15 Robotics Competitions for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 7 hours ago
- 14 min read
If you’re in high school and looking for ways to make your academic profile more concrete, competitions are an excellent choice. They are built around performance, not just participation. You work within deadlines, follow rules, and produce results that reflect how well you can apply what you know. This makes them different from most classroom or program-based learning.
If you find yourself drawn to machines, automation, or the control of systems, robotics competitions for high school students are a solid option. These competitions require you to design and build a robot, connect hardware components, and write code that controls its behavior. You test your system in real conditions, identify limitations, and refine your approach.
Why should I participate in a robotics competition in high school?
Robotics competitions train you to approach problems methodically. You learn how to break down a system, test individual parts, and improve performance through repeated trials. They also show you where you stand in terms of technical ability.
You begin to understand your strengths and the areas that need more work before moving into advanced study. At the same time, this experience strengthens your applications because it reflects applied work and measurable output rather than only coursework.
With that, here are 15 robotics competitions for high school students you should definitely consider!
If you’re looking for online summer research programs, check out our blog here.
Key takeaways
Several competitions are free, including BEST Robotics, Conrad Challenge, Zero Robotics, Robotics for Good Youth Challenge, and MATE ROV (free for students), while others like FIRST Robotics ($6,300 team registration) and VEX have registration costs, though grants and sponsorships are often available to offset expenses.
Competitions span a wide range of robotics disciplines including industrial robot design (FIRST Robotics, VEX), autonomous programming (Zero Robotics on the ISS, Botball), underwater robotics (MATE ROV), aerial systems (IARC), combat and sumo robots (NRC, RoboGames), chain-reaction machines (Rube Goldberg), and social impact innovation (Conrad Challenge, Robotics for Good Youth Challenge).
Several competitions have a strong innovation and real-world impact component beyond just robot performance, including Conrad Challenge (design solutions to global problems), Robotics for Good Youth Challenge (address a global challenge using robots), and BEST Robotics (engineering notebook, marketing presentation, and community engagement alongside match performance).
Students interested in space and aerospace can apply to Zero Robotics, where finalists have their code uploaded to NASA's Astrobee robots on the International Space Station, and Conrad Challenge, which focuses on aerospace and engineering innovation with connections to Space Center Houston.
Deadlines for competitive programs are spread across the calendar year, with IARC, FIRST Robotics, and NRC having winter and spring deadlines, while Conrad Challenge phases run August through January, so students should map out competition calendars at the start of each school year.
Location: Regional, district-level, state-level, and national-level events
Cost: $6,300, with additional costs varying by region and event
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly disclosed
Dates: April 29 to May 2 (tentative)
Application Deadline: January 31 (tentative)
Eligibility: Open to high school students
The FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an annual team-based robotics competition organized by FIRST in which high school students design, build, and program industrial-sized robots to compete in a game. Working alongside adult mentors, you will use a Kit of Parts to engineer a robot capable of completing that year's specific game challenges on a themed competition field. Your team will compete as part of a three-team alliance against other alliances at regional or district events, with top-performing teams advancing to the FIRST Championship. Beyond the robot itself, you will also contribute to your team's identity, fundraising efforts, and community outreach throughout the season. Teams are evaluated both on their performance in matches and on submitted awards covering areas such as community impact and engineering documentation.
Location: Tournaments held at multiple locations. The World Championship is typically held at The America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
Cost: Registration fees apply (amount not listed in website), option to apply for a grant is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly disclosed
Dates: Tournaments held year-round
Application Deadline: Varies based on specific tournament
Eligibility: Students in grades 4-8 for VexIQ Mix & Match, Grades 6-12 for Vex V5 Push Back
The VEX V5 Robotics Competition (V5RC) is an annual team-based robotics competition organized by the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation in which students design, build, program, and drive robots to compete in a new game challenge each season. Each year's game is announced at the previous season's World Championship, giving your team the full season to iterate on your robot's design and programming. In matches, your team will be paired with an alliance partner and compete against an opposing alliance on a 12-by-12-foot field, with each match including both an autonomous period and a driver-controlled period. Beyond match play, you will also compete in the Robot Skills Challenge, where your robot can take the field solo to score as many points as possible. Your team should additionally maintain an engineering notebook documenting your design process, which is evaluated by judges at tournaments. Qualifying events at the local and regional levels lead to state and national championships, with top teams advancing to the VEX Robotics World Championship.
