PRESS ROOM & NEWS

A Global Audience of 30,000+ Attendees Watched Students from 40+ Countries Compete with Team-Built Robots and Showcased Innovation Skills with Support from Corporate Sponsors

Event Celebrates Conclusion of 2021-2022 Season, FIRST^® FORWARD^SM Presented by Qualcomm Incorporated

 

HOUSTON, April 23, 2022 – This week, FIRST^®, a robotics community that prepares young people for the future, hosted more than 30,000 students, mentors/coaches, volunteers, sponsors, media, and supporters from around the world as hundreds of student robotics teams put their innovation, teamwork, and robotics skills to the test at the annual FIRST Championship at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.  

The four-day event came down to a heart-pounding conclusion Saturday in front of thousands of cheering fans when robotics teams competed in match finals for the FIRST^® Robotics Competition and FIRST^® Tech Challenge international championships. Four teams from San Jose, California; Longmont, Colorado; Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan; and Irving, Texas, were the FIRST Robotics Competition Winning Alliance for this year’s game, RAPID REACT^SM presented by The Boeing Company. Teams from Arad, Romania; Longmont, Colorado; and Fort Myers, Florida, were the FIRST Tech Challenge Winning Alliance for FREIGHT FRENZY^SM presented by Raytheon Technologies.  

At FIRST Championship, nearly 800 student robotics teams from 43 countries competed and exhibited across FIRST programs, and many FIRST^® LEGO^® League, FIRST Tech Challenge, and FIRST Robotics Competition teams earned honors for design excellence, competitive play, research, business plans, creativity, and teamwork. (See “2022 FIRST Championship Winners” section below.) 

Special guests at the 2022 FIRST Championship included Dean Kamen, FIRST founder and prolific inventor; will.i.am, global music artist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist; and global leaders in business and innovation.  

Selected Quotes from FIRST Championship:  

• Chris Moore, chief executive officer of FIRST, said: “I have met so many great students, volunteers, mentors, alumni, and sponsors who truly embody the FIRST mission and Core Values: People who strive to be Gracious Professionals who innovate, compete, and collaborate with equal energy. People who share our common passion for science and technology as a force for good with the world. The rewards of your efforts don’t stop at this event.” 
• Gillian Jacobs, actress and director, accepting the Founder’s Award for directing the “More Than Robots” documentary, via video: “I named this documentary ‘More Than Robots’ because as you all well know better than anyone, FIRST is about so much more than robots. I learned that it's about teamwork, compassion, friendship, learning new skills, and challenging yourself to do things you never dreamed you were capable of... You gave me hope, you gave me inspiration, and you are amazing and deserve to be celebrated.” 
• Angela Baker, senior director of government affairs, Qualcomm Incorporated, said: “For more than 17 years, Qualcomm has supported FIRST because we know passion for invention starts at a young age, and today we have many FIRST alumni driving innovation at our company. We remain committed to ensuring young people from all backgrounds learn critical foundational skills and become inspired to be STEM innovators in leading-edge industries like ours. Here at FIRST Championship, it’s been thrilling to see what students accomplished this season, and we are proud to champion them.” 

FIRST Championship also honored significant supporters of the FIRST mission:  

• Gillian Jacobs, actress and director of “More Than Robots,” an original Disney+ documentary about the transformative power of the FIRST community, received the Founder’s Award, presented each year by FIRST founder Dean Kamen to one organization or individual for exceptional service in advancing the ideals and mission of FIRST.  
• The Woodie Flowers Award, founded by Dr. William P. Murphy Jr. in 1996 and named after the late Dr. Woodie Flowers to recognize FIRST Robotics Competition mentors who lead, inspire, and empower through effective communication in the art and science of engineering and design, was awarded to Christine Sapio, mentor for FIRST Robotics Competition Team 2486, CocoNuts, from Flagstaff, Ariz. 
• The Volunteer of the Year Award was awarded to event volunteers for FIRST programs: Chuck Dickerson from Mississippi (FIRST Robotics Competition); Jacob Burroughs from Chicago, Ill. (FIRST Tech Challenge); Andy Snape from Stoke-on-Trent, England; and Abdulmatin Adeniji from Lagos, Nigeria (FIRST LEGO League Challenge); and Dr. Patricia Gouws from South Africa (FIRST LEGO League Explore). 
• The Compass Award for excellence in coaching/mentoring FIRST Tech Challenge was awarded to Fernanado Melendez-Loya, who was nominated for this award by Team 12887, Devolt Phobos, from Chihuahua, Mexico. 
• Coach/Mentor Awards for FIRST LEGO League went Clive Segar from Freshford, England; Heather Bioren from Seattle, Wash.; and Eric Borromeo from Toronto, Ont., Canada. 

