Registration is $1500 (US) per team, which includes (Final payment due May 15, 2024 5pm EST):

• Five official robot matches (with plenty of practice opportunities)

• A 30-minute judging session per team

• Up to 10 event t-shirts per team

• Up to 10 participation medallions

Access for the entire team and all who travel with the team to:

• Opening Celebration (Friday night)

• Team Party (Saturday night)

• Discounted pricing at hotels (see below) and local businesses

The match and judging schedule will be published at least one week before the event.

Each team will be assigned an Event Number to identify them in schedules, pit maps, etc.

Teams may practice on the official competition fields Friday 1000-1600 and Saturday 1000-1500.  Access will not be officially scheduled (first come, first serve).

A dedicated Practice Area will be available for all teams from Friday at 1000 through Sunday at 1400.  This is also first-come, first-serve.  Lighting in this area is unlikely to be the same as on the competition fields, so teams should plan accordingly with any sensors that need specific lighting.

Participants may follow age range for their set country.  As of January 1, 2023, team members must fall within the range of

• For US/Canada: 9-14

• For all other regions: 9-16

• If your PDP granted a special exemption to this age range, please ask them to reach out and let us know.

All attendees must have a signed consent form including all student team members and all others ages 13 and up who are in attendance.  If you have not digitally signed the FIRST Consent Form, you can download a paper copy.

The Robot Pits are located in the Sports & Rec Center on Floor 3.

Each team will have a 6 or 8ft table and at least two power outlets.  We have purchased a number of universal adapters for our international teams.

There is no height limit in the pit area.

Approximate footprint of each pit is 8'x8'.    The corners of your designated space will be marked on the floor (no pipe and drape)

Teams are welcome to decorate their pits to celebrate their teams and seasons, however it is not a requirement.  

The pits are located in an open room, and therefore there are no walls or other surfaces to hang decorations.

Pit map will be posted prior to the event.

Pits are in groups of 18 teams.

Pit support will be available.  Their job is to be your point of contact for anything and everything throughout the event.  Ask them lots of questions!

Upon arrival, proceed to your assigned pit table.  A member of the pit support group will stop by and check you in.

Teams are not allowed to setup practice fields/mats anywhere in the venue.

Keep aisles clear of clutter at all times.

Gender-inclusive restrooms are located in the Sports & Rec Center and Harrington Auditorium, both on the 3rd floor.

There is elevator access in both the Rec Center and Harrington to move between floors.  

A quiet room will be provided, although it will not be monitored.  Children must be accompanied by a team adult when in the space.

If you are in need of any additional unique space for you or your team, please reach out, and we will do all that we can to accommodate.

Please refer to the welcome packet for information on connecting to WIFI. 

The event will have specific, dramatic lighting for show purposes.

During each match, field lighting is fixed.  The same lighting will be available and set during all practice times.  

The robot matches will be live-streamed at www.twitch.tv/nefirst_red 

The competition is free and open to the public for any spectators.

The Competition Area is located in Harrington Auditorium, which is connected to the Sports & Rec Ctr.

All Competition tables have 2"x3" walls and will be on staging raised 24" off the ground.  

All team matches will take place on one side of the arena to minimize the movement of spectators.  

Teams may enter the queuing area with only the team members who will be operating the robot during the match.  

Teams may bring carts, totes, etc to the field to help transport items.  However, they cannot be used during the match.

Teams may only bring the items of one FLL robot to the field.

When the field is ready for a team, a referee will indicate the team should proceed in an orderly fashion.

Teams may begin to set up on the field.

Team members need to look over the field and verify that it set up correctly.  They should immediately tell the referee if something is wrong.

When the match is complete, two team members must review the table with the referee as it is scored.  Do not touch the robot or table at this time.  

Once scoring is complete and the team agrees with the referee's assessment of the table, one team member must hit "Submit" on the scoring table to finalize the score entry.

Each judging session will follow the judging session flowchart.

Teams are expected to present in English, but a translator is welcome in the room to aid in understanding, especially during any Q&A.  

• We trust that the translators will be aware of the core values of FIRST and not use their position to give their team any advantage.

One adult is allowed to be present at their team's judging session as a silent observer (unless acting as a translator)

There will be one power outlet available for team use at their judging table.

Judging will take place in classrooms.  Large classrooms may have more than one team.

Each team will receive 5 qualifying matches throughout Saturday and Sunday.

At the end of these matches, the team's highest score from those 5 matches will be used as their Robot Performance Score.  Teams will be ranked 1 to 108  based on that score.

This rank will be provided to the judges and used to determine the Champion's Award winner.  The robot match scores may also be used by the judges in assessment of other awards.

Champion's Award Winner (1), Finalist (4)

Robot Performance 1st-5th

Core Values Winner (1), Finalist (4)

Innovation Project Winner (1), Finalist (4)

Robot Design Winner (1), Finalist (4)

Motivate Award Winner (1), Finalist (4)

Engineering Excellence Winner (1), Finalist (4)

Judges' Award (4)

Alliance Round Winner (2), Finalist (2)

People's Choice Awards (Nicest Pit, Imagery, Best Giveaway)

Coach/Mentor Award (2)

Volunteer of the Year (1)

Awarded to the team and mentor who does an outstanding job to support their team and help the kids on their team be the best they can be.  

Judges will observe teams in action and hear stories from team members to help determine this award winner.  

Teams are encouraged to write a short paragraph (max 500 words)  regarding their mentor and nominate them to the event manager.  

Advance nominations are encouraged and may be emailed to mafll@wpi.edu.  All submissions are due by 3 PM on Saturday, June 8.