Location: Contests organized in over 95 countries, International Final to be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Cost: Registration fees apply (amount not listed in website), participants can avail sponsorships
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Teams of 2-3 students led by an adult coach
Dates: Finals scheduled for 8 to 10 December
Application Deadline: Varies based on specific tournament
Eligibility: Open to students roughly ages 8–19, with the Future Engineers category allowing participants up to age 22.
The World Robot Olympiad (WRO) is an international robotics competition organized across more than 95 countries. You can compete in one of four categories: RoboMission, RoboSports, Future Innovators, or Future Engineers. In RoboMission, you will design and program an autonomous robot to complete timed missions on a physical field. RoboSports requires you to build two robots that play an autonomous sports game against another team. In Future Innovators, you will develop an original robot project tied to a seasonal theme and present it to judges. Future Engineers requires you to engineer a self-driving vehicle and run it through a series of driving challenges. Each season is organized around a central theme, which shapes the mission briefs and project prompts across categories. National competitions run throughout the year, and qualifying teams advance to the International Final, held in a different country each year.
Location: Marion, Ohio
Cost: Amounts vary by contest; the A3 Robot Safety Award provides a $250 prize
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Teams of 2-3 students led by an adult coach
Dates: April 16, 17 & 18
Application Deadline: February 27
Eligibility: Students in 6th grade through graduate school
The National Robotics Challenge (NRC) is an annual open-platform robotics competition currently in its 40th year. You can build and program a robot from materials of your own choosing and enter it into one of twelve contest categories. Categories include Autonomous Vehicle Challenge, Box Bot, Combat Robot, Manufacturing Workcell, Micromouse, Mini-Sumo, Rescue Robot, Robo Hockey, Robot Maze, Robot Problem Solving, Sumo Robot, and Additive Manufacturing Challenge. Each category tests a specific area of robotics, automation, or manufacturing technology. Your robot must be designed, built, and programmed by you and your team, and you are expected to document your design process and bring that documentation to a technical inspection on competition day. Advisors are permitted to coach but may not handle or operate the robot at any point during the competition.
Location: Held at multiple hub-level and regional locations
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly listed
Dates: Varies each year
Application Deadline: Varies each year
Eligibility: Open to middle and high school students
BEST Robotics (Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology) is a free, national robotics competition that challenges middle and high school students to design, build, and program robots to solve real-world engineering problems. At kickoff, your team receives a kit of materials, including electronics, raw structural components such as plywood and PVC, and a programmable microcontroller. You will then design, build, and program a robot using only the materials provided in that kit, with no additional parts permitted beyond two custom-fabricated pieces. On game day, four teams compete simultaneously on a 24-by-24-foot field in three-minute matches, completing tasks to score points. Beyond the robot itself, you also produce an engineering notebook documenting your design process, deliver a marketing presentation, set up a team exhibit, and participate in judged spirit and sportsmanship activities.
Location: Held at multiple hub-level and regional locations
Cost: Not specified ($2,750 in previous years)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly listed
Dates: Varies each year
Application Deadline: Varies each year
Eligibility: Open to middle and high school students
Botball is a team-based robotics competition for middle and high school students, supported by NASA's Robotics Alliance Project. You will work with a team to design, build, and program autonomous robots over a 7-week build period. Your team's coach or mentor can attend educator workshops early in the year to learn the season's game details and share them with the team. Once the build period ends, you can bring your robot to a regional tournament to compete against other teams in that season's game challenge. Throughout the process, you should also document the technical work and use programming tools to enable your robot to operate on its own.
Location: Summit takes place in Space Center Houston, TX
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly listed
Dates: Phase 1 (Activation Stage): Aug 28 – Oct 30; Phase 2 (Innovation Stage): Oct 31 – Jan 8
Application Deadline: January 8
Eligibility: Open to students aged 13 to 18
The Conrad Challenge is an international innovation competition where high school students design solutions to specific problems using STEM concepts. In a robotics context, you can develop projects that use automation, sensors, or mechanical systems to address challenges in areas such as aerospace, energy, or health. You will work in a team over several months to research your chosen problem and build a prototype or technical concept that demonstrates how your solution functions. You should also document your design process, including how the system operates and how different components interact. The project will be submitted in stages, moving from an initial concept to a more detailed and developed solution.
