--- title: 50,000+ Gather in Houston for FIRST Championship, the World’s Largest Celebration of Youth Robotics and STEM description: FIRST welcomed a record attendance of more than 51,000 people and 1,100 robots to Houston for the 2026 FIRST Championship presented by BAE Systems. --- [FIRST Press Room | Press Releases ](https://www.firstinspires.org/about/press-room) # [50,000+ Gather in Houston for FIRST Championship, the World’s Largest Celebration of Youth Robotics and STEM](https://www.firstinspires.org/about/press-room/50000-gather-in-houston-for-first-championship-2026) Written by [Admin](https://www.firstinspires.org/about/press-room/author/admin) | May 2, 2026 4:15:00 AM ### Presenting Sponsor BAE Systems, Inc., Other Global Supporters Celebrate More Than 19,000 Students From 59 Countries Advancing STEM Skills Through Robotics ### Event Marks the Culmination of the 2025-2026 Season, *FIRST* ® AGE™ Presented by Qualcomm Incorporated *FIRST*® Tech Challenge Team 17792 “Amigos Droids” of Belo Horizonte, Brazil celebrate winning the Inspire Award at the 2026 *FIRST*® Championship presented by BAE Systems in Houston. **HOUSTON, May 2, 2026** – [*FIRST*®](https://www.firstinspires.org/), a global robotics community preparing young people for the future, welcomed a record attendance of more than 51,000 people and more than 1,100 robots to Houston this week as as youth robotics teams from around the world gathered at the George R. Brown Convention Center to celebrate and compete in the 2026 *FIRST* Championship presented by BAE Systems. The annual four-day event combines on-field competition, team and sponsor exhibits, student celebrations, and hands-on experiences, bringing participants, educators, and industry leaders together after months of preparation across *FIRST* programs. “There is no other experience like *FIRST* Championship,” said Chris Moore, chief executive officer at *FIRST*. “Each year, I’m struck by the passion, energy, and scale made possible by our sponsors and the broader *FIRST* community. That consistent support nurtures an environment where students are solving problems in real time, adapting, and supporting one another. It’s what happens when young people are given the opportunity to **build something real**." Saturday’s closing events put the spotlight on the [*FIRST*® Robotics Competition](https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc) and [*FIRST*® Tech Challenge](https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/ftc) international championship finals, where middle and high school teams competed in front of a full stadium of cheering fans. Four teams from Ventura, California; Madera, California; Minneola, Florida; and San Diego, California, were the *FIRST* Robotics Competition Winning Alliance for this year’s game, REBUILTTM presented by the Gene Haas Foundation, and teams from Austin, Texas; Braila, Romania; and Zeeland, Michigan, were the *FIRST* Tech Challenge Winning Alliance for DECODETM presented by RTX. More than 19,000 students took part in the event across the three programs, including [*FIRST*®* *LEGO® League](https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/fll), with teams earning honors for robot design, competitive play, research, business plans, creativity, and teamwork. (See “2026 *FIRST* Championship Winners” section below). “Building the future workforce starts with investing in students today,” said Cortney Miller, director of Community Investment for BAE Systems. “*FIRST *Championship provides invaluable, hands-on experiences that empower students to develop the skills, confidence, and awareness needed for lifelong careers in STEM. We’re proud to support this important journey.” Chris Moore, chief executive officer at *FIRST*®, greets a team at 2026 *FIRST *Championship in Houston. 