Robotics Competitions and Awards

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Home to the first-of-its-kind bachelor’s degree in robotics engineering and one of the first graduate programs in the nation, WPI is widely respected for its innovation in the field and its commitment to inspiring young people's interest and participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). To inspire future robotic engineers, WPI hosts several different robotics events throughout the year including FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics events, VEX Robotics tournaments, and WPI’s Annual Robotics Preseason programs. 

Whether looking to join a team, watch a competition, or volunteer for an event, the opportunities to engage with robotics at WPI are endless.

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Location: 15 Sagamore Road

ATTENTION HIGH SCHOOL ROBOTICS TEAMS! WPI IS COMING TO YOUR LOCAL EVENTS.

Are you passionate about robotics? Dreaming of turning your love for engineering, coding, and problem-solving into a future career? Come chat with WPI at upcoming FIRST and VEX Robotics events near you! Find us at these local events.

FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) District Event

Every year, WPI hosts the official FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) event for New England teams. The FIRST Robotics Competition is a high-level, large-scale robotics event primarily for grades 9 to 12.

Find out more about FRC

FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Open

The FIRST LEGO League Open introduces students ages 5 to 16 to STEM concepts through LEGO Mindsorms and SPIKE Prime robotics kits. WPI hosts a FLL Open (WAFFLE) which is a world championship equivalent event to which the top teams from around the world advance. 

Find out more about the FLL Open

BattleCry@WPI

Since 2000, BattleCry@WPI has been one of the largest global non-championship FIRST Robotics Competition offshoot events. Teams use some of the most elite robots in highly competitive matches for various awards. BattleCry is the second-longest running off-season in all of FIRST.

Find out more about BattleCry@WPI

VEX Robotics Events

VEX Robotics Competitions were established in 2007 and are a haven for robotics enthusiasts of all ages. VEX gives students the chance to come together as a team, build a robot, and compete against their peers. Among the events sponsored by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, the international high school VEX Signature Event and the college-level VEX U Event inspiring teams to innovation with their robots and camaraderie with their teams. If you have any questions, send a note to vexrobotics@wpi.edu.

2026 FIRST Digital Animation Award

Sponsored by WPI, this award encourages students to cultivate skills in design and creation of animation while telling a story about the impact of technology on society. The award is open to all FIRST Robotics Competition teams and FIRST Tech Challenge teams.

What are robotics competitions really like?

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Additional Robotics Resources

WPILiB for FIRST
WPILib, the robotics software library used by all FIRST robotics competition teams every year. WPI created, and continues to help design, the invaluable software that’s used around the world to develop the programs behind their robots’ control systems. Read more about WPILib on the FIRST blog.  

Access WPILib Suite Software Repositories.

Robotics Scholarships 
Scholarships to attend WPI are available to students who are active FIRST (FRC or FTC) team members and for VEX participants. Learn more about available awards, deadlines, and other application requirements.

Learn more about scholarships for active FIRST team members.

Learn more about scholarships for VEX participants. 

Contact RRC 
Whether you’re interested in volunteering for a robotics event or in being a spectator at the next competition, there’s no shortage of ways to get involved with robotics on WPI’s campus. Contact the Robotics Resource Center for more information.