Let the champs games begin!

Every match is 2 minutes 30 seconds long and includes four teams playing on a game field. Two teams work together in a single alliance to play against another alliance. Two teams are in the blue alliance and the other two in the red alliance.

• Each team includes a drive team – the coach, drivers and human player.
  Coach – directs the game play
  Driver – controls the robot
  Human Player – places scoring elements – only one per alliance

30 secs – Autonomous period

During this period, teams are not allowed to control the robot using game controllers. Instead, their robots are allowed to be programmed autonomously to move positions or to move objects around the game field to score points.

1 min 30 secs – Driver-controlled period

Once the game announces “drivers pick up your controllers” and the countdown clock finishes we enter the driver-controlled period. With their alliance partners, teams can control their robots to score points on the game field.

30 secs – End game

During the end game, teams can continue to score points by suspending their robots from the rigging before the timer is up.

For more, including ways to score points, read the game rules one-pager.

2 divisions

The champs competition follows a two-division format. There are 32 teams in each division. The divisions play separately until the final matches for the ultimate winning champs title.

Qualification Matches

Each team plays five matches in randomised alliances, chosen by the game software. The aim during this period is to score and rank highly on the leaderboard for their best chance to progress to the elimination matches.

Elimination Matches

Six alliances consisting of two teams each, progress into division elimination matches. At this stage, 12 teams per division are still competing while the remaining teams are knocked out. 

The top six-ranked teams become alliance captains and choose one team to form their alliance. Please note, this is a strategic selection process (see the alliance selection explainer below).

Once alliances are set, teams enter a double-elimination bracket and compete head-to-head. A win advances you on the “winners’ side.” A loss drops you to the “losers’ side”. A second loss eliminates your alliance.

Each division plays separately until their division final, producing two division winners. The two division winning alliances will play in the ultimate final match to decide the overall winning alliance.

1. Qualification → ranking → alliance selection.
2. Alliances enter a double-elimination bracket.
3. Two parallel brackets run, one for each division.
4. Division winners face off in an overall final.

The alliance selection process determines the teams that progress to the elimination matches. Six alliances, each with two teams, will enter the eliminations, taking part in a bracket-style competition to decide the overall winning alliance.

Teams appoint a representative

Each team chooses a team member to represent them during the alliance selection in the competition area. The team representative can bring a scouting document and communicate with other teammates to support their choices.

We start with six alliance captains

The top six ranked teams become the six alliance captains set to compete in the eliminations.

The highest-ranked team is the first Alliance Captain and are first to invite a team to join their alliance. The invited team can choose to accept or decline the invitation.

New alliance captains can be appointed 

If one alliance captain invites another to join their alliance, they can accept the invitation. When this happens, the 7th ranked team becomes a new alliance captain to maintain the six captains required for eliminations.

Option to accept or decline

When a team accepts an invitation, they become part of that alliance and cannot be chosen by anyone else.

If a team declines an invitation, they CANNOT be invited to any other alliance, however, they can still become an alliance captain if the spot becomes available and can still invite teams to their alliance.

If a team declines, the alliance captain from the inviting team must extend an invitation to another.

The same method is used for each alliance captain’s second-choice team.

When does the selection process end?

The process continues until six alliances are formed.

All unappointed teams will not progress to the elimination matches but may still win judged awards during the award ceremony.

There are both judged awards and gameplay awards up for grabs.

Judges Award
Essentially the Judge’s Choice award, this accolade goes to a team that stood out to the panel of judges for their unique efforts, performance or dynamics, but didn’t quite fit the criteria for any other big award.

Design Award
“Industrial design at its best.” This award goes to a team with a robot that functions well, and looks great too. The innovative design does not compromise the practical operation of the robot, but complements its purpose.

Motivate Award
“Sparking others to embrace the culture of FIRST“. This award celebrates a team that represents the essence of FIRST Tech Challenge through team building, team spirit, enthusiasm, and by encouraging those around them to get involved with the challenge.

Control Award 
“Mastering Robot intelligence”. This award is given to the team that has been very clever with their programming and has shown innovative thinking in the control system to solve game challenges.

Innovate Award sponsored by RTX
The Innovate Award celebrates a Team that thinks imaginatively and has the ingenuity, creativity, and inventiveness to make their designs come to life. This award celebrates a team that thinks outside the box and has the most innovative and creative robot design solution to any specific components in the FIRST Tech Challenge game.

Connect Award
“Connecting the dots between community, FIRST and the diversity of the engineering world.” This team has helped the community understand FIRST, the FIRST Tech Challenge, and the team itself, and has recognised that engaging their local STEM community plays an essential part in their success.

Think Award
“Removing engineering obstacles through creative thinking.” This award recognises a team with an amazing engineering section in their Engineering Portfolio. The team has carefully noted the journey they have taken throughout the engineering design process during the build season.

Finalist Alliance Division 1 and 2

The alliances that are placed as runners-up during the final matches within their division.

Winning Alliance Division 1 and 2

The alliances that win the final matches within their division

UK Finalist Alliance

The alliance that places runner-up for the final matches where both division winners go head-to-head.

UK Winning Alliance

The alliance that wins the final matches where both division winners go head-to-head.

Inspire Award
This award is the big one – they have embodied the ‘challenge’ of the FIRST Tech Challenge programme, are a top contender for many other judged awards, and are all-round gracious competitors.

Click the map to expand.

RTX

Try out RTX’s LED snake game and compete in some timed challenges!

Arm

Discover where a career with Arm could take you.

Intuitive

Calling all future doctors! Put your dexterity to the test and try out the Da Vinci Xi Robotic Surgical System.

The National Robotarium

Meet your new best friend in robot form. It won’t bite, we promise!

Raspberry Pi

Head over to find out what’s in store!

Bloomberg

Learn what it’s like working for one of the world’s biggest finance, data and media companies.

Thursday 26 June 

Public concessions

Near venue entrances

Open 1PM–5:30PM and 7:30PM–8:30PM

Team evening grub 

All concessions – open 5:30PM – 7:30PM

Near Division 1 Atlantic (Special dietary requirements only)

Friday 27 June

Public concessions

Near Division 1 Atlantic – open for lunch 11AM – 3PM

Near Division 2 Pacific – 0pen all day 9AM – 6PM

Enter our community quiz for the chance to win one of the champs’ first prizes. Get chatting to other teams and volunteers to find the answers.

Complete the quiz!

Entries open at 5PM and close at 7:30PM.

Leave your mark on the championship and add to the message wall. Grab a sticker and pen from pit admin and add your message to the space behind the pits.

Head to the front two game fields to show off your engineering skills with a game of robot jenga using this year’s game pieces. Play with another team – psst, they might be the perfect alliance partner tomorrow…

Keep scrolling on this page to find the social missions for today. Submit your entries for #RobotPitStop and #BreakTheIce by 7:30PM for the chance to win one of our epic prizes.