FIRST Championship, the world’s largest celebration of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for students, celebrated the conclusion of the 2021-2022 robotics season, FIRST^® FORWARD^SM presented by Qualcomm. Inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #9, the FIRST FORWARD theme challenged students to think about overcoming transportation challenges and empowered them to develop the technological innovations that drive our society forward. 

On Saturday, FIRST announced its 2022-2023  energy-themed season in a video narrated by Laurence Fishburne. Registration for FIRST ENERGIZE^SM presented by Qualcomm opens in May. 

 

2022 FIRST Championship Winners  

The 2022 winners of the competitions and awards announced in Houston are as follows: 

 

Dean’s List Award – This award celebrates outstanding student leaders whose passion for and effectiveness at attaining FIRST ideals is exemplary. 

 

From FIRST Robotics Competition:  

• Alicia Ramirez, Team 2383, Ninjineers, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 
• Arvind Seshan, Team 8027, Not the Droids You Are Looking For, Sharon, Pa. 
• Christopher Palazzo, Team 871, Robotechs, West Islip, N.Y. 
• Ethan Brown, Team 5338, RoboLoCo, Leesburg, Va. 
• Joyce Yang, Team 1967, The Janksters, San Jose, Calif. 
• Leslie Kim, Team 3928, Team Neutrino, Ames, Iowa 
• Nate King, Team 2129, Ultraviolet, Minneapolis, Minn. 
• Nazlı Eren, Team 2905, Sultans of Türkiye, Istanbul, Turkey 
• Thomas Gormley, Team 2834, Bionic Black Hawks, Bloomfield Township, Mich. 
• Trevor Langley, Team 5188, Area 5188: Classified Robotics, Terre Haute, Ind. 

From FIRST Tech Challenge:  

• Sophia Burbano, Team 11574, Incognito, Reno, Nev. 
• Ben Caunt, Team 19376, Thermal Equilibrium, Shelby, N.C. 
• Zoe Gibson, Team 12735, CAATS, Minneapolis, Minn. 
• Melody Hu, Team 8565, TechnicBots, Plano, Texas 
• Kyran Siddiqui, Team 18183, Rounded Cube, Oswego, Ill. 
• Brianna Alexandra Stan, Team 15975, ROBOTX HUNEDOARA, Hunedoara, Romania 
• Isaiah Villarreal, Team 5470, Montwood Rambotics, El Paso, Texas 
• Rohan Bosworth, Team 16884, Mechanical Advantage, San Diego, Calif. 
• Diana Omar, Team 10216, SpiderByte, Ellicott City, Md. 
• Jewel Moore, Team 9788, Manual High School RoboRams II, Peoria, Ill. 

 

1. FIRST^® Robotics Competition Championship – FIRST Robotics Competition (ages 14-18) combines sports excitement with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited resources, and time limits, students are challenged to fundraise, design a team identity, exercise teamwork, and build and program robots to compete in an exciting game that includes autonomous and driver-operated periods. In the 2022 game, RAPID REACT presented by The Boeing Company, teams re-imagine the future of safe and high-speed transport, rushing to load critical cargo and propel the evolution of transportation forward.  

More than 3,200 FIRST Robotics Competition teams competed during the 2022 season, with 454 teams advancing to Championship.  

