15 Robotics Competitions for High School Students
If you’re a high school student passionate about robotics, then we hope you’re looking to participate in robotics competitions. Competitions are a great way for you to put your skills to the test and develop new ones. Not only do many competitions teach you teamwork and collaboration, but they also hone your leadership and project management skills. Whether it’s some creative problem-solving or a fun challenge, we have compiled a list of 15 robotics competitions for high school students that have you covered.
What are robotics competitions?
Robotics Competitions are events where teams of students design, build, and program robots to compete against each other in a variety of challenges. There are many robotics competitions available for your skill set – regardless of whether you’re a beginner, or quite advanced. So if you’re interested in programming, problem-solving, or engineering – you’re probably suited for robotics competitions! If you’re in high school, you should consider participating in these competitions, because robotics competitions can build your programming skills through hands-on experience, and demonstrate a willingness to challenge yourself – especially to college admissions officers.
How to prep for robotics competitions
When prepping for Robotics competitions, it’s important to understand where you stand with respect to your competitors. So three things that you might want to keep in mind when prepping for a robotics competition include:
Practicing designing and building robots. This one is obvious, but the more you practice algorithms for autonomous navigation and control – the better your odds are at doing well in a competition. Note – if you’re targeting a specific event or competition, it goes without saying that you look into whether it has any areas that you may have a gap in.
Study past competition challenges to understand common themes and strategies. This may also help you identify and address aforementioned knowledge gaps, as well as start brainstorming and ideation a little earlier.
Spend a lot of time with your team. Since so many robotics competitions are team-based events, your team must have strong communication skills and the ability to work together in a time crunch.
How did we pick the competitions and rank them?
The competitions in this list are ranked based on prestige and size. To determine this, we used the following criteria.
We looked at how prestigious tournaments were – by looking at the level of challenge they posed to participants, the complexity of their problems, and their credibility.
We also looked at the size of the tournament– how many teams took part, and how open and accessible registration was for participants – whether the competition was open to different skill levels.
Competitions with levels tagged as ‘Beginner-friendly to intermediate’ indicate that it is necessary to have very basic programming language proficiency, while ‘Intermediate’ or ‘Intermediate to Advanced’ indicates some degree of specialty needed. If a competition is listed as ‘Advanced’, it could be a highly specialized or highly competitive tournament.
Key takeaways
The most prestigious, selective competitions on this list are FIRST Robotics Competition, VEX V5, Zero Robotics (MIT/NASA, with winning code run in space), and RoboCup Junior, all of which carry strong recognition with college admissions officers.
The most accessible on-ramps for newcomers are VEX V5 (rolling registration and strong new-team support), BEST Robotics (grades 7–12, small team minimums, and no kit cost), RoboGames (fully open registration, even to adults), and Robofest (a $100 entry fee with any robot kit allowed).
Competitions span a range of robotics disciplines, including autonomous coding (Zero Robotics, Botball, Robofest), driver-controlled field games (FIRST Robotics, VEX V5, FIRST Tech Challenge), underwater ROVs (MATE ROV), aerial UAVs (Aerospace Robotics Competition), combat robotics (National Robotics League), and research-style innovation (World Robotics Olympiad's Future Engineers track).
Several competitions are international, requiring national qualification before a world final, including World Robotics Olympiad, RoboRAVE International, RoboCup Junior, and Robofest, while others like the National Robotics Challenge and Aerospace Robotics Competition are U.S.-focused.
Costs vary widely: Zero Robotics is free, Robofest charges around $100, and team-based field competitions like FIRST Robotics can run several thousand dollars per team, though most offer fundraising guidance or financial aid.
Deadlines are spread across the year, with most team-based competitions registering between summer and fall and competing through spring, so students should identify their target competition early and lock in a 6–8 week prep plan covering CAD, one core programming language (Java, C++, or Python), and sensor integration before the season begins.
With that, here’s a list of 15 robotics competitions for high school students!
1. FIRST Robotics Competition
Location: Competitions are held across most U.S. states, plus 35 countries internationally. Find local teams and events here.
Eligibility: High School Students, aged between 14 and 18. Teams must have at least 10 students, with 2 adult mentors. Teams are usually affiliated with schools or local educational institutions or organizations, so it’s best to check whether such an organization already exists in your community. If not – you can independently organize as well!