2025-2026 *FIRST*® AGE™ Presented by Qualcomm Every year,* FIRST* builds its robotics season around a real-world theme, challenging students to apply science, technology, engineering, and math to ideas that extend beyond the classroom. The 2025-2026 season, *FIRST*® AGE™ presented by Qualcomm, drew inspiration from archaeology, inviting teams to explore how discoveries from the past can inform innovation for the future. Across all programs, students spent months preparing for competition, developing technical skills, conducting research, and refining their ideas through local, regional, and international *FIRST* events. From early design and testing to live matches and presentations, participants engaged in hands-on, team-based problem solving that reflects how challenges are approached in the real world. “At Qualcomm, we believe innovation starts when young people are encouraged to explore new ideas and tackle real-world challenges,” said Angela Baker, vice president, corporate responsibility and chief sustainability officer at Qualcomm. “Through programs like *FIRST*, students gain hands-on experience, develop technical and teamwork skills, and discover how their curiosity can drive positive change. Supporting this journey means investing in the next generation of leaders and problem-solvers.” 2026-2027 Season Announcement During Saturday’s closing ceremony, *FIRST* unveiled its upcoming 2026-2027 season, [*FIRST®* CANOPY™](https://www.firstinspires.org/first-canopy?utm_source=press-release&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=fir-registration-027), introducing a new global theme focused on biodiversity. The announcement offered teams a first look at how they will explore the natural world through STEM in the year ahead. #### **2026 *FIRST* Championship Winners** Mission-Driven Supporter Awards *FIRST* Championship honored significant supporters of the *FIRST* mission: - The **Volunteer of the Year Award** was awarded to outstanding event volunteers for *FIRST* programs: James Cerar from Ontario, Canada (*FIRST* Robotics Competition); Kat Svoboda from Illinois (*FIRST* Tech Challenge); and Brenda Ronnebaum from Ohio (*FIRST* LEGO League). - The **Woodie Flowers Award**, founded by Dr. William P. Murphy Jr. in 1996 and named after 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 Debbie English, Team 4499, The Highlanders, Fort Collins, Colo. - The **Compass Award** for excellence in coaching/mentoring *FIRST* Tech Challenge was awarded to Burçin Gündüz, who was nominated for this award by Team 25171, RoboTakev, Izmir, Türkiye. - **Coach/Mentor Awards** for *FIRST* LEGO League went to John Seet from Team 75311, Unitrix, Singapore; Melissa Madsen from Team 63557, Code Crusaders, Sandy, Utah; Robert Doppler from Team 75262, TEAMRemint, Stainz, Austria; Min Lu from Team 72674, Iron Pegasus, Chandler, Ariz.; Davy Goorts from Team 75266, SMS LEGO WARRIORS, Herk-de-Stad, Belgium; and Padmaja Kandisetty from Team 56510, Innov8, Mason, Ohio. **Student and Robotics Team Awards** Select 2026 team and student winners of the competitions and awards announced in Houston are listed below. Visit the award links provided for additional recipients: *FIRST* alum, robotics professor, and Survivor 50 fan favorite, Christian Hubicki, spoke at the *FIRST *Leadership Award Ceremony at the 2026 *FIRST *Championship in Houston. ***FIRST *****Leadership Award – **This student leadership award celebrates the dedication and individual contributions of outstanding secondary school students participating on *FIRST* Tech Challenge or *FIRST* Robotics Competition teams. “Leadership and *Gracious Professionalism* are among the most foundational skills I gained during my time in *FIRST*, still guiding me at the robotics and mechatronics lab I lead today,” said Christian Hubicki, *FIRST *alum and recent fan-favorite contestant on CBS’ *Survivor 50*, who spoke at the *FIRST *Leadership Award Ceremony. “I’m thrilled to be back at *FIRST* Championship, an event I last attended in 2002. It has gotten bigger and the technology more sophisticated, but the enthusiasm and spirit are exactly the same.” *Winners from FIRST Robotics Competition*: - Anish Patel, Team 10553, Orange Overdrive, Oregon, Wis. - Ben Zislin, Team 179, Children of the Swamp, Riviera Beach, Fla. - Camila Charles