PRESS ROOM & NEWS

FIRST Hosts 20,000+ Students at World’s Largest Robotics Competition

will.i.am, U.S. Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith, NASA Administrator Maj. Gen. Charles Bolden, U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Michelle D. Johnson, and Top Inventors Celebrate Student Achievements in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math During FIRST Championship in St. Louis

Championship Presenting Sponsor Qualcomm Incorporated and Dean Kamen Cheered on Young Innovators from 42 Countries as their Robots Competed at Annual Robotics Event


Select program name to jump to awards section:

FIRST® Robotics Competition    FIRST® Tech Challenge
FIRST® LEGO® League          FIRST® LEGO® League Jr.
Dean's List Award    

 

ST. LOUIS, MO., April 30, 2016 ― This week, more than 20,000 students from around the globe traveled to St. Louis, putting their engineering skills to the test at the annual FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Championship, held at various venues throughout the city.

The four-day event came down to a heart-pounding conclusion Saturday night in front of a roaring crowd of more than 40,000 when four teams from Hermosa Beach, California; Tremont, Illinois;  Cleveland, Ohio; and Glen Allen, Virginia of the Carver Subdivision won the coveted FIRST Robotics Competition Championship Winning Alliance. In this year’s game, FIRST STRONGHOLDSM, Alliances worked together to breach their opponents’ fortifications, weaken their tower, and capture the opposing tower. Robots scored points by breaching opponents’ defenses and tossing boulders through goals in the opposing tower. During the final 20 seconds of the match, robots were allowed to surround and scale the opposing tower to capture it.

In all, over 20,000 students, ages 6 to 18, participated in FIRST Championship events in St. Louis.

Selected Quotes:

  • FIRST Founder Dean Kamen urged students to use their imagination to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges: We believe that if you can show kids that the tools of mathematics and engineering empower them to do some really cool, really fun things, they’ll get passionate about it.
  • Colin Gillespie, President, LEGO® Education North America, said: Research shows we’re significantly more creative when we’re 5 years old than we are when we’re 25, but you can keep your creativity alive with playful learning experiences like those you get through FIRST. You’re rekindling that awesome creativity and can see the world in ways (we) can only hope to imagine.
  • NASA Administrator Maj. Gen. Charles Bolden said: I can’t stress how important it is to have young people like each of you pursuing STEM. You and your Mentors have demonstrated that it can be a lot of hard work, but also a lot of fun. It’s important work that can make a real difference to the world’s future.

Among the participants from around the globe, many earned honors for design excellence, competitive play, research, business plans, website design, teamwork, and partnerships. A not-for-profit organization founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen, FIRST inspires young people’s interest and participation in science and technology.

In St. Louis, more than 900 teams from 42 countries competed in the four FIRST programs: FIRST® LEGO® League (grades 4 to 8, 9 to 14-year-olds in the U.S, Canada, and Mexico; 9 to 16-year-olds outside the U.S., Canada, and Mexico); FIRST® Tech Challenge (grades 7 to 12, 12 to 18-year-olds); and FIRST® Robotics Competition (grades 9 to 12, ages 14 to 18). In addition to the high-energy robotics matches, 60 teams of 6 to 9-year-olds participated in the FIRST® LEGO® League Jr. (grades K-3, ages 6-9), World Festival Expo.

The Bart Kamen Memorial FIRST Scholarships were given to:

  • Ryan Bigej, FIRST Tech Challenge Team 9123, Mechanicougs, Hubbard, OR
  • Jameson Kief, FIRST Robotics Competition Team 4557, The FullMetal Falcons, Plantsville, CT
  • Miranda Rector, FIRST Tech Challenge Team 3493, Venice Technomatics, Los Angeles, CA
  • Maya Varma, FIRST Tech Challenge Team 5917, Arcrobots, and FIRST Robotics Competition Team  2135, Presentation Invasion, Cupertino, CA

