide educators and communities with flexible, high-quality STEM learning experiences for students using evidence-based practices. Each Class Pack registration includes support guides, teaching slides, exclusive division sets, and access to digital materials through the FIRST Thinkscape Portal.

 

About FIRST

FIRST® is a robotics community that prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages 4-18 (PreK-12) that can be facilitated in school or in structured afterschool programs. Boosted by a global support system of volunteers, educators, and sponsors that include over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies, teams operate under a signature set of FIRST Core Values to conduct research, fundraise, design, build, and showcase their achievements during annual challenges. An international not-for-profit organization founded by accomplished inventor Dean Kamen in 1989, FIRST has a proven impact on STEM learning, interest, and skill-building well beyond high school. Participants and alumni of FIRST programs gain access to education and career discovery opportunities, connections to exclusive scholarships and employers, and a place in the FIRST community for life. Learn more at firstinspires.org.