• Team 1629, Garrett Coalition (GaCo), Accident, Md. won the Chairman’s Award, the highest honor given at the FIRST Robotics Competition Championship, recognizing the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST. Team 1511, Rolling Thunder, Penfield, N.Y.; Team 2438, 'Iobotics, Honolulu, Hawaii; Team 2468, Team Appreciate, Austin, Texas; Team 642, 4th Dimension. Bornova, Turkey; and Team 6652, Tigres, Monterrey, Mexico, were Chairman’s Award Finalists. 
• The Winning Alliance of the FIRST Robotics Competition was Team 254, The Cheesy Poofs, San Jose, Calif.; Team 1619, Up-A-Creek Robotics, Longmont, Colo., Team 3175, Knight Vision, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.; and Team 6672, Fusion Corps, Irving, Texas  
  • The Championship Finalist Alliance was Team 4414, HighTide, Ventura, Calif.; Team 1577, Steampunk, Raanana, Israel; Team 2539, Krypton Cougars, Palmyra, Pa.; and Team 4099, The Falcons, Poolesville, Md. 

Other FIRST Robotics Competition Awards included: 

Division Winners – 

• Carver Division: Team 1323, MadTown Robotics, Madera, Calif.; Team 604, Quixilver, San Jose, Calif.; Team 4153, Project Y, Los Alamos, N.M.; and Team 3603, Cyber Coyotes, Reed City, Mich. 
• Galileo Division: Team 254, The Cheesy Poofs, San Jose, Calif.; Team 1619, Up-A-Creek Robotics, Longmont, Colo., Team 3175, Knight Vision, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.; and Team 6672, Fusion Corps, Irving, Texas 
• Hopper Division: Team 1678, Citrus Circuits, Davis, Calif.; Team 1706, Ratchet Rockers, Wentzville, Mo.; Team 5454, Obsidian, Bentonville, Ark.; and Team 4213, MetalCow Robotics, Bloomington, Ill. 
• Newton Division: Team 973, Greybots, Atascadero, Calif.; Team 2910, Jack in the Bot, Bothell, Wash.; Team 1730, Team Driven, Lees Summit, Mo.; and Team 5804, TORCH, Henrico, Va. 
• Roebling Division: Team 6328, Mechanical Advantage, Littleton, Mass.; Team 5940, BREAD, Redwood City, Calif.; Team 2471, Team Mean Machine, Camas, Wash.; and Team 3534, House of Cards, Davison, Mich. 
• Turing Division: Team 4414, HighTide, Ventura, Calif.; Team 1577, Steampunk, Raanana, Israel; Team 2539, Krypton Cougars, Palmyra, Pa.; and Team 4099, The Falcons, Poolesville, Md. 

View all the FIRST Robotics Competition Championship Division Finalists  

Engineering Inspiration Award – 

• Carver Division: Team 3928, Team Neutrino, Ames, Iowa  
• Galileo Division: Team 4329, Lutheran Roboteers, Saint Peters, Mo. 
• Hopper Division: Team 2905, Sultans of Türkiye, Istanbul, Turkey  
• Newton Division: Team 2096, RoboActive, Dimona, Israel  
• Roebling Division: Team 2341, Sprockets, Shawnee, Okla. 
• Turing Division: Team 5985, Project Bucephalus, Wollongong, Australia 

Autonomous Award sponsored by Ford – 

• Carver Division: Team 1690, Orbit, Binyamina, Israel 
• Galileo Division: Team 1619, Up-A-Creek Robotics, Longmont, Colo. 
• Hopper Division: Team 1678, Citrus Circuits, Davis, Calif. 
• Newton Division: Team 2054, Tech Vikes, Hopkins, Mich. 
• Roebling Division: Team 4265, Secret City Wildbots, Oak Ridge, Tenn. 
• Turing Division: Team 1577, Steampunk, Raanana, Israel 

Creativity Award sponsored by Rockwell Automation –  

• Carver Division: Team 4907, Thunderstamps, St. Thomas, Ont., Canada  
• Galileo Division: Team 2481, Roboteers, Tremont, Ill. 
• Hopper Division: Team 2832, The Livonia  Warriors, Livonia, Mich. 
• Newton Division: Team 5804, TORCH, Henrico, Va. 
• Roebling Division: Team 3310, Black Hawk Robotics, Heath, Texas 
• Turing Division: Team 341, Miss Daisy, Ambler, Pa. 

