PRESS ROOM & NEWS

Presenting Sponsor BAE Systems, Other Global Supporters Cheered on more than 19,000 Students from 66 Countries Playing the Only Sport Where Every Kid Can Go Pro 

Event Marks Culmination of 2024-2025 Robotics Season, FIRST^® DIVE^SM Presented by Qualcomm Incorporated 

 

HOUSTON, April 19, 2025 – This week, FIRST^®, a robotics community that prepares young people for the future, brought together more than 50,000 people – along with more than 1,000 robots – as youth robotics teams from 66 countries put their innovation, teamwork, and robotics skills to the test at the 2025 FIRST Championship presented by BAE Systems, which took place at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.  

The not-for-profit organization’s annual four-day event concluded Saturday with middle and high school robotics teams competing in heart-pounding match finals for the FIRST^® Robotics Competition and FIRST^® Tech Challenge international championships, in front of thousands of cheering fans. Four teams from Mill Creek, Washington; Madera, California; Lafayette, Indiana; and Burlingame, Calif., were the FIRST Robotics Competition Winning Alliance for this year’s game, REEFSCAPE^SM presented by Haas. Teams from Longmont, Colorado; Mumbai, India; and Austin, Texas, were the FIRST Tech Challenge Winning Alliance for INTO THE DEEP^SM presented by RTX.  

At FIRST Championship, more than 19,000 students competed and exhibited across the three FIRST programs, including FIRST^® LEGO^® League. Teams earned honors for design excellence, competitive play, research, business plans, creativity, and teamwork. (See “2025 FIRST Championship Winners” section below.) 

"FIRST  has brought competitive youth robotics to life for 36 years, transforming it into the only sport where every kid can go pro," said Chris Moore, chief executive officer of FIRST. "The life-changing impact of FIRST has been on display all week at FIRST Championship. From their heart-pounding matches on the fields to inspiring displays of innovation and teamwork, our participants are building the network and the skills needed to take them anywhere they want to go in their career." 

Special guests at the 2025 FIRST Championship included Dean Kamen, FIRST founder and prolific inventor, and other global leaders in business and innovation.  

“At BAE Systems, we believe in empowering the next generation of innovators to take on the world’s most pressing challenges,” said Tom Arseneault, president and chief executive officer of BAE Systems, Inc. “The 2025 FIRST Championship was a celebration of the ingenuity, teamwork, and determination that will define the leaders and problem-solvers of tomorrow. We are honored to support this extraordinary event and the students whose talents and ideas are shaping a brighter future.” 

FIRST Championship also honored significant supporters of the FIRST mission:  

• The Gene Haas Foundation 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.  
• The Volunteer of the Year Award was awarded to outstanding event volunteers for FIRST programs: Thad House from the Pacific Northwest (FIRST Robotics Competition); Chris Silvano from Okla. (FIRST Tech Challenge); and Cameron Schriner from Ga. (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 Francisco “Paco” Guerra from Team 4635, PrepaTec - Botbusters, Monterrey, Mexico. 
• The Compass Award for excellence in coaching/mentoring FIRST Tech Challenge was awarded to Patrick Mulcah, who was nominated for this award by Team 11206, Devildogs, Duluth, Minn.  
• Coach/Mentor Awards for FIRST LEGO League went to Liia Tammes from Team 70197, AGA MIKS?, Vaela küla, Estonia; Sonja Fick from Team 70273, Heldele - EAG 6 and a half men, Oberkochen, Germany; Daniel Bryant from Team 3553, BeeSTAR, Sandy, Utah, Ciou Jyun-Yuan from Team 70227, The Endlessly Flowing Stream, Taichung, Chinese Taipei; Sarah Cerra from Team 51982, A.S.T.R.O.Leatherbacks, Alamogordo, N.M.; and Leigh Northrup from Team 4734, Brainy Yaks, Concord, N.C.    

FIRST Championship, the world’s largest celebration of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for students, marked the culmination of the 2024-2025 robotics season, FIRST^® DIVE^SM presented by Qualcomm, which challenged FIRST teams to use their STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and collaboration skills to explore life beneath the surface of the ocean and innovate for a better world. 

