HOUSTON, April 22, 2023 – This week, FIRST®, a robotics community that prepares young people for the future, brought together approximately 50,000 people from around the world as hundreds of student robotics teams put their innovation, teamwork, and robotics skills to the test at the 2023 FIRST Championship presented by BAE Systems, which took place at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.

The not-for-profit organization’s annual four-day event concluded Saturday with robotics teams competing in heart-pounding match finals for the FIRST® Robotics Competition and FIRST® Tech Challenge international championships, in front of thousands of cheering fans. Four teams from Madera, California; Champaign, Illinois; Ventura, California; and Guelph, Ontario, Canada, were the FIRST Robotics Competition Winning Alliance for this year’s game, CHARGED UPSM presented by Haas. Teams from Newbury Park, California; Bellevue, Washington; and Plainsboro, New Jersey, were the FIRST Tech Challenge Winning Alliance for POWERPLAYSM presented by Raytheon Technologies.

At FIRST Championship, 974 student robotics teams from 59 countries competed and exhibited across FIRST programs, and many FIRST® LEGO® League, FIRST Tech Challenge, and FIRST Robotics Competition teams earned honors for design excellence, competitive play, research, business plans, creativity, and teamwork. (See “2023 FIRST Championship Winners” section below.) 

Special guests at the 2023 FIRST Championship included Dean Kamen, FIRST founder and prolific inventor and other global leaders in business and innovation.

Selected Quotes from FIRST Championship:  

• Chris Moore, chief executive officer of FIRST, said: “This week at FIRST Championship we saw record-breaking attendance by student competitors and their supporters. The energy at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston has been simply electrifying. I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to all the families, friends, and spectators who cheered on these amazingly talented young people. Together, we are showing our support for outstanding students who embody the FIRST mission and core values: They innovate, compete, and collaborate with equal energy as Gracious Professionals. FIRST participants are united by a shared love for our sport and a common passion for using science and technology as a force for good within the world. It’s been an honor to watch them compete, and I can’t wait to see what they’ll do next with the skills they’ve learned through FIRST.” 
• Kari Karwedsky, technical director for BAE Systems’ Electronic Systems sector, the FIRST Championship presenting sponsor, said: “To lead the world and sustain the future of innovation, we need more dreamers and creators like FIRST students. For decades, BAE Systems and FIRST have worked together to inspire the next generation of STEM innovators with opportunities to learn, explore and develop confidence to build a future they believe in. Congratulations to all FIRST Championship participants on your achievements here and your bright futures ahead.” 
• Angela Baker, vice president of corporate responsibility at Qualcomm Incorporated, the FIRST season presenting sponsor said: “We are committed to ensuring young people from all backgrounds learn critical STEM skills and inspiring them to become innovators in leading-edge industries like ours. At Championship, it’s been exciting to see what students accomplished this FIRST ENERGIZE season, and we are proud to celebrate them.” 

FIRST Championship also honored significant supporters of the FIRST mission:

• Don Bossi, General Partner, Technology Venture Partners; Vice Chair, FIRST Board of Directors; and former president of FIRST, was the recipient of the Founder’s Award, presented each year by FIRST founder Dean Kamen to one organization or individual for exceptional service in advancing the ideals and mission of FIRST.  
• The Woodie Flowers Award, founded by Dr. William P. Murphy Jr. in 1996 and named after Dr. Woodie Flowers to recognize FIRST Robotics Competition mentors who lead, inspire, and empower through effective communication in the art and science of engineering and design, was awarded to Mark Buckner, Team 4265, Secret City Wildbots, Oak Ridge, Tenn. 
• The Volunteer of the Year Award was awarded to event volunteers for FIRST programs: Ali Marinara from FIRST Mid-Atlantic region (FIRST Robotics Competition); Chris Johannesen from California (FIRST Tech Challenge); Teresa Lanum from Mississippi (FIRST LEGO League Challenge); and Nathan and Nicole Coulombe from Indiana (FIRST LEGO League Explore) 
• The Compass Award for excellence in coaching/mentoring FIRST Tech Challenge was awarded to Ralph Szydlik, who was nominated for this award by Team 12791, Iterative Intentions, Flower Mound, Texas; 2nd Place went to Leon Pryor from Team 14010, Techno Phoenix, Detroit, Mich.; 3rd Place went to Noah Devico from Team 18457, GatorBytes, Newbury Park, Calif.  
• Coach/Mentor Awards for FIRST LEGO League went FIRST LEGO League went to Lauren Gaskill from Mishawaka, Indiana; Alberto Gomes da Silva from Team 9, SESI CLP, from Campo Limpo Paulista, Spain; and Ofir Glazer from Team 85, SycaGo, from Holon, Israel 

