FIRST LEGO League CHALLENGE

What is FIRST LEGO League Challenge?

FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge is a robotics competition developed for upper elementary and middle school age students. The FIRST LEGO League theme is different each year and is drawn from real events in society. There are three primary activities:

  1. Build and program a small LEGO robot to accomplish challenges.
  2. Investigate a research topic then prepare a presentation.
  3. Build a team around the FIRST LEGO League Core Values. Teams have regular practices (just like a sports team) to prepare for a culminating tournament at which they will meet and share their work with other teams.

Robot challenges are the most visible aspect of the competition. LEGO robots are built and programmed to perform different tasks on a 4’x8′ printed playing mat. The robot interacts with specialized LEGO parts that represent the tasks. Each year the playing mat and LEGO models which reflect the annual theme. The LEGO robot kit and competition table are reusable every year. The mat and challenge parts are NOT reused but provide additional parts for the team to use in future seasons and are great for off-season games and practice.

An equally important aspect of the competition is the research topic or project, called the Innovation Project.  Like the robotic challenges, the Innovation Project has some connection with the overall FIRST LEGO League theme. Students are given basic guidance then encouraged to create a solution for the research challenge. They research the topic, propose a solution, then develop a presentation that summarizes and defends their conclusions.

Everything comes together at a Tournament. The team meets with judges for a thirty minute judging session which allows the team to present their project, a technical review of their robot, and to demonstrate how the team learned and used the FIRST Core Values. The rubric for judging, as well as a outline od the session is provided on the FIRST LEGO League Challenge resources page. All teams are assessed on Core Values behavior throughout the competition. Each team also attempts the robots challenge tasks three times on the competition tables.

Tournaments provide an exciting opportunity for teams to learn from each other and share their excitement rather than a “winner takes all” competition. Teams advance to the Alaska State Championships based on overall performance at the competition.

Alaska typically hosts regional competitions that feed two Championships, an Invitational in Anchorage (teams must qualify in advance) and an open competition in Fairbanks (open to all teams).

WHO

  • FIRST LEGO League Challenge Teams consist of are 2-10 kids who are in the age range of 9 to 14 years of age, or are in Grades 4-8.
  • Teams form in schools, clubs, and neighborhood groups. No requirements on affiliation.
  • Teams need at least 2 adult coaches/mentors.

WHAT

  • FIRST LEGO League Challenge is a robotics competition developed for upper elementary and middle school age students. It works simarly to a sports team with regular practices where teams learn rules and skills and work together to prepare for competition.
  • The goals are to inspire students to take an interest in science and technology and begin considering these fields as a career.
  • There are three primary activities: 1) Build and program a small robot to accomplish various challenges, 2) Investigate a research topic and present findings at the tournament, and 3) Build a team around FIRST Core Values.

WHEN

  • Most teams form up in late spring or early September.
  • Registration opens late spring. Registration usually closes mid to late September.
  • The challenge is released in August or early September.
  • State regional qualifier competitions typically happen all over the state from late November to early January. There are two state championships, one in Anchorage in January and the other in Fairbanks usually in February. Teams must qualify to advance to the state competition in Anchorage. The Fairbanks Championship is open to all teams.
  • New coaches and mentors will have several opportunities to attend workshops early in the season.

WHERE

  • There are teams in most areas of the state including remote villages. Teams can be started ANYWHERE. Teams that are unable to travel can still share their work and compete with other teams thanks to the GCI Virtual Competition held each year.
  • Qualifiers are held around the state: Kenai, Juneau, Bethel, Palmer, Anchorage, and Fairbanks usually host tournaments. Any region with at least 12 participating teams is invited to host an official qualifier. Regions with fewer teams are encouraged to host unofficial “local” events.
  • Many teams meet in school classrooms as an after school club. Basements, garages, and just about any other place works great too.

COST

  • A FIRST LEGO League Challenge Team is fairly inexpensive. Cost of Team registration (as of Fall 2024) is $250.00 not including shipping and handling. this price includes the cost of registration, and the season specific “Challenge Set” which includes the season specific mat, mission models, and useful information books for teams. this is a recurring cost for teams returning each season. 
  • For new teams in their first year, they will also need to build a play field, buy a robot kit (LEGO SPIKE Prime Kit) and any extra parts. thse elements can be resued from year to year.
  • A typical first year team will spend around $1,000 total to register, build a play field, buy a robot kit and extra parts. Returning teams spend around $500 per year.
  • Teams are funded by schools, parent-teacher organizations, parents, or other sources of funds. Some find corporate sponsors. There are a limited number of new team grants available for teams with financial needs.

HOW

THEME

The Theme For The 2024-25 FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge Season Is:

TRAININGS AND OTHER RESOURCES

JEDC has a series of FREE training videos and resources from the current and previous seasons of FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge. For training recordings and associated slides, check out our training page.

For additional resources, check the JEDC FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge  resources page! This page has both offical and unoffical FIRST® resources which have been released by FIRST® or found helpful by previous seasons coaches and teams

Click here to be taken to this page and access to these FREE resources!

Click this link if you are looking for Registration, specific challenge information, further resources, and access to FIRST® LEGO® League Explore, FIRST® LEGO® League Discover, FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge, FIRST® Tech Challenge, and FIRST® Robotics Competition.

Visit the official FIRST LEGO League site (includes registration links, challenge info, resources, and more)