Medina, Team 3794, Prepa Tecmilenio WinT, Metepec, Mexico - Celeste Roselli, Team 2415, WiredCats, Atlanta, Ga. - Emma Langlais, Team 868, TechHOUNDS, Carmel, Ind. - Gabriel Duenas, Team 687, The Nerd Herd, Carson, Calif. - Julia Fisk, Team 6753, CBA RoboKings, Midland, Mich. - Kate Reidenbach, Team 2704, Roaring Robotics, Naperville, Ind. - Max Wang, Team 4096, Ctrl-Z, Champaign, Ill. - Vrishab Makam, Team 503, Frog Force, Novi, Mich. *Winners from FIRST Tech Challenge:* - Arjun Dasari, Team 252, Electric Quahogs, Providence, R.I. - Anya Arun, Team 21351, Cybotz, Charlotte, N.C. - Kuek Kuek, Team 16010, Astra Machina, Omaha, Neb. - Karime Lopez, Team 5470, Rambotics, El Paso, Texas - Ananya Purohit, Team 25742, TechTalons, Folson, Calif. - Chris Zheng, Team 23280, C.A.R.T, San Diego, Calif. - Arnav Gaddamanugu, Team 16290, Z.I.P Ties, Sanford, Fla. - Arhaan Jafri, Team 20240, Slingshot, Austin, Texas - Sofia Lana, Team 17792, Amigos Droids, Belo Horizonte, Brazil - Abigail Fenrick, Team 22526, Fondy Fire Tech, Fond du Lac, Wis. *FIRST*® Robotics Competition *FIRST* Robotics Competition (ages 14-18) combines sports excitement with the rigors of science and technology. Working with adult mentors, students have limited time to design, build, program, and test their robots to meet the season’s challenge, released each January. In the 2026 game [REBUILT™](https://www.firstinspires.org/programs/frc/game-and-season), teams designed and built industrial-sized robots to reimagine and reconstruct elements of the past through high-energy, alliance-based matches. The presenting sponsor for the *FIRST* Robotics Competition season was the Gene Haas Foundation. Student-built *FIRST*® Robotics Competition robots collect “fuel” game pieces to score points during a *FIRST *Championship qualifying match as part of the REBUILT™ presented by Haas season. This year, more than 3,700 *FIRST* Robotics teams competed in regional and district events, with 600 teams advancing to *FIRST* Championship. They competed in rotating alliances in one of eight divisions for several matches to earn ranking points and advance to final playoffs. - Team 6352, LAUNCH TEAM, Surprise, Ariz., won the ***FIRST* Impact 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. - ***FIRST* Impact Award Finalists** were Team 359, Hawaiian Kids, Waialua, Hawaii; Team 1880, Warriors of East Harlem, New York, N.Y.; Team 8393, The Giant Diencephalic BrainSTEM Robotics Team, Baden, Pa.; Team 9277, Sparkans, Calgary, Canada; and Team 9545, Caracal Robotics, SARIYER, Türkiye. - The **Winning Alliance** of the FIRST Robotics Competition was Team 4414, HighTide, Ventura, Calif.; Team 1323, MadTown Robotics, Madera, Calif.; Team 4065, Nerds of Prey, Minneola, Fla.; and Team 1538, The Holy Cows, San Diego, Calif. - The Championship **Finalist Alliance** was Team 2910, Jack in the Bot, Mill Creek, Wash.; Team 2046, Bear Metal, Maple Valley, Wash.; Team 868, TechHOUNDS, Carmel, Ind.; and Team 4206, Robo Vikes, Fort Worth, Texas. Within their divisions, *FIRST *Robotics Competition teams earned additional [match-based and judged awards](https://www.firstinspires.org/resources/library/frc/awards), including Championship Division Winner, Engineering Inspiration Award, Rookie All Star Award, and [*Gracious Professionalism*®](https://www.firstinspires.org/about#core-values)* *Award. **View a list of winning teams by division:** [Archimedes Division presented by Rockwell Automation](https://frc-events.firstinspires.org/2026/ARCHIMEDES/awards) | [Curie Division presented by The Argosy Foundation](https://frc-events.firstinspires.org/2026/CURIE/awards) | [Daly Division presented by BAE Systems](https://frc-events.firstinspires.org/2026/DALY/awards) | [Galileo Division presented by Mouser Electronics](https://frc-events.firstinspires.org/2026/GALILEO) | [Hopper Division presented by GE Aerospace](https://frc-events.firstinspires.org/2026/HOPPER/awards) | [Johnson Division sponsored by Gene Haas Foundation](https://frc-events.firstinspires.org/2026/JOHNSON/awards) | [Milstein Division