On Saturday, FIRST previewed its upcoming archaeology-themed 2025-2026 season, FIRST^® AGE^TM presented by Qualcomm, with an inspiring video highlighting the ways archaeology helps us discover how society and technology progress through the ages.   

"Qualcomm is pleased to support FIRST and its mission to inspire young people to become leaders in science and technology. By encouraging innovation and providing practical hands-on experiences, FIRST prepares students with the necessary skills and confidence to address global challenges," stated Angela Baker, vice president of corporate responsibility and chief sustainability officer at Qualcomm Incorporated. "This collaboration demonstrates our commitment to workforce development and nurturing the next generation of innovators dedicated to creating a better future for all." 

2025 FIRST Championship Winners  

Select 2025 winners of the competitions and awards announced in Houston are listed below. Visit the award links provided for additional recipients: 

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:  

• Yiğit Efe Erdoğmuş, Team 9029, Team NF, Ankara, Türkiye
• Maeli McNary, Team 3009, High Scalers, Nev. 
• Owen Gillick, Team 2557, SOTAbots, Wash. 
• Rudra Karadkhelkar, Team 3616, Team Phenomena, La. 
• Keira Peterson, Team 6421, WarriorBots, Wis.  
• Mahendran Madhan Kumar, Team 2531, Robohawks, Minn. 
• Melina Mata, Team 71, Team Hammond, Ind. 
• Marcus Wong, Team 469, Las Guerillas, Mich.
• Kristia Nahas, Team 3314, Mechanical Mustangs, N.J. 
• Marlon Wald, Team 1155, SciBorgs, N.Y.  

From FIRST Tech Challenge:  

• Noah Blaut, Team 11093, MegaKnytes, Texas 
• Diya Dhawal, Team 10100, Phoenix Force, Wis. 
• Basmalah ElGawady, Team 23307, Zenith, Mo. 
• Serena Gandhi, Team 19819, AstroBruins, Calif. 
• Zarah Guillemet, Team 11770, Curiosity, Calif. 
• Thalis Katsimichas, Team 22043, UniREVsals VIOHALCO TECHNOLOGIES, East Attica, Greece 
• Zac Keepers, Team 24331, Caesar Circuitry, Ala. 
• Michael Merino, Team 14725, Java the Hutts, Fla. 
• Brady Poggioli, Team 18079, Accidental Success, Wash. 
• Olivia Stevens, Team 24864, Marian Mechanics, Del. 

1. 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 2025 game, REEFSCAPE, two three-team alliances compete to score coral, harvest algae, and attach to the barge before time runs out. Alliances earn additional rewards for meeting specific scoring thresholds and for cooperating with their opponents to strengthen the reef. The presenting sponsor for the FIRST Robotics Competition season is the Gene Haas Foundation. 

More than 3,700 FIRST Robotics Competition teams competed during the 2025 season in regional and district events, with 601 teams advancing to FIRST Championship, where they competed in rotating alliances in one of eight divisions for several matches to earn ranking points and advance to final playoffs. 

• Team 5985, Project Bucephalus, Wollongong, Australia, 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 316, LUNATECS , Carneys Point, N.J.; Team 2438, 'Iobotics, Honolulu, Hawaii; Team 4788, Can't Control, Perth, Australia; Team 5089, Robo-Nerds, Los Angeles, California; and Team 1156, Under Control, Novo Hamburgo, Brazil. 
• The Winning Alliance of the FIRST Robotics Competition was Team 2910, Jack in the Bot, Mill Creek, Wash.; Team 1323, MadTown Robotics, Madera, Calif.; Team 4272, Maverick Robotics , Lafayette, Ind.; and Team 5026, Iron Panthers, Burlingame, Calif. 
  • The Championship Finalist Alliance was Team 2073, EagleForce, Elk Grove, Calif.; Team 4414, HighTide, Ventura, Calif.; Team 1690, Orbit, Binyamina, Z, Israel; and Team 5166, Fabricators, Freeland, Mich. 

Within their divisions, FIRST Robotics Competition teams earned additional match-based and judged awards, including Championship Division Winner, Engineering Inspiration Award, Rookie All Star Award, and Gracious Professionalism^® Award.  