FIRST Championship, the world’s largest celebration of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for students, commemorated the conclusion of the 2022-2023 robotics season, FIRST® ENERGIZESM presented by Qualcomm. To empower young people to be leaders and innovators, this year’s energy theme addresses global challenges related to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #7, focused on ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. 

On Saturday, FIRST previewed its arts-themed 2023-2024 season, FIRST IN SHOWSM presented by Qualcomm, with an inspiring video tour spotlighting the roles our STEM skills play in the arts and empowering young people to bring their ideas to life. 

2023 FIRST Championship Winners  

The 2023 winners of the competitions and awards announced in Houston are as follows: 

• Abigail Lafon, Team 401, Copperhead Robotics, Virginia 
• Ana-Lois Davis, Team 176, Aces High, Connecticut 
• Audrey Smith, Team 1296, Full Metal Jackets, Texas 
• Brianna Adewinmbi, Team 687, The Nerd Herd, California 
• Bruno Ósio Jerônimo, Team 1772, The Brazilian Trail Blazers, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil 
• Elise Rina, Team 6473, Rock Star Robotics, Florida 
• Ian Frankel, Team 3926, MPArors, Minnesota 
• Joveline Alice F. Alvarez, Team 2465, Kauaibots, Hawaii 
• Sanjith Udupa, Team 503, Frog Force, Michigan 
• Shaan Merchant, Team 2638, Rebel Robotics, Great Neck, New York 

• Martian Binonwangan Jr., Team 13088, Cyber Saints, Hawaii 
• Aimee Linebarger, Team 10348, GearSTEM, New Mexico 
• Mason Fouty, Team 19589, Falcons Robotics, Washington 
• Deborah Ang, Team 15534, VERTEX, New Hampshire 
• Kirsten Polk, Team 8648, RoboRams, Illinois 
• Lucas Boyle, Team 8393, The Giant Diencephalic BrainSTEM, Pennsylvania 
• Chloe Allen, Team 8651, Wait For It…, Pearl, Mississippi 
• Priyanka Karunakaran, Team 18715, Artemis, California 
• Perry Han, Team 542, WHS Robotics, California 
• Videet Mehta, Team 14503, Robo Sapiens, Texas 

1. FIRST® Robotics Competition Championship – FIRST Robotics Competition (ages 14-18) combines sports excitement with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited resources, and time limits, students are challenged to fundraise, design a team identity, exercise teamwork, and build and program robots to compete in an exciting game that includes autonomous and driver-operated periods. In the 2023 game, CHARGED UP presented by Haas, teams were inspired to see the potential of energy storage in a new light as they competed in alliances to charge up their communities.  

More than 3,300 FIRST Robotics Competition teams competed during the 2023 season, with 619 teams advancing to Championship.