The FIRST Championship honored significant supporters of the FIRST mission:

  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was the recipient of 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.
  • Eric Stokely, Mentor, Team 360; Fieldhouse Supervisor, FIRST Washington; and former FIRST Tech Challenge Affiliate Partner; from Belfair, WA, was the recipient of the Woodie Flowers Award, founded by Dr. William P. Murphy Jr. to recognize an outstanding engineer or teacher who best demonstrates teaching excellence in teaching science, math, and creative design.
  • Walt Disney Imagineering was the recipient of the Make It Loud Award, presented by will.i.am, given to the person who has contributed the most in increasing the awareness of FIRST to the general public.
  • Maya Varma of FIRST Tech Challenge Team 5917, Acrobats, and FIRST Robotics Competition Team 2135, Presentation Innovation, from Cupertino, CA, received the FIRST Future Innovator Award sponsored by the Abbott Fund for her Smartphone-Based System for Diagnosis and Management of Pulmonary Illnesses.

2016 FIRST Championship Winners

The 2016 winners of the competitions are as follows:

Winners of the Dean’s List Award included:

From FIRST Robotics Competition:

  • Brenden Barbour, Team 3284, Camdenton 4-H LASER, Camdenton, MO;
  • Zarya DeSouza, Team 3494, Quadrangles, Bloomington, IN;
  • Chenelle Foster, Team 5830, The Irrational Engineers, Lanham, MD;
  • Mitchel Huang, Team 503, Frog Force, Novi, MI;
  • Shikhar Jagadeesh, Team 846, The Funky Monkeys, San Jose, CA;
  • Shanatanu Jakhete, Team 180, S.P.A.M., Stuart, FL;
  • Brandon John, Team 3061, Huskie Robotics, Naperville, IL;
  • Autumn Luna, Team 3250, Kennedy Robotics, Sacramento, CA;
  • Shaqeeb Momen, Team 1241, THEORY6, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada;
  • Jessa Westheimer, Team 118, Robonauts, League City, TX

From FIRST Tech Challenge:

  • Andrew Dornbier, Team 7220, The Block Heads, Garner, IA;
  • Colleen Johnson, Team 3595, Schrödinger’s Hat, Fairbanks, AK;
  • Luz Moreno, Team 9547, Panthers, San Antonio, TX;
  • Juwon Packer, Team 4886, RoboJunkies, Midland, TX;
  • Knut Peterson, Team 7129, Robo Raiders,Troy, IL;
  • Anshuman Radhakrishnan, Team 4855, Batteries in Black, Portland, OR;
  • Sanjna Ravichandar, Team 6037, W.A.G.S., Princeton Junction, NJ;
  • David Sargent, Team 5395, Team Clutch, Mustang, OK;
  • Phoebe Spear, Team 6081, i2robotics, Westport, CT;
  • Anika Yardi, Team 8121, RMageddon, Rockville, MD
     

FIRST® Robotics Competition Championship FIRST Robotics Competition combines sports excitement with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited resources, and time limits, teams are challenged to fundraise, design a brand, exercise teamwork, and build and program robots to perform tasks against competitors.

Approximately 78,500 students on 3,140 teams from 24 countries competed during the 2016 season.

  • The Winning Alliance of the FIRST Robotics Competition Championship was Team 330, The Beach Bots, Hermosa Beach, CA; Team 2481, Roboteers, Tremont, IL; Team 120, Cleveland's Team, Cleveland, OH; and Team 1086, Blue Cheese, Glen Allen, VA of the Carver Subdivision.
  • Team 987 HIGHROLLERS, Las Vegas, NV, 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.