Entrepreneurship Award – 

• Carver Division: Team 862, Lightning Robotics, Canton, Mich. 
• Galileo Division: Team 2590, Nemesis, Robbinsville, N.J. 
• Hopper Division: Team 4499, The Highlanders, Fort Collins, Colo. 
• Newton Division: Team 3339, BumbleB, Kfar Yona, Israel 
• Roebling Division: Team 5940, BREAD, Redwood City, Calif. 
• Turing Division: Team 4400, CERBOTICS, Torreon, Mexico 

Excellence in Engineering Award –  

• Carver Division: Team 1073, The Force Team, Hollis, N.H.  
• Galileo Division: Team 2168, Aluminum Falcons, Groton, Conn. 
• Hopper Division: Team 624, CRyptonite, Katy, Texas 
• Newton Division: Team 1325, Inverse Paradox, Mississauga, Ont., Canada 
• Roebling Division: Team 4481, Team Rembrandts, Eindhoven, Netherlands 
• Turing Division: Team 4735, Tecmilenio - Peñoles - DEROF - 4735, Torreon, Mexico 

Gracious Professionalism^® Award –  

• Carver Division: Team 6024, R Factor, Mumbai, India 
• Galileo Division: Team 1477, Texas Torque, Conroe, Texas 
• Hopper Division: Team 3128, Aluminum Narwhals, San Diego, Calif.  
• Newton Division: Team 3847, Spectrum   -△◅, Houston, Texas 
• Roebling Division: Team 6328, Mechanical Advantage, Littleton, Mass. 
• Turing Division: Team 8793, Pumpkin Bots, Half Moon Bay, Calif. 

Imagery Award in honor of Jack Kamen –  

• Carver Division: Team 2491, NoMythic, Saint Paul, Minn.  
• Galileo Division: Team 3476, Code Orange, Irvine, Calif. 
• Hopper Division: Team 5454, Obsidian, Bentonville, Ark. 
• Newton Division: Team 587, The Hedgehogs, Hillsborough, N.C. 
• Roebling Division: Team 3182, Athena's Warriors, Hartford, Conn. 
• Turing Division: Team 4944, The Hi Fives, Grand Junction, Colo. 

Industrial Design Award sponsored by General Motors – 

• Carver Division: Team 1502, Technical Difficulties, Chelsea, Mich.  
• Galileo Division: Team 118, Robonauts, League City, Texas 
• Hopper Division: Team 2767, Stryke Force, Kalamazoo, Mich.   
• Newton Division: Team 4206, Robo Vikes, Fort Worth, Texas 
• Roebling Division: Team 176, Aces High, Windsor Locks, Conn. 
• Turing Division: Team 971, Spartan Robotics, Mountain View, Calif. 

Innovation in Control Award –  

• Carver Division: Team 3284, Camdenton  LASER 3284, Camdenton, Mo. 
• Galileo Division: Team 846, The Funky Monkeys, San Jose, Calif. 
• Hopper Division: Team 1706, Ratchet Rockers, Wentzville, Mo. 
• Newton Division: Team 4342, Demon Robotics, Kennett Square, Pa. 
• Roebling Division: Team 836, The RoboBees, Hollywood, Md. 
• Turing Division: Team 125, NUTRONs, Boston, Mass. 

Quality Award –  

• Carver Division: Team 59, RamTech, Miami, Fla. 
• Galileo Division: Team 364, Team Fusion, Gulfport, Miss. 
• Hopper Division: Team 6998, NNKIEH, Tainan, Chinese Taipei 
• Newton Division: Team 3461, Operation PEACCE Robotics, Bristol, Conn. 
• Roebling Division: Team 5895, Peddie Robotics, Hightstown, N.J. 
• Turing Division: Team 4414, HighTide, Ventura, Calif. 

Team Spirit Award –  

• Carver Division: Team 2642, Pitt Pirates, Greenville, N.C. 
• Galileo Division: Team 316, LUNATECS, Carneys Point, N.J. 
• Hopper Division: Team 7617, RoboBlazers, Carmel, Ind. 
• Newton Division: Team 3196, Team SPORK, Mooresville, N.C. 
• Roebling Division: Team 115, MVRT, Cupertino, Calif. 
• Turing Division: Team 3061, Huskie Robotics, Naperville, Ill. 