• Team 321, RoboLancers, Philadelphia, Pa., won the FIRST Impact Award (formerly Chairman’s Award), the highest honor given at the FIRST Robotics Competition Championship, recognizing the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST.  
  • Team 3284, Camdenton LASER 3284, Camdenton, Mo.; Team 6865, Manitoulin Metal 6865, M'Chigeeng, Ontario, Canada; Team 5985, Project Bucephalus, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia; and Team 118, Robonauts, Houston, Texas were FIRST Impact Award Finalists. 
• The Winning Alliance of the FIRST Robotics Competition was Team 1323, MadTown Robotics, Madera, Calif.; Team 4096, Ctrl-Z, Champaign, Ill.; Team 4414, HighTide, Ventura, Calif.; and Team 2609, BeaverworX, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. 
  • The Championship Finalist Alliance was: Team 5460, Strike Zone, Lapeer, Mich.; Team 125, NUTRONs, Revere, Mass.; Team 870, TEAM R. I. C. E., Southold, N.Y.; and Team 2590, Nemesis, Robbinsville, N.J. 

Other FIRST Robotics Competition Awards included: 

Championship Division Winners – 

• Archimedes Division presented by Kettering University: Team 972, Iron Claw, Los Gatos, Calif.; Team 6328, Mechanical Advantage, Littleton, Mass.; Team 8085, MOJO, Milford, Conn.; and Team 687, The Nerd Herd, Carson, Calif. 
• Curie Division presented by Rockwell Automation: Team 818, The Steel Armadillos, Warren, Mich.; Team 148, Robowranglers, Greenville, Texas; Team 6329, The Bucks' Wrath, Bucksport, Maine; and Team 302, The Dragons, Lake Orion, Mich. 
• Daly Division: Team 5460, Strike Zone, Lapeer, Mich.; Team 125, NUTRONs, Revere, Mass.; Team 870, TEAM R. I. C. E., Southold, N.Y.; and Team 2590, Nemesis, Robbinsville, N.J. 
• Galileo Division: Team 1678, Citrus Circuits, Davis, Calif.; Team 461, Westside Boiler Invasion, West Lafayette, Ind.; Team 3476, Code Orange, Irvine, Calif.; and Team 59, RamTech, Miami, Fla. 
• Hopper Division: Team 1323, MadTown Robotics, Madera, Calif.; Team 4096, Ctrl-Z, Champaign, Ill.; Team 4414, HighTide, Ventura, Calif.; and Team 2609, BeaverworX, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. 
• Johnson Division: Team 9312, NERD Spark, Albion, Mich.; Team 973, Greybots, Atascadero, Calif.; Team 2075, Enigma Robotics, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Team 4607, C.I.S., Becker, Minn. 
• Milstein Division: Team 6672, Fusion Corps, Irving, Texas; Team 3655, Tractor Technicians, Mason, Mich.; Team 5895, Peddie Robotics, Hightstown, N.J.; and Team 5419, Berkelium, Berkeley, Calif. 
• Newton Division presented by Ford: Team 5804, TORCH, Richmond, Va.; Team 1746, OTTO, Cumming, Ga.; Team 3184, Blaze Robotics, Burnsville, Minn.; and Team 4329, Lutheran Roboteers, Saint Peters, Mo. 

View all the FIRST Robotics Competition Championship Division Finalists 

Engineering Inspiration Award – 

• Archimedes Division: Team 4, Team 4 ELEMENT, Van Nuys, Calif. 
• Curie Division: Team 7565, SESI SENAI ROBONATICOS, São Paulo, Brazil 
• Daly Division: Team 2486, CocoNuts, Flagstaff, Ariz. 
• Galileo Division: Team 5166, Fabricators, Freeland, Mich. 
• Hopper Division: Team 2096, RoboActive, Dimona, Israel 
• Johnson Division: Team 1676, The Pascack PI-oneers, Montvale, N.J. 
• Milstein Division: Team 3937, Breakaway, Searcy, Ark. 
• Newton Division: Team 1156, Under Control, Novo Hamburgo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil 

Autonomous Award sponsored by Ford – 

• Archimedes Division: Team 2056, OP Robotics, Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada 
• Curie Division: Team 3310, Black Hawk Robotics, Heath, Texas  
• Daly Division: Team 3314, Mechanical Mustangs, Clifton, N.J. 
• Galileo Division: Team 836, The RoboBees, Hollywood, Md. 
• Hopper Division: Team 2930, Sonic Squirrels, Snohomish, Wash. 
• Johnson Division: Team 971, Spartan Robotics, Mountain View, Calif. 
• Milstein Division: Team 1923, The MidKnight Inventors, Plainsboro, N.J. 
• Newton Division: Team 4099, The Falcons, Poolesville, Md. 