Location: Summit takes place in Space Center Houston, TX
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly listed
Dates: Finals Day on February 21
Application Deadline: January 23
Eligibility: Open to high school students
Zero Robotics is a programming competition run by MIT, in collaboration with NASA, where high school students write code to control NASA's Astrobee robots aboard the International Space Station. Each season features a new game challenge tied to a space exploration concept. You are required to write and test your code through a web-based simulation that requires no software downloads, then submit it for evaluation across multiple online rounds. Teams that advance as finalists will have their code uploaded to the actual Astrobee robots on the ISS, where an astronaut carries out the final competition in microgravity. The championship will be broadcast live, with viewing parties available at alternate locations for teams not present at MIT. Your code runs autonomously, and once submitted, you cannot control the robot during the competition itself.
Location: Multiple locations across the US, including San Francisco and San Jose, CA
Cost: Entry fees apply, exact amount varies based on specific event
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly listed
Dates: Varies based on specific event
Application Deadline: Varies based on specific event
Eligibility: Open to high school students under the age of 18
RoboGames is an international open robot competition held annually in San Francisco, recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's largest. You will get to compete in one or more of over 50 events spanning categories like combat robots, sumo, soccer, hockey, firefighting, and humanoid robots performing physical tasks. Some events require fully autonomous robots, while others require remotely controlled robots. The competition is open to anyone, with individuals and teams from around the world participating each year. You bring your own robot and enter it in the events of your choosing, competing against other builders from across the globe.
10. RoboCap League
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies based on program; not listed in website
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly listed
Dates: Varies based on specific event
Application Deadline: Varies based on specific event
Eligibility: Open to students between the ages of 8 and 16
RoboCap League is a skill-based robotics assessment program that uses a tiered framework to measure and recognize robotics proficiency. Instead of competing against other participants, you will demonstrate your skills in front of a panel of judges through an online event called an RCAT, or RoboCap Assessment Test. Based on your performance, you will earn a color-coded RoboCap and certificate that reflects your current skill level. The framework is structured so that each cap level has specific skills you need to demonstrate to advance. You can continue developing your skills and apply for the next level when you are ready.
Location: Several host locations across the US and worldwide
Cost: $79 registration fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly listed
Dates: February 1 to May 30
Application Deadline: January 1
Eligibility: Open to elementary school, middle school, and high school students and adults
The Rube Goldberg Machine Contest is a competition where students design and build chain-reaction machines to complete a simple task using multiple sequential steps. You will work in a team to create a system in which each action triggers the next, requiring coordination of motion, timing, and mechanical interactions. The process involves planning the sequence, assembling the machine, and testing each step to ensure the full setup functions as intended. Each year, teams are assigned the same task and must complete it within a defined set of rules and constraints. You can participate in divisions such as the high school category, with opportunities to advance through regional rounds to larger competitions.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly listed
Dates: Varies based on specific event
Application Deadline: Varies based on specific event
Eligibility: Open to students below the age of 18
The Robotics for Good Youth Challenge is an international educational robotics competition organized by the ITU's AI for Good platform, where student teams design, build, and program robots to address a global challenge announced each season. You can use open-source software and hardware, and the competition encourages the use of recycled materials in your build. Teams will compete in two age divisions, Junior and Senior, through local chapter events held in countries around the world, with national winners advancing to a Grand Finale held during the AI for Good Global Summit. If there is no in-person event in your country, you can also participate by submitting a video of your robot completing the mission for remote judging.
Location: Regional events held at multiple locations worldwide
Cost: Free for students, team registration fee paid by coach; winner receives a $1,000 scholarship
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly listed
Dates: Varies based on specific event
Application Deadline: Varies based on specific event
Eligibility: Open to high school students; exact amount varies based on competition class
The MATE ROV Competition is an underwater robotics competition for K-12, community college, and university students, organized by the Marine Technology Society. You will design and build a remotely operated vehicle, along with any sensors and tooling needed to complete a set of missions based on real workplace scenarios in ocean science and engineering. The competition is structured into five classes, Scout through Explorer, which correspond to different levels of complexity in the build and mission requirements. Teams first compete at regional events, with top teams advancing to the World Championship.