Prize: Scholarships and awards across many categories, including a large pool of college scholarships available to participants.
Registration + Submission Deadline: Team registrations are usually $6500, FIRST offers guidance on fundraising for this amount as well as aid to teams that need it. Confirm pricing here.
Competition dates: Early January through April, based on the 2026–2027 season. The new game kicks off January 9, 2027, with events running through the FIRST Championship in late April.
While this competition is great for any team that’s passionate about robotics, if you are a sports enthusiast, this might be a particularly great competition for you. It also has a strong element of networking (almost, business-like, and a close parallel to fundraising for your project).
FIRST Robotics is a prestigious, competitive, team-based competition. With strict rules and limited time and resources, teams have to build an industrial-sized robot that is capable of competing in a complex field game at competitions. When it comes to preparing for this competition, doing research on previous years’ competitions to better understand what kind of strategy your team should follow will be all the more crucial. Furthermore, this competition also challenges you to fundraise for your team, so you’ll have to flex your non-technical skills as well. In terms of basic skills students would need to compete, it might be good to familiarize yourself with prototyping, CAD (computer-aided design), and programming languages like Java, C++, or LabVIEW.
2. RoboGames
Location: San Jose, California — most recently held at the San Jose Convention Center.
Eligibility: Open registration – students and adults alike can apply.
Prize: Cash prizes and trophies are available
Registration+Submission Deadline: TBA for 2026–27, time frame to register based on previous years – typically between summer and the following spring, a few months ahead of the April competition.
Competition Dates: TBA, but RoboGames is usually held in April. The most recent (20th annual) ran April 18–21 in San Jose.
RoboGames has around 15 events to participate in – ranging from combat robots to soccer robots, to art robots. Note that this is one of the most competitive competitions on this list, with over 1000 teams participating every year. For this competition, it’s highly advisable to look at the specifics of the event you want to participate in in order to practice the necessary skills. But in general, sensor integration and data processing are incredibly important, alongside practicing programming and implementing autonomous behaviors.
3. BEST Robotics
Location: TBA for 2026, but hosted across multiple college campuses across different states in the past that you can find here.
Eligibility: Teams must be made up of students from grades 7 through 12. Each team must have a minimum of 5 members and a maximum of 12.
Prize: Top teams receive cash prizes, trophies, and other awards.
Registration+Submission Deadline: Registration opens in spring/summer; teams generally need to sign up ahead of the early-September Kickoff. Check the event registry here for your hub's exact dates.
Competition Dates: TBA for 2026, Fall season — Kickoff in early September, building toward regional Game Day competitions in early November, followed by championship events.
BEST is a robotics competition for middle and high school students. The competition is structured in a team vs team format, with 4 teams participating in a 3-minute match. Teams have to design, build, and program robots to be able to perform a variety of tasks – the theme and challenge changes from year to year, so if you want to participate in this it would be wise to keep an eye out for the announcement as well as look at previous years’ themes. The competition is divided into two phases – the Hub Competition (at the local level) and the Championship Competition (national). If you plan to try this, it would be useful to focus on practicing and improving your ability to use CAD, and programming languages like Java, Python, or C++.
4. World Robotics Olympiad
Location: National rounds are held within each participating country; the 2026 International Final is in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Eligibility: Be a middle school or high school student, teams have a minimum of 3 members.
Prize: Cash prizes and Trophies
Registration+Submission Deadline: Register through your country's official national organizer here; deadlines vary by country, with national rounds typically opening in spring.
Competition Dates: National rounds run spring through fall 2026 find details here, leading to the International Final on December 8–10, 2026.
The World Robotics Olympiad has 4 competition categories – RoboMission, RoboSports, Future Innovators, and Future Engineers. RoboMission entails building and programming a robot that is capable of solving tasks on a field. RoboSports has teams competing against each other in a game. Future Innovators has participants focus on a project to design and build a robot, while Future Engineers focuses on more advanced robotics in line with the current research trends. More details about each can be found here. Apart from CAD and other programming languages, it would be good to familiarize yourself with the basics of Machine Learning and the Internet of Things (IoT).