Highest Rookie Seed –  

• Carver Division: Team 8733, Renaissance Robotics, Athens, Ala. 
• Galileo Division: Team 8590, CAVBOTICS, Fairfax, Va. 
• Hopper Division: Team 8822, Lc3 Thunderbirds, Montrose, Iowa 
• Newton Division: Team 8711, The Midnight Ostrich Runners, Broken Arrow, Okla. 
• Roebling Division: Team 8840, Bay Robotics, San Francisco, Calif. 
• Turing Division: Team 8516, Wired Up, Andover, Minn. 

Rookie All-star Award –  

• Carver Division: Team 8748, Tecmilenio- DEROS, Durango, Mexico  
• Galileo Division: Team 8573, Rogue-Rangers LEGACY, Alton, Texas 
• Hopper Division: Team 8701, GRAFFITI, Greendale, Wis. 
• Newton Division: Team 8711, The Midnight Ostrich Runners, Broken Arrow, Okla. 
• Roebling Division: Team 8861, 06ANGORA, Ankara, Turkey 
• Turing Division: Team 8708, Ov3r1y K0mp13x, Dunbarton, N.H. 

Rookie Inspiration Award –  

• Carver Division: Team 8849, Storm Robotics, Alpharetta, Ga.  
• Galileo Division: Team 8841, Red Fins, Orlando, Fla. 
• Hopper Division: Team 8739, Redhawk Robotics, Ozone Park, N.Y. 
• Newton Division: Team 8732, Trinity Force, New Orleans, La. 
• Roebling Division: Team 8717, Cyber Vipers, Las Vegas, Nev. 
• Turing Division: Team 8818, The Foe - Foe Engineering Group, Houston, Texas 

Judges’ Awards –  

• Carver Division: Team 6919, The Commodores, Albany, Ga.  
• Galileo Division: Team 5422, Stormgears FRC, Westford, Mass. 
• Hopper Division: Team 5006, Apophis, Fayetteville, Ark.   
• Newton Division: Team 5414, Pearadox, Pearland, Texas 
• Roebling Division: Team 4451, ROBOTZ Garage, Laurens, S.C. 
• Turing Division: Team 70, More Martians, Goodrich, Mich. 

  

2. FIRST^® Tech Challenge World Championship – FIRST Tech Challenge (ages 12-18) students learn to think like engineers. Teams build robots from a reusable kit of parts, develop strategies, document their progress, and compete head-to-head. In the 2021-2022 game, FREIGHT FRENZY^SM presented by Raytheon Technologies, teams and their robots must navigate a complex transportation system by traversing barriers and racing against time to load and deliver essential items to those who need them most.  

Thousands of FIRST Tech Challenge teams competed during the 2021-2022 season, with 160 teams advancing to this week’s FIRST Championship. The presenting sponsor for the FIRST Tech Challenge season is Raytheon Technologies, the season program sponsor is Qualcomm, and season key sponsor is PTC.  

• The FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship Inspire Award, recognizing excellence in robot design and teamwork, went to Team 8565, TechnicBots, Plano, Texas. Inspire Award Finalists were Team 6165, MSET CuttleFish, Saratoga, Calif.; Team 12525, Wolf Corp., Walnut, Calif.; and Team 11212, The Clueless, San Diego, Calif.
• The Winning Alliance was Team 17713, Delta Force, Arad, Romania; Team 11260, Up-A-Creek Robotics, Longmont, Colo.; and Team 14725, Java the Hutts, Fort Myers, Fla. 

Other FIRST Tech Challenge awards included:  