presented by Qualcomm](https://frc-events.firstinspires.org/2026/MILSTEIN/awards) | [Newton Division presented by NASA](https://frc-events.firstinspires.org/2026/NEWTON/awards). *FIRST*® Tech Challenge *FIRST* Tech Challenge (ages 12-18) students learn to think as engineers. Teams design, build, and program classroom-scale robots, then pair up with alliance partners to compete in a dynamic, themed challenge released every September. In the 2025-2026 game, [DECODE™](https://www.firstinspires.org/programs/ftc/game-and-season), teams investigated the power of artifacts, using engineering and programming to explore how discoveries from the past can inform innovation for the future. The presenting sponsor of the *FIRST* Tech Challenge 2025-2026 season was RTX. Approximately 9,600 *FIRST* Tech Challenge teams participated this year, with 342 teams advancing to *FIRST *Championship, where they competed in rotating alliances in one of six divisions across multiple days of game play to earn ranking points and advance to final playoffs. - The **Inspire Award**, recognizing excellence in robot design and teamwork, went to Team 17792, Amigos Droids, Belo Horizonte, Brazil - **Inspire Award Finalists **were Team 14423, RoboCorns, Exton, Pa.; Team 9848, GearView, Mullica Hill, N.J.; Team 6417, Blu Cru, Rockville, Md.; Team 8565, TechnicBots, Plano, Texas; and Team 7477, Super 7, Oviedo, Fla. - The **Winning Alliance** was Team 30030, Exodus, Austin, Texas; Team 21087, Velocity, Braila**,** Romania; and Team 11228, OverClucked Bots, Zeeland, Mich. - The **Finalist Alliance** was Team 18270, RoboPlayers, Irving, Texas; Team 20265, Heart of RoBots, Buzau, Romania; and Team 7172, Technical Difficulties, Plano, Texas. Within their divisions, *FIRST *Tech Challenge teams earned additional [match-based and judged awards](https://www.firstinspires.org/resources/library/first-tech-challenge-awards), including* *Division Winning Alliance, Design Award, and Connect Award. **View a list of winning teams by division: **[Edison Division sponsored by GE Aerospace](https://ftc-events.firstinspires.org/2025/FTCCMP1EDIS/awards)** **| [Franklin Division sponsored by John Deere](https://ftc-events.firstinspires.org/2025/FTCCMP1FRAN/awards) | [Goodall Division sponsored by BAE Systems](https://ftc-events.firstinspires.org/2025/FTCCMP1GOOD/awards) | [Jackson Division sponsored by Qualcomm](https://ftc-events.firstinspires.org/2025/FTCCMP1JACK/awards) | [Lovelace Division sponsored by CrunchLabs](https://ftc-events.firstinspires.org/2025/FTCCMP1LOVE/awards) | [Ross Division](https://ftc-events.firstinspires.org/2025/FTCCMP1ROSS/awards) *FIRST*® LEGO® League *FIRST* LEGO League (ages 5-16, varies by region) introduces younger students to real-world engineering challenges by inviting them to conduct research projects and build robots using LEGO® bricks and technology to complete tasks on a thematic playing surface. *FIRST* LEGO League teams, guided by their imaginations, discover exciting possibilities and learn to make positive contributions to society. *FIRST*® LEGO®  League team “Eagles Tech” from Paraguay competes in UNEARTHED™ at the 2026 *FIRST *Championship in Houston. In this year’s season, [UNEARTHED™](https://www.firstinspires.org/programs/fll/game-and-season), more than** **70,000 student teams examined how each tool, innovation, and work of art connects us to the people and ideas that came before us. Through critical thinking and design skills, students uncovered the past to discover the future. *FIRST* LEGO League Global Program Sponsors are LEGO® Education and The LEGO® Foundation. The *FIRST*® LEGO® League Challenge Division Sponsor is Rockwell Automation. 