5. VEX V5 robotics competition
Location: Multiple locations across the U.S. and internationally; the World Championship is held in St. Louis, Missouri (2026 and 2027).
Eligibility: Middle and high School Students, their schools need to be signed up with Robotics Education and Competition Foundation. The foundation provides support to new teams – you can find a guide to start a new team and compete at a high level here. Team capacities are a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 10 members.
Prize: Awards but no cash prize
Registration + Submission Deadline: Rolling and not declared – you can create a team at any point. The best time to register is likely to be in the May – June period, in order to participate in various scrimmages and rounds.
Competition dates: Events run from fall through spring, culminating in the VEX Robotics World Championship in late April.
The VEX Robotics competition is a highly prestigious, annual international event where teams of students design a robot that competes with other robots in a series of challenges and activities. Each round of the competition is two minutes long, with a 15-second autonomous period and a 1:45 minute controlled driving period. You should ensure to practice your skills in not just RobotC or VEXCode, but also design and knowledge of sensors and feedback mechanisms.
Here are 8 things you need to know about the Vex V5 Robotics Competition!
6. Botball Tournament
Location: Regional tournaments are held nationwide; the international finals (the Global Conference on Educational Robotics) take place in Norman, Oklahoma, in 2026
Eligibility: Middle and high school students. Minimum of 3 members per team, there is a registration fee but you can apply for a team scholarship.
Prize: Awards offered
Registration+Submission Deadline: Registration ties to your regional workshop and typically opens in winter, ahead of the spring tournaments — sign up before your region's tournament date.
Competition Dates: Educator workshops run January–March, regional tournaments spring (roughly March–May), and the international finals at GCER in mid-July.
Botball organizes a robotics tournament every year where teams compete against each other. There are two levels to the competition – the regional qualifier, and the national finals. The robots are completely autonomous. Botball provides the necessary resources to learn and develop strategies using AI and embedded systems. The languages frequently used in this competition are C, C++, and Java.
7. RoboRAVE International
Location: Lörrach, Germany (Tumringen sports hall) for 2026
Eligibility: Age group 1: 10 - 13; Age group 2: 14 - 20. A team consists of two to four members. For detailed eligibility criteria, please see here.
Prize: Varying amounts of prize money.
Registration + Submission deadline: The 2026 deadline is to be announced — registration typically closes in late October, a few weeks before the event (the 2025 deadline was October 26). You can register here.
Competition dates: November 14th–15th, 2026. A detailed schedule is available here.
RoboRAVE is an international competition in which self-designed robots made by students compete against each other. This event focuses on having fun while learning, sharing, and teamwork. It is an international competition with participation open not just for groups from the region but from the entire world. Founded in Albuquerque (New Mexico, USA), RoboRAVE is hosted in many countries on five different continents. This event is also team-based. If you want to participate in this, practice your skills in languages like Python, Arduino, and Scratch. Make sure you have ample time to practice and improve your robot’s performance.
We’ve covered RoboRave and tips that can help you win in detail in this blog!
8. National Robotics Challenge
Location: Marion, Ohio
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 through 12, each team has a minimum of 3 members and a max of 6. Note that there is a registration fee of $80 per team and $15 per robot. You can find more information here.
Prize: Awards and Trophies
Registration+Submission Deadline: Typically late winter, a few weeks ahead of the April event — confirm the 2026-2027 deadline on the registration page.
Competition Dates: April 15th through 17th, 2027.
The National Robotics Challenge is one of the longest established robotics competitions in the United States. It has qualifier tournaments – i.e., tournaments at the local level, from which the top teams go on to participate in the finals. There are 12 competition categories, with the Autonomous Vehicle Challenge posing the most programming complexity and other categories including Pick and Place Programming, Robot Problem Solving, and more. For this competition, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with CAD and other programming languages at the very least. Be sure to check each category's specific requirements here!
9. MATE ROV Competition
Location: St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada (Memorial University's Marine Institute) for the 2026 World Championship. Last year's championship was held in Alpena, Michigan.
Eligibility: Middle and high school students. Teams are a minimum of 2 members and a max of 6. More registration information can be found here.
Prize: Awards and Cash Prizes are offered.
Registration+Submission Deadline: TBA, likely January 2026.