Other FIRST Robotics Competition Awards included:

  • Engineering Inspiration Award
    • Archimedes-Tesla Division: Team 3211 The Y Team, Yeruham D, Israel
    • Curie-Carver Division: Team 3990  Tech for Kids, Montreal, QC, Canada
    • Galileo-Carson Division: Team 2468 Team Appreciate, Austin TX
    • Newton-Hopper Division: Team 1676 The Pascack PI-oneers, Montvale, NJ
  • Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award
    • Jessica Boucher, FIRST Robotics Competition Chief Volunteer Coordinator  

Championship Finalists

Tesla Subdivision

  • Team 2056, OP Robotics, Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada  
  • Team 1690, Orbit, Binyamina, HaZafon, Israel  
  • Team 3015, Ranger Robotics, Spencerport, NY
  • Team 1405, Finney Falcons, Penfield, NY

Subdivision Winners

Archimedes Subdivision

  • Team 1501, Team THRUST, Huntington, IN
  • Team 1986, Team Titanium, Lee's Summit, MO
  • Team 5050, Cow Town Robotics, Carleton, MI
  • Team 4828, RoboEagles, Raleigh, NC

Carson Subdivision

  • Team 2122, Team Tators, Boise, ID 
  • Team 2052, KnightKrawler, New Brighton, MN
  • Team 3538, RoboJackets, Auburn Hills, MI 
  • Team 41, RoboWarriors, Warren, NJ

Carver Subdivision

  • Team 330, The Beach Bots, Hermosa Beach, CA
  • Team 2481, Roboteers, Tremont, IL
  • Team 120, Cleveland's Team, Cleveland, OH
  • Team 1086, Blue Cheese, Glen Allen, VA

Curie Subdivision

  • Team 694, StuyPulse, New York, NY
  • Team 3339, BumbleB, Kfar Yona, HaMerkaz, Israel 
  • Team 379, RoboCats, Girard, OH
  • Team 1511, Rolling Thunder, Penfield, NY

Galileo Subdivision

  • Team 195, CyberKnights, Southington, CT
  • Team 987, HIGHROLLERS, Las Vegas, NV
  • Team 1197, TorBots, Torrance, CA
  • Team 1065, The Moose, Kissimmee, FL

Hopper Subdivision

  • Team 148, Robowranglers, Greenville, TX
  • Team 1678, Citrus Circuits, Davis, CA
  • Team 364, Team Fusion, Gulfport, MS 
  • Team 2990, Hotwire, Aumsville, OR

 Newton Subdivision

  • Team 217, ThunderChickens, Sterling Heights, MI  
  • Team 3476, Code Orange, Irvine, CA  
  • Team 4678, CyberCavs, Breslau, Ontario, Canada   
  • Team 188, Blizzard, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Tesla Subdivision

  • Team 2056, OP Robotics, Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada  
  • Team 1690, Orbit, Binyamina, HaZafon, Israel  
  • Team 3015, Ranger Robotics, Spencerport, NY
  • Team 1405, Finney Falcons, Penfield, NY

Subdivision Finalists

Archimedes Subdivision

  • Team 3166, First Year Ravens, Sandy, UT  
  • Team 180, S.P.A.M., Stuart, FL  
  • Team 3211, The Y Team, Yeruham, HaDarom, Israel
  • Team 999, MechaRAMS, Cheshire, CT  

Carson Subdivision

  • Team 5895, Peddie School Robotics, Hightstown, NJ
  • Team 1024, Kil-A-Bytes, Indianapolis, IN 
  • Team 233, The Pink Team, Rockledge/Cocoa Beach, FL  
  • Team 3688, Norsemen, Suttons Bay, MI

Carver Subdivision

  • Team 133, B.E.R.T., Standish, ME.
  • Team 230, Gaelhawks, Shelton, CT
  • Team 910, The Foley Freeze, Madison Heights, MI
  • Team 1775, Tigerbytes, Kansas City, MO

Curie Subdivision

  • Team 3005, RoboChargers, Dallas, TX
  • Team 876, Thunder Robotics, Hatton/Northwood, ND
  • Team 2557, SOTAbots, Tacoma, WA
  • Team 4061, SciBorgs, Pullman, WA.