View a list of winning teams by division: Archimedes Division | Curie Division | Daly Division | Galileo Division sponsored by Medtronic | Hopper Division sponsored by PwC | Johnson Division sponsored by Qualcomm | Milstein Division | Newton Division.  

2. 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 2024-2025 game, INTO THE DEEP, teams used their STEM and collaboration skills to explore life beneath the ocean’s surface in a thrilling head-to-head challenge that included autonomous and driver-controlled periods. The presenting sponsor for the FIRST Tech Challenge season is RTX. 

Approximately 8,800 FIRST Tech Challenge teams competed during the 2024-2025 season, with 256 teams advancing to this week’s FIRST Championship, where they competed in rotating alliances in one of four 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 18139, Rebel Robotics, Norfolk, Neb. 
  • Finalist Inspire Award teams were Team 9848, GearView, Mullica Hill, N.J.; Team 11770, Curiosity, Los Angeles, Calif.; and Team 11212, The Clueless, San Diego, Calif. 
• The Winning Alliance was Team 11260, Up-A-Creek Robotics, Longmont, Colo.; Team 20870, Team Matrix, Mumbai, India; and Team 19746, The Disruptingly Robocephalic BrainSTEM Robotics Team, Austin, Texas. 
  • The Finalist Alliance was Team 18030, ViperBots Leviathan, Austin, Texas; Team 20871, Eureka, Mumbai, India; and Team 24751, GreenAms Robotics Team, Hanoi, Vietnam. 

Within their divisions, FIRST Tech Challenge teams earned additional match-based and judged awards, including Division Winning Alliance, Design Award, and Connect Award. 

View a list of winning teams by division: Franklin Division | Jemison Division | Edison Division sponsored by Google.org | Ochoa Division sponsored by Qualcomm

3. FIRST^® LEGO^® League – FIRST LEGO League (~ages 4-16, 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 career possibilities and learn to make positive contributions to society.  

This year, SUBMERGED^SM challenged more than 69,000 FIRST LEGO League Challenge and Explore teams from around the world to discover what lies beneath the surface of our planet’s most complex ecosystem. 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 70325, SESI HEROES, Jundiaí, Brazil. 
  • Champion’s Award Finalists were Team 70362, FSIngenium Team, Sarriguren, Spain; Team 70295, SKILLSET, Astana, Kazakhstan; Team 70326, BIOTECH, Barra Bonita, Brazil; Team 70259, RED, Sangnok-gu, Ansan-si, South Korea; and Team 46665, Intelligent Mavericks, Richland, Wash. 
• The Robot Performance Award went to Team 70227, The Endlessly Flowing Stream, Taichung, Other, Chinese Taipei.  
• The Robot Design Award went to Team 56532, Next Level, Charlottesville, Va. 
• The Innovation Project Award went to Team 70349, WISE FOXES, Iguaraçu do Tiete, Brazil.  
• The Core Values Award went to Team 27643, Lego Legends, Portland, Ore. 

39 FIRST LEGO League Explore division teams (ages 6-10) presented exhibits of their SUBMERGED models and research to showcase their critical thinking and imagination skills during the event.  

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 for a full list of Challenge and Division award recipients, coming soon.

For more from FIRST Championship, watch highlights and follow FIRST on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. 

2025 FIRST Championship Sponsors: The 2025 FIRST Championship is presented by BAE Systems. The Lead Sponsor is Mouser Electronics. Co-Sponsors include CrunchLabs, the Coca-Cola Company, DoD STEM, the Gene Haas Foundation, PwC, United Therapeutics, and the United States Space Force. Friends of FIRST Sponsors include Aramco, Ball, BuildSubmarines.com, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Molex, STEMconnector, and TE Connectivity.  

2024-2025 FIRST Strategic Partners: The 3M Company, Apple, The Argosy Foundation, BAE Systems, Bechtel Group Foundation, The Boeing Company, Caterpillar, Inc. DEKA Research & Development Corporation, DoD 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., TE Connectivity, and The Walt Disney Company. 

Save the Date for the 2026 FIRST Championship: April 29-May 2, 2026, Houston