Competition Dates: Regional events run in spring, leading to the World Championship in June 2026. Note – this competition is slightly specialized!
MATE ROV is an underwater or Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) robotics competition. There are 5 competition classes that are organized by skill level. You can find different resources and the history of themes in the competition here. It generally focuses on climate change and how tech can help. If you want to participate in this competition, it would be good to learn and equip yourself with skills related to sensors and feedback mechanisms, CAD, and other programming languages.
10. Aerospace Robotics Competition
Location: Saint Anselm College, New Hampshire (host of the 2026 event).
Eligibility: High School Students, teams with a minimum of 5 members – max of 10.
Prize: Trophies and Awards, Scholarships
Registration+Submission Deadline: Registration opens for the season in fall/winter, with the technical presentation and registration deadlines falling earlier in the spring — confirm current dates on the official site.
Competition Dates: Late spring — the 2026 event's technical presentations are in May 2026.
Note – this competition is slightly specialized. Best for those interested in aerospace engineering!
The Aerospace Robotics Competition is a 2-day competitive event designed to teach high school students about the principles of aerospace engineering through designing, building, programming, and flying UAVs. Teams present their technical plans on the first day to a panel of judges. On the second day, teams will have to compete in a series of challenges including autonomous flight and semi-autonomous flight. For this competition, it would be good to familiarize yourself with UAV-specific software platforms and libraries, as well as MATLAB, C++, and Python.
11. Zero Robotics
Location: Online simulation rounds, with the finals hosted at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12. Teams have 5–20 students plus a mentor, and are open to the U.S. and European Space Agency member states.
Prize: Individual and team awards, plus the chance to have your code run live in space. Free to enter.
Registration + Submission Deadline: Registration closes November 21; final code is due February 13.
Competition Dates: The high school tournament runs September through December, with the finals at MIT on February 21.
Zero Robotics is a programming competition developed by MIT and NASA, and one of the most prestigious robotics challenges on this list. Rather than building a physical robot, your team writes autonomous code to control free-flying satellites aboard the International Space Station, competing first in a web-based simulation before finalists' code runs live in space. Because it's software-based and free, it's unusually accessible for an event of this caliber. For this competition, it's advisable to practice algorithmic thinking, optimization, and the online coding environment.
12. RoboCup Junior
Location: Hosted in a different country every year. The most recent World Championship was held in Incheon, South Korea.
Eligibility: Students roughly ages 14–19, competing in age-based brackets. Team sizes vary by league and region.
Prize: Trophies, awards, and international recognition.
Registration + Submission Deadline: Varies by country, set by your national RoboCup organizer, with most qualifiers running March through May.
Competition Dates: National qualifiers run through spring, leading to the international World Championship on June 30 – July 6.
RoboCup Junior is the student division of RoboCup, one of the largest and most respected robotics-and-AI competitions in the world. The junior side has three challenges: Soccer (autonomous 2-v-2 matches), Rescue (navigating disaster scenarios), and OnStage (creative robot performances). Note that advancing through national qualifiers to a world stage of 3,000+ participants makes this genuinely prestigious. For this competition, it's advisable to practice autonomous behavior, sensor integration, and a language like Python, C++, or Java.
13. Robofest
Location: Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, Michigan, host of the World Championship. Local and video qualifiers run across the U.S. and internationally.
Eligibility: Open to students in grades 5–12, in Junior (grades 5–8) and Senior (grades 9–12) divisions. Any adult can coach, and any robot kit and programming language are allowed.
Prize: Trophies, plus an automatic $3,000/year Lawrence Tech scholarship for all competitors and up to $20,000/year for Senior Division World Champions.
Registration + Submission Deadline: Registration opens in fall ($100 fee); U.S. qualifiers run February through April.
Competition Dates: Qualifiers run fall through spring, leading to the World Championship on May 14–16.
Robofest, created at Lawrence Technological University in 1999, stands out because its robots must be completely autonomous, controlled only by software the students write from scratch with no remote driving. With 8 competition categories, from the autonomous Game to the advanced machine-vision Vision Centric Challenge and creative RoboMed and RoboArts events, there's an on-ramp for nearly every skill level. Its low entry barrier makes it accessible, while the world championship draws teams from nearly 40 countries. For this competition, it's advisable to practice autonomous programming, sensor logic, and machine vision.