Creativity Award sponsored by Rockwell Automation –  

• Archimedes Division: Team 1561, ROBODUCKS, Oklahoma City, Okla. 
• Curie Division: Team 5940, BREAD, Redwood City, Calif. 
• Daly Division: Team 4907, Thunderstamps, St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada 
• Galileo Division: Team 2771, Code Red Robotics the Stray Dogs, Grandville, Mich. 
• Hopper Division: Team 6517, So-Kno Robo, Knoxville, Tenn. 
• Johnson Division: Team 4635, PrepaTec - Botbusters, Monterrey, NLE, Mexico 
• Milstein Division: Team 604, Quixilver, San Jose, Calif. 
• Newton Division: Team 179, Children of the Swamp, Riviera Beach, Fla. 

Excellence in Engineering Award –  

• Archimedes Division: Team 254, The Cheesy Poofs, San Jose, Calif. 
• Curie Division: Team 6329, The Bucks' Wrath, Bucksport, Maine 
• Daly Division: Team 3641, The Flying Toasters, South Lyon, Mich. 
• Galileo Division: Team 6800, Valor, Austin, Texas 
• Hopper Division: Team 6832, STEAMex, Santa Catarina, Nuevo Leon, Mexico 
• Johnson Division: Team 6377, Howdy Bots, Austin, Texas 
• Milstein Division: Team 1983, Skunk Works Robotics, Seattle, Wash. 
• Newton Division: Team 4522, Team SCREAM, Sedalia, Mo. 

Gracious Professionalism® Award –  

• Archimedes Division: Team 1884, Griffins, London, England, United Kingdom 
• Curie Division: Team 3008, Team Magma, Honolulu, Hawaii 
• Daly Division: Team 1710, The Ravonics Revolution, Olathe, Kan. 
• Galileo Division: Team 2383, Ninjineers, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 
• Hopper Division: Team 6024, R Factor, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India 
• Johnson Division: Team 6919, The Commodores, Albany, Ga. 
• Milstein Division: Team 2974, Walton Robotics, Marietta, Ga. 
• Newton Division: Team 3161, Tronic Titans, Oakville, ON, Canada 

Imagery Award in honor of Jack Kamen –  

• Archimedes Division: Team 6078, RoboRams, Holt, Mich. 
• Curie Division: Team 4738, Patribots, San Diego, Calif. 
• Daly Division: Team 203, SOUPERBOTS, Sicklerville, N.J. 
• Galileo Division: Team 2881, Lady Cans, Austin, Texas 
• Hopper Division: Team 4682, CyBears, Seattle, Wash. 
• Johnson Division: Team 1339, AngelBotics, Denver, Colo. 
• Milstein Division: Team 469, Las Guerrillas, Pontiac, Mich. 
• Newton Division: Team 3184, Blaze Robotics, Burnsville, Minn. 