Galileo Subdivision

  • Team 558, Elm City Robo Squad, New Haven, CT  
  • Team 494, Martians, Goodrich, MI  
  • Team 2502, Talon Robotics, Eden Prairie, MN  
  • Team 4740, Sparta Bots, Nashville, TN

Hopper Subdivision

  • Team 971, Spartan Robotics, Mountain View, CA
  • Team 1323, MadTown Robotics, Madera, CA
  • Team 193, MORT Beta, Flanders, NJ
  • Team 5254, HYPE, Trumansburg, NY

Newton Subdivision

  • Team 1241, THEORY6, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada 
  • Team 254, The Cheesy Poofs, San Jose, CA  
  • Team 1731, Fresta Valley Robotics Club, Marshall, VA
  • Team 708, Hatters Robotics, Horsham, PA

Tesla Subdivision

  • Team 2834, Bionic Black Hawks, Bloomfield Hills, MI
  • Team 33, Killer Bees, Auburn Hills, MI
  • Team 1756, Argos, Peoria, IL
  • Team 329, Mohawks, Medford, NY
  • Creativity Award sponsored by Xerox
    • Archimedes-Tesla Division: Team 2054 Tech Vikes, Hopkins, MI
    • Curie-Carver Division: Team 4061 SciBorgs, Pullman, WA
    • Galileo-Carson Division: Team 1533 Triple Strange, Greensboro, NC
    • Newton-Hopper Division: Team 869 PowerCord, Middlesex, NJ
  • Excellence in Engineering Award sponsored by Delphi
    • Archimedes-Tesla Division: Team 4003 TriSonics, Allendale, MI
    • Curie-Carver Division: Team 910 The Foley Freeze, Madison Heights, MI
    • Galileo-Carson Division: Team 195 CyberKnights, Southington, CT
    • Newton-Hopper Division: Team 3476 Code Orange, Irvine, CA
  • Entrepreneurship Award sponsored by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
    • Archimedes-Tesla Division: Team 540 TALON Godwin Robotics, Henrico, VA
    • Curie-Carver Division: Team 339 Kilroy Robotics, Stafford, VA
    • Galileo-Carson Division: Team 5454 Wild Fire, Rogers, AR
    • Newton-Hopper Division: Team 1730 Team Driven, Lee’s Summit, MO
  • Gracious Professionalism® Award sponsored by Johnson & Johnson
    • Archimedes-Tesla Division: Team 2338 Gear It Forward, Oswego, IL
    • Curie-Carver Division: Team 2974 Walton Robotics, Marietta, GA
    • Galileo-Carson Division: Team 4499 The Highlanders, Fort Collins, CO
    • Newton-Hopper Division: Team 2614 MARS, Morgantown, WV
  • Imagery Award in honor of Jack Kamen
    • Archimedes-Tesla Division: Team 4039 MakeShift Robotics, Hamilton, ON, Canada
    • Curie-Carver Division: Team 4451 ROBOTZ Garage, Laurens, SC
    • Galileo-Carson Division: Team 4525 Renaissance Robotics, St Thomas ON, Canada
    • Newton-Hopper Division: Team 1736 Robot Casserole, Peoria, IL
  • Industrial Design Award sponsored by General Motors
    • Archimedes-Tesla Division: Team 1986 Team Titanium, Lee’s Summit, MO
    • Curie-Carver Division: Team 1885 ILITE Robotics, Haymarket, VA
    • Galileo-Carson Division: Team 2485 WARLords, San Diego, CA
    • Newton-Hopper Division: Team 148 Robowranglers, Greenville, TX
  • Industrial Safety Award sponsored by UL
    • Archimedes-Tesla Division: Team 2522 Royal Robotics, Lynnwood, WA
    • Curie-Carver Division: Team 2220 Blue Twilight, Eagan, MN
    • Galileo-Carson Division: Team 2638 Rebels, Great Neck, NY
    • Newton-Hopper Division: Team 1710 The Ravonics Revolution, Olathe, KS
  • Innovation in Control Award sponsored by Rockwell Automation