Location: Multiple locations worldwide
Cost: Typically around $100 per team, but exact fees are set by each event organizer and can vary by country and challenge
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly listed
Dates: Varies based on specific event
Application Deadline: Varies based on specific event
Eligibility: Open to middle school students, high school students, and more
RoboRAVE International is an open robotics competition for students from elementary school through college, as well as adult participants, where teams design, build, and program autonomous robots to compete in one or more challenge events. The competition offers a range of events, including line following, firefighting, sumo, and catapult, among others, with tiered divisions for elementary, middle school, high school, and post-secondary participants. You can choose which events to enter and compete in those specifically, rather than a single standardized challenge. RoboRAVE does not require a specific robotics platform, so you can build with whatever hardware and materials your team chooses. There are no qualifying rounds; you can enter any event directly.
Location: Multiple locations worldwide
Cost: Varies based on location
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly listed
Dates: Varies based on location
Application Deadline: Varies based on location
Eligibility: Junior Student Members must be between 14 and 19 years old as of July 1
RoboCup is an international robotics competition where teams design and program autonomous robots to complete tasks in areas such as soccer, rescue operations, and service applications. Working in teams, you will build and code robots that operate autonomously, using sensors and algorithms to navigate environments and respond to changing conditions. The process involves designing, testing, and refining your robot based on its performance in specific challenges. You can participate across different leagues, including RoboCupJunior, which features events such as robot soccer matches and rescue simulations. As you progress from regional to international rounds, your robot will be evaluated on task performance and consistency. You also present your design approach and explain how your system functions during evaluations.
Frequently asked questions
What types of robotics competitions are available for high school students?
Options include team-based industrial robot design competitions (FIRST Robotics, VEX), autonomous programming competitions (Zero Robotics, Botball), underwater robotics competitions (MATE ROV), international open-platform competitions (WRO, RoboGames, RoboRAVE, RoboCup), free-build and open-category competitions (NRC, RoboGames), innovation and social impact competitions (Conrad Challenge, Robotics for Good), chain-reaction machine contests (Rube Goldberg), skill assessment programs (RoboCap League), and aerial robotics competitions (IARC).
Which robotics competitions are free for high school students?
BEST Robotics, Zero Robotics, Robotics for Good Youth Challenge, and MATE ROV (for students) are free to participate in. Conrad Challenge is also free. Rube Goldberg Machine Contest charges a $79 registration fee and RoboRAVE charges approximately $100 per team. FIRST Robotics and VEX require significant registration fees, though both offer grant programs and many teams secure local sponsorships to cover costs.
Which competitions are best for students interested in programming and autonomous systems?
Zero Robotics is unique in that finalists have their code uploaded to NASA's actual Astrobee robots aboard the International Space Station, making it one of the most distinctive autonomous programming competitions available to high schoolers. Botball focuses exclusively on autonomous robotics over a structured seven-week build period. VEX includes a robot skills challenge and an autonomous period in each match. FIRST Robotics also requires autonomous programming as part of match play.
Which competitions emphasize innovation, engineering design, or social impact?
Conrad Challenge focuses on STEM-based solutions to real-world global problems across categories including aerospace, energy, and health, with a multi-phase submission process from concept to prototype. Robotics for Good Youth Challenge requires teams to design robots addressing a global challenge announced each season. BEST Robotics evaluates teams on an engineering notebook, marketing presentation, team exhibit, and spirit activities alongside robot performance.
Which robotics competitions are international and allow students from any country to participate?
World Robot Olympiad runs in over 95 countries with an international final held in a different country each year. Zero Robotics is run by MIT and NASA and is open to international teams. RoboGames welcomes participants from around the world at its San Francisco event. RoboRAVE International has events across multiple countries with no qualifying rounds required. Robotics for Good Youth Challenge accepts video submissions from countries without local events. Conrad Challenge is open to students aged 13 to 18 from any country.
When should I apply to robotics competitions for high school students?
Conrad Challenge Phase 1 opens in late August and closes October 30, making it one of the earliest competition cycles on this list. NRC closes February 27 and Zero Robotics closes January 23. FIRST Robotics tentatively closes January 31. Rube Goldberg Machine Contest opens February 1 and closes May 30. VEX and RoboGames vary by tournament throughout the year. Students should plan their competition season at the start of the school year, particularly if they plan to enter Conrad Challenge, which requires multi-month commitment across two phases.
One other option—the Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you’re interested in pursuing independent research, consider applying to one of the Lumiere Research Scholar Programs, selective online high school programs for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4,000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here, check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.
Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. Last year, we had 150 students on full need-based financial aid!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.