14. National Robotics League (NRL)
Location: Regional competitions across the U.S., leading to the NRL National Championship.
Eligibility: Open to middle and high school students, competing as school or youth-organization teams paired with a local manufacturing industry advisor.
Prize: Trophies and the National Grand Champion title, plus industry mentorship and workforce connections.
Registration + Submission Deadline: National Championship registration closes May 8 ($200 per team); regional events run earlier in spring.
Competition Dates: Regional battles run February through April, leading to the National Championship in May.
The National Robotics League is a combat-robotics competition created by the manufacturing industry to connect students directly with real-world engineering careers. Teams design, build, and battle a 15-pound robot in an arena, partnering with a local machine shop that serves as their industry advisor. That industry pairing is what makes NRL distinctive, giving you hands-on professional manufacturing experience, and teams are also judged on an engineering documentation binder. For this competition, it's advisable to build skills in CAD, fabrication and machining, electromechanical design, and driving strategy.
15. FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC)
Location: Qualifiers and regional championships are held across the U.S. and internationally, culminating in the FIRST Championship in Houston, Texas.
Eligibility: Students in grades 7–12, in teams of up to 15 members with adult coaches and mentors.
Prize: Judged awards for robot performance, design, and outreach, plus access to over $80 million in college scholarships.
Registration + Submission Deadline: Team registration opens in May; the season kicks off September 6, with qualifying tournaments running October through February.
Competition Dates: Qualifiers and regional championships run September through March, leading to the FIRST Championship on April 29 – May 2.
FIRST Tech Challenge is the natural step between entry-level robotics and the flagship FIRST Robotics Competition, with smaller robots, smaller teams, and a lower cost, but the same alliance-based format. Teams design, build, and program a reusable robot for a new themed game each season, while documenting their work in an engineering portfolio that factors into judged awards. Advancement is merit-based, moving from local qualifiers to regional championships and on to the international FIRST Championship. For this competition, it's advisable to familiarize yourself with CAD, Java-based programming, and clear engineering documentation.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most prestigious robotics competitions for high school students?
FIRST Robotics Competition is the flagship, scholarship-heavy event, while VEX V5 is a highly prestigious international competition with a smaller-scale entry point. Zero Robotics, developed by MIT and NASA, is among the most selective, since finalists' code runs on satellites aboard the International Space Station. RoboCup Junior, the student division of the world-renowned RoboCup, also carries strong international recognition.
Which robotics competitions are best for beginners?
VEX V5 offers rolling registration and strong support for new teams, BEST Robotics is open to grades 7–12 with small team minimums and no kit cost, and RoboGames has fully open registration. Robofest is also beginner-friendly, with a low $100 entry fee and the freedom to use any robot kit or programming language.
Which competitions are best for specialized interests like underwater or aerospace robotics?
MATE ROV is the standout for underwater robotics, focusing on remotely operated vehicles and climate-related challenges. The Aerospace Robotics Competition is best for students interested in aerospace engineering and UAVs, involving autonomous and semi-autonomous flight. The National Robotics League suits students drawn to combat robotics and hands-on manufacturing.
How much do robotics competitions cost?
Costs range widely. Zero Robotics is completely free, Robofest charges around $100, and the National Robotics Challenge runs about $80 per team plus $15 per robot. Larger team-based field competitions like FIRST Robotics can cost several thousand dollars per team, though FIRST and most other organizers provide fundraising guidance or need-based financial aid.
What skills should I learn before competing in a robotics competition?
Most competitions reward a common core: CAD (computer-aided design), at least one programming language such as Java, C++, or Python, and a solid understanding of sensors and feedback systems. Platform-specific tools matter too, like VEXCode or RobotC for VEX, and MATLAB for aerospace-focused events. For autonomous competitions like Botball, Robofest, and Zero Robotics, focus on algorithmic thinking and autonomous control.
Are robotics competitions worth it for college admissions?
Yes. Robotics competitions demonstrate initiative, technical skill, teamwork, and a willingness to challenge yourself, all qualities admissions officers value. Prestigious events like FIRST Robotics and Zero Robotics carry particular weight, and many, including FIRST and Robofest, offer college scholarships directly to participants.