    • Archimedes-Tesla Division: Team 1540 Flaming Chickens, Portland, OR
    • Curie-Carver Division: Team 2168 Aluminum Falcons, Groton, CT
    • Galileo-Carson Division: Team 987 HIGHROLLERS, Las Vegas, NV
    • Newton-Hopper Division: Team 2471 Team Mean Machine, Camas, WA
  • Media & Technology Innovation Award sponsored by Comcast NBCUniversal – Team 3966, STEMpunks, Knoxville, TN
  • Quality Award sponsored by Motorola
    • Archimedes-Tesla Division: Team 5437 Rocky Balboabots, Booneville, AR
    • Curie-Carver Division: Team 2767 Stryke Force, Kalamazoo, MI
    • Galileo-Carson Division: Team 1619 Up-A-Creek Robotics, Longmont, CO
    • Newton-Hopper Division: Team 1241 THEORY6, Mississauga, ON, Canada
  • Team Spirit Award sponsored by FCA Foundation
    • Archimedes-Tesla Division: Team 1629 Garrett Coalition (GaCo), Accident, MD
    • Curie-Carver Division: Team 2980 Whidbey Island Wild Cats, Oak Harbor, WA
    • Galileo-Carson Division: Team 233 The Pink Team, Rockledge/Cocoa Beach, FL
    • Newton-Hopper Division: Team 1710 The Ravonics Revolution, Olathe, KS
  • Highest Rookie Seed
    • Archimedes/Tesla Subdivisions: Team 6035, House of Ulladulla, Ulladulla, New South Wales, Australia
    • Carson/Galileo Subdivisions: Team 5895, Peddie School Robotics, Hightstown, NJ
    • Curie/Carver Subdivisions: Team 5803, Apex Robotics, Seatac, WA
    • Hopper/Newton Subdivisions: Team 5996, R.U.R., Prague, Czech Republic
  • Rookie All-star Award  –
    • Archimedes-Tesla Division: Team 5987 Galaxia, Haifa HA, Israel
    • Curie-Carver Division: Team 5803 Apex Robotics, Seatac, WA
    • Galileo-Carson Division: Team 5872 WiredCats, Davie, FL
    • Newton-Hopper Division: Team 5811 Bonds, Dayton, OH
  • Rookie Inspiration Award sponsored by National Instruments
    • Archimedes-Tesla Division: Team 6134 Robo Ram, Zapopan JAL, Mexico
    • Curie-Carver Division: Team 5980 East Grand Rapids Robotics, East Grand Rapids, MI
    • Galileo-Carson Division: Team 6025 Adroit Androids, Istanbul 34, Turkey
    • Newton-Hopper Division: Team 5900 The Fighting Mongooses, Dalton, GA
  • Judges’ Awards
    • Archimedes-Tesla Division: Team 4590 Greenblitz, Kfar Hayarok TA, Israel
    • Curie-Carver Division: Team 2220 Blue Twilight, Eagan, MN
    • Galileo-Carson Division: Team 5895 Peddie School Robotics, Hightstown NJ
    • Newton-Hopper Division: Team 4377 Boyne City Blaze, Boyne City, MI

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FIRST® Tech Challenge World Championship FIRST Tech Challenge 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. This year’s game, FIRST® RES-QSM, is modeled after rescue situations faced by mountain explorers. Two Alliances with two robots each score by “resetting” rescue beacons, delivering rescue climbers to a shelter, parking on the mountain, and parking in the rescue beacon repair zone or floor goal.

Approximately 51,500 students on 5,158 FIRST Tech Challenge teams competed during the 2015/2016 season. The 2015/2016 FIRST Tech Challenge Sponsors include Official Program Sponsor, Rockwell Collins; Official IoT, CAD & Collaboration Software Sponsor, PTC; and Official Control System Sponsor, Qualcomm.

The FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship Inspire Award, recognizing excellence in robot design and teamwork, went to Team 7013 Hot Wired from Portland Oregon. The Winning Alliance was Team 5916, BoBots, Earleville, MD; Team 8221, CUBIX^3, Hampstead, MD; Team 6022, TBD-To Be Determined, Aurora, Ohio.

The FIRST Tech Challenge Volunteer of the Year Award winner was Mannie Lowe of Mississippi. The Compass Award for excellence in coaching/mentoring was awarded to David Patterson. He was nominated for this award by Team 3595, Schrödinger’s Hat, of Fairbanks, Alaska.

Other FIRST Tech Challenge awards included:

  • Division Winners Edison Division: Team 5916, BoBots, Earleville, MD; Team 8221, CUBIX^3, Hampstead, MD; Team 6022, TBD – To Be Determined, Aurora, OH. Franklin Division: Team 8375, Vulcan Robotics, San Mateo, CA; Team 7013, Hot Wired, Portland, Oregon; Team 3595, Schrödinger’s Hat, Fairbanks, AK
  • Division Finalists – Edison Division: Team 6137, RoBowties, San Diego, CA; Team 4997, Masquerade, Tampa, FL; Team 5110, Wingus & Dingus, Aukland, New Zealand Franklin Division: Team 6055, GearTicks, Lincoln, MA; Team 5843, AutoVortex, Bucharest, Romania; Team 8995, Mogollon Rim Jaegers, Heber, AZ
  • Rockwell Collins Innovate Award – Team 7350, Watts NXT? from Edison New Jersey
  • PTC Design Award – Team 6299, Viperbots Quad X, Austin, TX
  • Motivate Award – Team 4855, Batteries in Blacks, Portland, OR
  • Connect Award – Team 9205, The Iron Maidens, Apple Valley, MN
  • Think Award – Team 3415, Lancers, Livingston, NJ
  • Control Award – Team 6022, TBD To be determined, Aurora, OH
  • Promote Award – Team 4924, Tuxedo Pandas, Christiansburg, VA
  • Judges’ Award: The Building Bridges Award – Team 9662, Apollo, Misgav, Northern Galilee, Israel

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FIRST® LEGO® League World FestivalFIRST LEGO League introduces younger students to real-world engineering challenges by conducting research projects and building LEGO-based autonomous robots to complete tasks on a thematic playing surface. FIRST LEGO League teams, guided by their imaginations, discover exciting career possibilities and learn to make positive contributions to society. This year’s challenge, TRASH TREKSM engaged 233,000+ kids on approximately 29,000 teams to explore the hidden world of trash, from collecting to sorting to smart production and reuse.

Top honors went to Champion’s Award 1st Place winner, Team 23, The Incredibots, Columbus, Ohio; Champion’s Award Finalist, Team 22993, Mechatronic Ants, Pamplona, Spain; and Champion’s Award Finalist, Team 23005, Tic Tac Toe, Beirut, Lebanon

Other FIRST®LEGO® League awards included:

  • Robot Performance Award – Team 19291, Squirt the Turtle, Hollis, NH
  • Strategy & Innovation Award –  Team 22974, NeXT, New Delhi, India
  • Programming Award – Team 51, Not the Droids You’re Looking For, Pittsburgh, PA
  • Mechanical Design Award – Team 22994, FSINGENIUM Team, Sarriguren, Spain
  • Research Award – Team 22997, YPSILONVIARO, Sant Cugat Del Valles, Spain
  • Presentation Award – Team 22959, Rotatech, Izmir, Turkey
  • Innovative Solution Award – Team 7160, NERDs, Shawnee, OK
  • Teamwork Award – Team 23000, SESI Red Rabbit, Americana, Brazil
  • Inspiration Award – Team 7507, Boa Constructors, Union, W.V.
  • Gracious Professionalism® Award – Team 22981, Robobuilders, Quaroun, Lebanon
  • Solid as a Rock Volunteer Awards – Trina “MK” Baldwin of Greenville, S.C., and Chris Morgan and Sandy Trissell of Albuquerque, N.M.
  • Coach/Mentor Awards – Rev Athenagoras of Thessaloniki, Greece; Hilly Mor of Herzelia, Israel; Lori Farris of Shawnee, OK; and Mohamad Beiruty of Beirut, Lebanon