Industrial Design Award sponsored by General Motors – 

• Archimedes Division: Team 4028, The Beak Squad, Cincinnati, Ohio 
• Curie Division: Team 6998, Unipards, Tainan, Tainan, Chinese Taipei 
• Daly Division: Team 2767, Stryke Force, Kalamazoo, Mich. 
• Galileo Division: Team 67, The HOT Team, Highland, Mich. 
• Hopper Division: Team 1323, MadTown Robotics, Madera, Calif. 
• Johnson Division: Team 2832, The Livonia Warriors, Livonia, Mich. 
• Milstein Division: Team 910, The Foley Freeze, Madison Heights, Mich. 
• Newton Division: Team 5990, TRIGON, Modiin, Israel 

Innovation in Control Award –  

• Archimedes Division: Team 6328, Mechanical Advantage, Littleton, Mass. 
• Curie Division: Team 5687, The Outliers, Portland, Maine 
• Daly Division: Team 2363, Triple Helix Robotics, Newport News, Va. 
• Galileo Division: Team 1318, Issaquah Robotics Society, Issaquah, Wash. 
• Hopper Division: Team 7407, Wired Boars, Wallingford, Conn. 
• Johnson Division: Team 1540, Flaming Chickens, Portland, Ore. 
• Milstein Division: Team 6672, Fusion Corps, Irving, Texas 
• Newton Division: Team 900, The Zebracorns, Durham, N.C. 

Quality Award –  

• Archimedes Division: Team 2468, Team Appreciate, Austin, Texas 
• Curie Division: Team 5907, CC Shambots, Novi, Mich. 
• Daly Division: Team 6424, Stealth Panther Robotics, Knob Noster, Mo. 
• Galileo Division: Team 7197, Mountie Megabots, Jackson, Mich. 
• Hopper Division: Team 4414, HighTide, Ventura, Calif. 
• Johnson Division: Team 4607, C.I.S., Becker, Minn. 
• Milstein Division: Team 1414, IHOT, Atlanta, Ga. 
• Newton Division: Team 1538, The Holy Cows, San Diego, Calif. 

Championship Division Highest Rookie Seed –  

• Archimedes Division: Team 9101, Green Mountain Robotics, Burlington, Vt. 
• Curie Division: Team 9015, Questionable Engineering, Jersey City, N.J. 
• Daly Division: Team 9136, Rampage, El Paso, Texas 
• Galileo Division: Team 9128, ITKAN Robotics, Richardson, Texas 
• Hopper Division: Team 9118, Pb-ers Laguna - Peñoles, Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico 
• Johnson Division: Team 9312, NERD Spark, Albion, Mich. 
• Milstein Division: Team 9125, Mechanical Magicians, Newark, Calif. 
• Newton Division: Team 9084, Octobots, Goleta, Calif. 

Rookie All-star Award –  

• Archimedes Division: Team 9134, Prepa Tecmilenio - DEVOLT, Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico 
• Curie Division: Team 9015, Questionable Engineering, Jersey City, N.J. 
• Daly Division: Team 9000, Zebracakes, Durham, N.C. 
• Galileo Division: Team 9128, ITKAN Robotics, Richardson, Texas 
• Hopper Division: Team 9118, Pb-ers Laguna - Peñoles, Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico 
• Johnson Division: Team 9312, NERD Spark, Albion, Mich. 
• Milstein Division: Team 9008, G-Force Robotics, Clayton, N.C. 
• Newton Division: Team 9023, Future Martians, Sammamish, Wash. 

Rookie Inspiration Award –  

• Archimedes Division: Team 9038, SF UNITY, San Francisco, Calif. 
• Curie Division: Team 9219, Nine Tails, Resende, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 
• Daly Division: Team 9135, STEAMSur, Paramaribo, Paramaribo, Suriname 
• Galileo Division: Team 9120, Silverbot - Fresnillo PLC, Guanajuato, Guadalajara, Mexico 
• Hopper Division: Team 9082, No Limit, Pleasant Valley, Iowa 
• Johnson Division: Team 9213, TECUANI, Pesqueria, Nuevo Leon, Mexico 
• Milstein Division: Team 9244, STEAMBel, Belize City, Belize 
• Newton Division: Team 9030, MecHack, Baki, Baku, Azerbaijan 

Team Spirit Award –  

• Archimedes Division: Team 6002, ZooBOTix, Kalamazoo, Mich. 
• Curie Division: Team 6652, Tigres, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico 
• Daly Division: Team 2491, NoMythic, Saint Paul, Minn. 
• Galileo Division: Team 2630, Thunderbolts, Emek Hefer, Israel 
• Hopper Division: Team 4400, Cerbotics - Peñoles, TORREON, Coahuila, Mexico 
• Johnson Division: Team 7460, Avi and Friends, Sylvania, Ohio 
• Milstein Division: Team 2399, The Fighting Unicorns, Shaker Heights, Ohio 
• Newton Division: Team 3039, Wildcat Robotics, Destrehan, La. 