160*** FIRST* LEGO League Challenge **division teams (ages 9-16) competed at this week’s event through robot matches, Innovation Project presentations, and *FIRST *Core Values activities. - Top honors went to **Champion’s Award Winner** Team 75304, ROBOTECH, Barcelona, Spain. - **Champion’s Award Finalists **were Team 75261, mindfactory, Aargau, Switzerland; Team 75284, SCRAPS by FutureLab, Kalamaria, Greece; Team 75259, SESI SENAI SC - Pipeline Surfer's, Itajaí, Brazil; Team 75231, Tolebi Daryn, Kazakhstan; and Team 30474, Robot Rampage, Saint Paul, Minn. - The **Robot Performance Award** went to Team 75245, RZ81, Beijing, China. - The **Robot Design Award **went to Team 66747, Ctrl+Alt+Elite - Coach Madhura/Mary, Yorba Linda, Calif. - The **Innovation Project Award** went to Team 61987, Masterminds, Moscow, Idaho. - The **Core Values Award **went to Team 63043, Diggabots, Saint Paul, Minn. 40 ***FIRST*® LEGO® League Explore **division teams (ages 6-10) investigated the past as if they were a team of archaeologists and presented what they learned on their team journey through a team poster and motorized LEGO® model. The Core Values Award, Team Poster Award, Team Model Award, Coding Award, and Challenge Solution Award were presented during a ceremony honoring all exhibiting *FIRST *LEGO League Explore teams. [Visit the *FIRST* LEGO League blog](https://community.firstinspires.org/topic/fll) for a full list of Challenge and Division award recipients, coming soon. For more from *FIRST *Championship*, *[watch highlights](https://www.firstchampionship.org/watch) and follow *FIRST *on [YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/OfficialFIRST), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/first_official_/), [Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/firstofficial), and [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@first_inspires). [**2026 *FIRST *Championship Sponsors**](https://www.firstinspires.org/programs/first-championship) The 2026 *FIRST *Championship is presented by BAE Systems. The Lead Sponsor is Mouser Electronics. Co-Sponsors include America’s Navy, The Argosy Foundation, Coca Cola Company, CrunchLabs, DoW STEM, Emerson/NI,** **GE Aerospace, The Gene Haas Foundation, John Deere, Lockheed Martin, Molex, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Qualcomm Incorporated, Rockwell Automation, TE Connectivity, and The United Therapeutics Corporation. Friends of *FIRST *include Houston First, Johnson & Johnson, and PwC. Aramco is a supporter of the 2026 *FIRST *Championship. [**2025-2026 *FIRST *Strategic Partners**](https://www.firstinspires.org/about/our-supporters) The 3M Company, Apple, The Argosy Foundation, BAE Systems, Bechtel Group Foundation, The Boeing Company, Caterpillar, Inc. DEKA Research & Development Corporation, DoW STEM, Dow, FedEx Corporation, The Gene Haas Foundation, General Motors Company, Google.org, John Deere, LEGO Education, Medtronic, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), NI, Novelis Inc., Qualcomm Incorporated, RTX, Rockwell Automation, Inc., and TE Connectivity. **Save the Date for the** **2027 *FIRST *Championship: April 28 - May 1, 2027, Houston** **About *FIRST*®**  [*FIRST*](https://www.firstinspires.org/)® is a robotics community that prepares young people for the future. *FIRST *provides life-changing, team-based K-12 robotics programs that give young people the skills, confidence, and resilience to build a better world. Boosted by a global support system of [volunteers](https://www.firstinspires.org/ways-to-help/volunteer), [educators](https://www.firstinspires.org/community/educators), [donors](https://www.firstinspires.org/support), and [sponsors](https://www.firstinspires.org/about/our-supporters), teams operate under a signature set of [FIRST Core Values](https://www.firstinspires.org/about#gracious-professionalism) to conduct research, fundraise, design, build, and showcase their achievements during annual challenges. An international not-for-profit organization founded in 1989, *FIRST* (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) has a [proven impact](https://www.firstinspires.org/about/impact)  on STEM learning, interest, and skill-building well beyond high school. Participants and [alumni](https://www.firstinspires.org/community/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](https://www.firstinspires.org/). 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