Judges’ Awards

  • Team 5072, The Variables, Birmingham, AL
  • Team 22966, WSK Robotics, Hong Kong, China
  • Team 22985, Trash Terminators, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
  • Team 21440, New Kids on the Bot, Carolina Forest, S.C.
  • Team 22990, ROBOSCAVANGERS, Ordu, Turkey
  • Team 22955, China UN, Tanshan, China

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FIRST® LEGO® League Jr. World Festival Expo FIRST LEGO League Jr. introduces children ages 6 to 9 to the exciting worlds of science and technology. Teams of up to six children and two adult Coaches take on a real-world Challenge, to be explored through research, critical thinking, and imagination.

In this year’s FIRST LEGO League Jr. Challenge, WASTE WISESM, students learned that throwing something in the trash is only the beginning. From reducing, to reusing, to recycling, and beyond, teams found out what making trash really means.

FIRST® LEGO® League Jr. Awards:

  • Against All Odds Award –
    • Team 185, Camdenton 4-H FIRST FLLJr. LASER # 3, Camdenton, MO
    • Team 5589, Funny Fudge Gamers, Sylvania, OH
  • Amazing Movement Award –
    • Team 4137, Lego Crystals, Great Neck, NY
    • Team 4794, Titan, Mansfield, OH
    • Team 6797, Lego Lions, Austin, TX
  • Complexity and Decoration Award –
    • Team 1877, LEGO Brainiacs, Glasgow, KY
    • Team 5947, The Soin Superbuilders, Washington Township, OH
  • Construction Innovation Award –
    • Team 5447, Ultimate Lego Team, Newton, MA
    • Team 5631, Camdenton 4-H FIRST FLLJr.  LASER OBE #4, Camdenton, MO
    • Team 7447, Kung Fu Egret, Xiamen, China
  • Effort and Learning Award –
    • Team 450, Ruler Girlz, Connersville, Indiana
    • Team 4345, Lego-ology to the Max, Iowa City, IA
    • Team 5519, Team Cappy, Webster Groves, MO
  • Explosive Ideas Award –                                               
    • Team 830, Tornado Trashers, Mequon, WI
    • Team 4185, Flaming Dragons, Sammamish, WA 
    • Team 6608, The Builders of the Tin Can Mans, Rochester, IL
  • Gracious Professionalism Award –
    • Team 4497, Turquoise Tech Turtles, St. Louis, MO
    • Team 5193, Forsyth Stars, Cumming, GA
    • Team 7403, BAT Team, Baakline, Mount Lebanon
  • Inquiring Minds Award –                                               
    • Team 4215, GreenDianosaurs, Johns Creek, GA
    • Team 4389, TrashBots, Jackson, GA
    • Team 5764, Bulldog Builders, Louisa, KY
  • Lil’ Einstein Award –                                                      
    • Team 1425, Rockets, Oklahoma City, OK
    • Team 6124, MINI-ENS, Albuquerque, NM
    • Team 6609, Green Girls, Rochester, IL
  • Master Programmer Award –
    • Team 26, Smarty Pants, Union, KY
    • Team 153, Recycling Girls, O'Fallon, MO
    • Team 970, RoboWildcats, Los Angeles, CA
  • Outstanding Teamwork Award - 
    • Team 212, Neon Thinkers, Aurora, OH
    • Team 1387, Center Elementary Nesters, Kansas City, MO
    • Team 4323, B.E.E.s, Titusville, FL
  • Picasso Award –                                                             
    • Team 4588, Bling A Ding Ding Blocks, Jenks, OK
    • Team 6492, MASTER BUILDERS, Parker, CO 
    • Team 7495, Superrrr Bulls, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon
  • Redefining Learning Award –
    • Team 4378, The Yucca Cool Cats, Alamogordo, NM
    • Team 4989, Lego Presidents in Flower Pants, Maryville, IL
    • Team 7446, The Flying House, Beijing, China
  • Rising Stars Award –                                                     
    • Team 1904, Super Nerds, Alamogordo, NM
    • Team 3622, HSA Hawks, Chicago, IL
    • Team 6564, LEGENDARY LEGO MASTERS, Parker, CO 
  • Robust Design Award –                                                 
    • Team 3612, The Royal Nerds, Alamogordo, NM
    • Team 7404, Super Power, Jeju Island, South Korea
  • Simply Awesome Machine Award –
    • Team 4382, Lego Jammers, Tulsa, OK
    • Team 4870, London Lego League, London, Ontario
    • Team 7406, Hammers, Busan, South Korea
  • Solid as a Rock Award –                                                
    • Team 4847, Pembroke Hill Team 1, Kansas City, MO
    • Team 5388, Old Red Emmet, Olathe, KS                                                                                             
  • Synergy Award –                                                            
    • Team 4720, PHI Nominals, Lancaster, CA
    • Team 5131, Lego Motion, Brooklyn Park, MO
    • Team 7445, Red Fire, Yixing, China
  • Team Spirit Award –                                                      
    • Team 12, The Bananacan Cats, Springfield, IL
    • Team 2942, LEGO Gears, Longview, WA
    • Team 4069, LEGO Ladies, Nixa, MO
  • Terrific Thinkers Award
    • Team 1030, Thuderbots, Oklahoma City, OK
    • Team 4390, Robo Musketeers, Sandy, UT
    • Team 7405, REPRAME, Dongtan, South Korea
      • Team 4137, Lego Crystals, Great Neck, NY
      • Team 4794, Titan, Mansfield, OH
      • Team 6797, Lego Lions, Austin, TX
         