Team Sustainability Award – 

• Archimedes Division: Team 2202, BEAST Robotics, Brookfield, Wis. 
• Curie Division: Team 302, The Dragons, Lake Orion, Mich. 
• Daly Division: Team 3390, ANATOLIAN EAGLEBOTS, Çankaya, Ankara, Turkey 
• Galileo Division: Team 948, NRG (Newport Robotics Group), Bellevue, Wash. 
• Hopper Division: Team 2341, Sprockets, Shawnee, Okla. 
• Johnson Division: Team 3339, BumbleB, Kfar Yona, Israel 
• Milstein Division: Team 6823, USM Robotics - Wildcats, Milwaukee, Wis. 
• Newton Division: Team 1629, Garrett Coalition (GaCo), Accident, Md. 

Judges’ Awards –  

• Archimedes Division: Team 1700, Gatorbotics, Palo Alto, Calif. 
• Curie Division: Team 3132, Thunder Down Under, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 
• Daly Division: Team 1781, Lindblom Electric Eagles, Chicago, Ill. 
• Galileo Division: Team 4481, Team Rembrandts, Eindhoven, North Brabant, Netherlands 
• Hopper Division: Team 2718, Team OKC e'possums (Σ 1/n! x 10^3), Oklahoma City, Okla. 
• Johnson Division: Team 3506, YETI Robotics, Charlotte, N.C. 
• Milstein Division: Team 3620, Average Joes, Saint Joseph, Mich. 
• Newton Division: Team 2642, Pitt Pirates, Greenville, N.C. 

2. FIRST® Tech Challenge World Championship – FIRST Tech Challenge (ages 12-18) students learn to think like engineers. Teams build robots from a reusable kit of parts, develop strategies, document their progress, and compete head-to-head. In the 2022-2023 game, POWERPLAYSM presented by Raytheon Technologies, teams and their robots must focus on making the right energy decisions and find innovative ways to unlock their robot’s full potential as they race to build and complete circuits, testing the limits of power, performance, energy, and endurance. 

Nearly 7,000 FIRST Tech Challenge teams competed during the 2022-2023 season, with 192 teams advancing to this week’s FIRST Championship. The presenting sponsor for the FIRST Tech Challenge season is Raytheon Technologies.

• The FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship Inspire Award, recognizing excellence in robot design and teamwork, went to Team 18438, Wolfpack Machina, Beverly, Mass. 
• The Winning Alliance was Team 18457, GatorBytes, Newbury Park, Calif.; Team 21229, Quality Control, Bellevue, Wash.; and Team 14481, Don't Blink, Plainsboro, N.J. 
  • The Finalist Alliance was: Team 11260, Up-A-Creek Robotics, Longmont, Colo.; Team 15534, VERTEX, Exeter, N.H.; and Team 22508, SUPERNOVA, Beijing, China. 
• The Promote Award went to: Team 8651, Wait For It..., Pearl, Miss.; 2nd Place went to Team 15534, VERTEX, Exeter, N.H.; 3rd Place went to Team 3763, Piece of Cake, Edina, Minn.  