• Division Winners –  
  • Franklin Division: Team 17713, Delta Force, Arad, Romania; Team 11260, Up-A-Creek Robotics, Longmont, Colo.; and Team 14725, Java the Hutts, Fort Myers, Fla. 
  • Jemison Division: Team 11212, The Clueless, San Diego, Calif.; Team 8644, The Brainstormers, Lexington, Mass.; and Team 12928, LightSaders, Austin, Texas 
• Division Finalists –  
  • Franklin Division: Team 18438, Wolfpack Machina, Beverly, Mass.; Team 8393, The Giant Diencephalic BrainSTEM Robotics Team, Baden, Pa.; and Team 8565, TechnicBots, Plano, Texas 
  • Jemison Division: Team 12808, RevAmped Robotics, Portland, Ore.; Team 14481, Don't Blink, Plainsboro, N.J.; and Team 18225, High Definition, Bellevue, Wash. 
• Innovate Award sponsored by Raytheon Technologies – Team 16461, Infinite Turtles, Matthews, N.C. 
• Design Award – Team 12635, Kuriosity Robotics, Palo Alto, Calif.    
• Motivate Award – Team 16884, Mechanical Advantage, San Diego, Calif.  
• Connect Award – Team 8393, The Giant Diencephalic BrainSTEM Robotics Team, Baden, Pa. 
• Think Award – Team 7244, OUT of the BOX Robotics, Thorndale, Pa. 
• Control Award sponsored by Arm, Inc. – Team 12611, TechNova, Bellevue, Wash. 
• Promote Award – Team 8651, Wait For It..., Pearl, Miss. 
• Judges’ Award – “Ultimate Support Award” – Team 5553, RoboComets, Tulsa, Okla. 
• Judges’ Award – “MacGyver Award” – Team 8271, E-Hackers, Eureka, Mont. 
• Judges’ Award – “Vaccine CAD Award” – Team 10265, Force Green, Chesterfield, Mo. 
• Judges’ Award – “Blast of Energy” – Team 15993, infO(1)Robotics, Ploiești, Romania 
• Judges’ Award – “Listening to the Earth” – Team 16031, PARABELLUM, Port Coquitlam, B.C., Canada 
• Judges’ Award – “Clever Connections” – Team 21128, OSOF, Seo-gu, Republic of Korea 

 

3. FIRST^® LEGO^® League World Festival – FIRST LEGO League (ages 4-16, varies by country) introduces younger students to real-world engineering challenges by inviting them to conduct research projects and build LEGO^®-based autonomous robots to complete tasks on a thematic playing surface. FIRST LEGO League students, guided by their imaginations, discover exciting career possibilities and learn to make positive contributions to society.  

This year, CARGO CONNECT^SM challenged tens of thousands of student teams from around the world to research and invent new ways to move goods safely and efficiently, and how to improve the future of cargo transportation. 

106 FIRST LEGO League Challenge division teams (ages 9-16, varies by country) participated in the event through robot matches, Innovation Project presentations, and FIRST Core Values activities. Top honors went to Champion’s Award winner, Team 55467, Legotronics Beavers, Torres de Elorz, Spain; Champion’s Award Finalist, Team 55442, FIRST FUJISAN, Yamanashi, Japan; Champion’s Award Finalist, Team 55445, RoboTrix 1200, Kfar Yona, Israel; and Champion’s Award Finalist, Team 55466, Aldeatrón Robotix, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. 

Other FIRST LEGO League Challenge award winners included:  

• Robot Performance Award – Team 55467, Legotronics Beavers, Torres de Elorz, Spain 
• Robot Design Award – Team 3732, Team Phoenix, Lafayette, La. 
• Innovation Project Award – Team 26096, Darth Rappers, Raleigh, N.C. 
• Core Values Award – Team 38155, Yinz Girlz, Pittsburgh, Pa. 

49 FIRST LEGO League Explore division teams (ages 6-10) presented exhibits of their CARGO CONNECT models and research to showcase their critical thinking and imagination skills during the event. The FIRST LEGO League Explore Team Choice Award went to Team 25379, Team DAV Ultimate Shippers, Houston, Texas. 

Visit the FIRST LEGO League blog for a full list of World Festival award recipients. Save the date June 23, 2022, for the 2022 FIRST LEGO League Global Innovation Award show presented by Qualcomm at Union Station in St. Louis, Missouri. 

For more from FIRST Championship, watch highlights on FIRSTtv. 

2022 FIRST Championship Event Sponsors include:  

ARMI|BioFabUSA, The Argosy Foundation, BAE Systems, Bechtel Corporation, The Coca-Cola Company, DoD STEM, FedEx Corporation, Ford Motor Company, Gene Haas Foundation, Google, Houston First, John Deere, Mouser Electronics, Inc., NI, Novelis, Inc., PwC US, Rockwell Automation, Inc., SAIC, Society of Women Engineers, TE Connectivity, United Therapeutics Corporation, The Walt Disney Company, Waymo, Zebra Technologies 

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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 after-school 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. Alumni of FIRST programs gain access to exclusive scholarships, internships, and other opportunities that create connections and open pathways to a wide variety of careers. Learn more at firstinspires.org.