2016 FIRST Championship Sponsors

Qualcomm is the 2016 FIRST Championship Presenting Sponsor.

2016 FIRST Champion Program Sponsors include: The Boeing Company; BOSCH; Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD); FedEx Corporation; Google; IBM; Monsanto; NRG Energy; U.S. Air Force; United Technologies Corporation (UTC).

Other 2016 FIRST Championship Sponsors include: Abbott Fund; BAE Systems; Bechtel Corporation; Booz Allen Hamilton; The Coca-Cola Company; Comcast NBCUniversal; CSC Charitable Foundation; DaDaLeLe; Dr. William H. Danforth; Dice; The Dow Chemical Company; Edward Jones; General Electric Company; Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark; Microsoft Corporation; Mouser Electronics; Nidec Motor Corporation; NVIDIA Corporation; Southwest Airlines; SpaceX; St. Louis Regional Chamber; St. Louis Union Station Hotel; UL; Vulcan Spring & Mfg. Co.

Save the date! The FIRST Championship will be held in:

Houston April 19-22, 2017 and St. Louis April 26-29, 2017 | Houston April 18-21, 2018 and Detroit April 25-28, 2018

About FIRST® 
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $25 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST® Robotics Competition for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST® Tech Challenge for Grades 7-12; FIRST® LEGO® League for Grades 4-8; and FIRST® LEGO® League Jr. for Grades K-3. Gracious Professionalism® is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.firstinspires.org.

FIRST and the FIRST logo are registered trademarks of the United States Foundation For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST). LEGO® is a registered trademark of The LEGO Group.

Media Contacts:

Brooke Blew, FIRST®
603-206-2048
bblew@firstinspires.org

Haley Dunn, FIRST®
603-206-2494
hdunn@firstinspires.org