Other FIRST Tech Challenge awards included:

Division Winning Alliance –  

• Franklin Division: Team 22312, The Brobdingnagian Tritocephalic BrainSTEM Robotics Team, Baden, Pa.; Team 8680, Kraken-Pinion, Mequon, Wis.; and Team 8365, Gearmasters, Forest Hills, N.Y. 
• Jemison Division: Team 11260, Up-A-Creek Robotics, Longmont, Colo.; Team 15534, VERTEX, Exeter, N.H.; and Team 22508, SUPERNOVA, Beijing, China. 
• Edison Division: Team 18457, GatorBytes, Newbury Park, Calif.; Team 21229, Quality Control, Bellevue, Wash.; and Team 14481, Don't Blink, Plainsboro, N.J. 
• Ochoa Division: Team 18438, Wolfpack Machina, Beverly, Mass.; Team 14496, Roboctopi, Escondido, Calif.; and Team 7244, OUT of the BOX Robotics, Thorndale, Pa. 

Division Inspire Award –  

• Franklin Division: Team 18754, Galactic Narwhal Chicken Effect (GNCE), Weston, Mass. 
• Jemison Division: Team 14140, Crash Test, La Jolla, Calif. 
• Edison Division: Team 12791, Iterative Intentions, Flower Mound, Texas 
• Ochoa Division: Team 18438, Wolfpack Machina, Beverly, Mass. 

Innovate Award sponsored by Raytheon Technologies –  

• Franklin Division: Team 16379, KookyBotz, Sammamish, Wash. 
• Jemison Division: Team 19502, The Moment Makers, Pearland, Texas 
• Edison Division: Team 21229, Quality Control, Bellevue, Wash. 
• Ochoa Division: Team 7172, Technical Difficulties, Plano, Texas 

Design Award –  

• Franklin Division: Team 14374, Dark Matter, St. Tammany Parish, La. 
• Jemison Division: Team 14380, Blue BotBuilders, Northgate, Queensland, Australia 
• Edison Division: Team 4133, Fusion, Helena, Mont. 
• Ochoa Division: Team 18185, Lightbotics, Fairbanks, Alaska 

Motivate Award –  

• Franklin Division: Team 18095, Haywired! Robotics, Twin Falls, Idaho 
• Jemison Division: Team 17962, Ro2D2, PLOIESTI, Prahova, Romania 
• Edison Division: Team 16158, VC Silver Circuits, Virginia City, Nev. 
• Ochoa Division: Team 16290, Z.I.P Ties, Sanford, Fla. 

Connect Award –  

• Franklin Division: Team 8565, TechnicBots, Plano, Texas 
• Jemison Division: Team 12887, Devolt Phobos, Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico 
• Edison Division: Team 11047, screw it, Taichung, Chinese Taipei 
• Ochoa Division: Team 19458, Equilibrium.exe, Potomac, Md. 

Think Award –  

• Franklin Division: 16091 TWCA (Team Without a Cool Acronym), Hurricane, UT 
• Jemison Division: Team 18763, Texpand, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa 
• Edison Division: Team 18139, Rebel Robotics, Norfolk, Neb. 
• Ochoa Division: Team 11574, Incognito, Reno, Nev. 

Control Award sponsored by Arm, Inc. –  

• Franklin Division: Team 8680, Kraken-Pinion, Mequon, Wis. 
• Jemison Division: Team 6133, The "NUTS!", Cincinnati, Ohio 
• Edison Division: Team 14423, RoboCorns, Exton, Pa. 
• Ochoa Division: Team 14496, Roboctopi, Escondido, Calif. 

Judges’ Award –  

• Franklin Division:  
  • “P-Cubed” Award: Team 18424, LYBOTICS Super Team, Tripoli, Libya 
  •  “I Am Phoenix” Award: Team 20500, Robert H. Lewis High School, Sun Valley, Calif. 
• Jemison Division:  
  • “Community at Heart” Award, Team 18492, Mukhtar Robotics Team, Tripoli, Libya 
  • “Small with Big Hearts” Award: Team 724, RedNek Robotics Wun, Sun River, Mont. 
• Edison Division:
  • “Applied Egg-Cellance” Award: Team 15637, Fata Morgana, Ramat Negev, Israel 
  • “Globe Trotters” Award: Team 14481, Don't Blink, Plainsboro, N.J. 
• Ochoa Division:
  • “Spare Parts” Award: Team 22683, JV RoboRedHawks, Hinesburg, Vt. 
  • “Out of the Box” Award: Team 3540, RoboBoogie, Hewlett, N.Y. 

