The gymnasium at South Burlington High School was filled with the unique sights and sounds of the Vermont Regional Robotics Championship for the 2026 FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC). Whirring motors, buzzing timers, and shouts of encouragement echoed through the crowded space as 27 teams from across the state faced off in one of the premier global robotics programs for students in grades 7–12.

Founded in 1989, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to inspire young engineers through mentorship programs that cultivate STEM—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—skills in a team-based environment that builds self-confidence, communication, and leadership. The organization offers three program levels that allow youth to work in teams to design, build, and program robots: LEGO® League (FLL, for ages 4–14) and the Tech Challenge and Robotics Competition (FTC and FRC, both for ages 14–18).

The FTC program in Vermont began over a decade ago and has grown into an impressive student-driven technology showcase for the state. For the past four years, the University Vermont’s Extension and Vermont 4-Hhas overseen the program with support from the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (CEMS), including an active volunteer corps of faculty, staff, and students.

“Few investments we make today carry as much promise for the future as supporting these exceptional students. Their curiosity, technical skill, and collaborative spirit continue to inspire us, and the innovative ideas they bring forward reflect the very qualities that engineering and science programs strive to cultivate,” said CEMS Interim Dean Mandar Dewoolkar.

In FTC, teams of up to 15 students are challenged to design, build, program, and operate robots that compete in a head-to-head alliance format—two teams competing against two others. Guided by mentors and driven by their passion for science, computing, and engineering, students develop technical expertise while embracing a spirit of innovation and teamwork. Their robots perform both autonomous and driver-operated tasks through a complex obstacle course of challenges. Strategy is also key, as top-ranked teams select their alliance partners for the final rounds.

The Game: 

This year’s challenge theme, Decode presented by RTX, was inspired by archaeology where “every artifact and innovation holds a story and connects us to the people and ideas that came before us.”

For each match, competing alliances of 2 teams score points for shooting purple and green plastic balls (the game’s “artifacts”) into their goal, building ordered patterns of balls based on a randomized motif, and race back to their home base before time runs out. 

For the first 30 seconds of the match, the robots use sensors to compete autonomously as programmed by their team. During the remaining 2 minutes of the match, student drivers take control of their robot to continue to collect and score balls in their respective goals to earn points. 

As time runs out, the allied teams work together to return both of their robots to their home base. Additional points are earned by alliances who can build the random pattern of colored balls that is defined immediately before the match commences. The alliance that earns the most points wins the match with additional ranking points available for completing other scoring achievements.

The ALLIANCE that earns the most points wins the MATCH and additional RANKING POINTS can be earned though completing other scoring achievements.

2026 FTC Vermont Region Championship Program

Participating Teams

2026 FTC Vermont Region Championship Image Gallery