View all the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship Division Finalists

3. FIRST® LEGO® League World Festival – FIRST LEGO League (ages 4-16, varies by country) introduces younger students to real-world engineering challenges by inviting them to conduct research projects and build LEGO®-based autonomous robots to complete tasks on a thematic playing surface. FIRST LEGO League teams, guided by their imaginations, discover exciting career possibilities and learn to make positive contributions to society.  

This year, SUPERPOWEREDSM challenged more than 50,000 student teams from around the world to explore energy sources and how energy is stored, distributed, and used, and identify a solution to improve the energy journey – putting their superpowered creativity to work for a better future. 

108 FIRST LEGO League Challenge division teams (ages 9-16, varies by country) competed at this week’s event through robot matches, Innovation Project presentations, and FIRST Core Values activities. Top honors went to Champion’s Award winner, Team 60008, FSINGENIUM, Sarriguren, Spain; Champion’s Award Finalist, Team 59975, LITBOT100, Kaunas, Lithuania; Champion’s Award Finalist, Team 60009, Legotronic Beavers, Torres de Elorz, Spain; and Champion’s Award Finalist, Team 59969, RoboRazors from Amman, Jordan.  

Other FIRST LEGO League Challenge award winners included:  

• Robot Performance Award – Team 60008, FSINGENIUM, Sarriguren, Spain 
• Robot Design Award – Team 59886, Silent-X Assassins from Penang, Malaysia  
• Innovation Project Award – Team 59988, SycaGo from Holon, Israel 
• Core Values Award – Team 39102, Assembly Required from Fort Myers, Florida 

55 FIRST LEGO League Explore division teams (ages 6-10) presented exhibits of their SUPERPOWERED models and research to showcase their critical thinking and imagination skills during the event.  

The Core Values Award, Team Poster Award, Team Model Award, Coding Award, and Challenge Solution Award were presented during a ceremony honoring all exhibiting FIRST LEGO League Explore teams. 

Visit the FIRST LEGO League blog for a full list of World Festival award recipients, coming soon.  

For more from FIRST Championship, watch highlights on FIRSTtv. 

2023 FIRST Championship Sponsors: The 2023 FIRST Championship is presented by BAE Systems. Co-Sponsors include: Bechtel Group Foundation, DoD STEM, Ford Motor Company, The Gene Haas Foundation, Google, Mouser Electronics, Rockwell Automation, Inc., United Therapeutics Corporation, The Walt Disney Imagineering, and Zebra Technologies. Friends of FIRST Sponsors include: ARMI BioFab USA, Ball Corporation, Booz Allen Hamilton, Coca-Cola, Houston First, Kettering University, PwC, and TE Connectivity. 

Save the Dates for upcoming FIRST Championship events: 

• 2024 FIRST Championship: April 17-20, 2024, Houston 
• 2025 FIRST Championship: April 16-19, 2025, Houston 

About FIRST® 

FIRST® is a robotics community that prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages 4-18 (PreK-12) that can be facilitated in school or in structured after-school programs. Boosted by a global support system of volunteers, educators, and sponsors that include over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies, teams operate under a signature set of FIRST Core Values to conduct research, fundraise, design, build, and showcase their achievements during annual challenges. An international not-for-profit organization founded by accomplished inventor Dean Kamen in 1989, FIRST has a proven impact on STEM learning, interest, and skill-building well beyond high school. Participants and alumni of FIRST programs gain access to education and career discovery opportunities, connections to exclusive scholarships and employers, and a place in the FIRST community for life. Learn more at firstinspires.org.