Team Great Britain goes gold at FIRST Global!

This is one for the books! Team Great Britain has made history and won gold at the 2024 FIRST Global Challenge, marking the first time a UK team has won an individual team award.

After winning the National Inspire Award at the UK Championships in June, we surprised team Ultraviolet from Bournemouth School for Girls with five spots to represent Great Britain at FIRST Global. Their epic team comprising Caitlyn, Emily, Ella, Dani and Gizem headed to Athens last weekend and they’ve done us all so proud! 

From national to international champions, Team Great Britain won gold for the Katherine Johnson Award for Engineering Documentation. The award celebrates their meticulous approach to detailing how they built the robot and the challenges they overcame.

Not only that, but they also won 8 out of 11 of their matches, ranking well within the top 50% of teams. Competing against 192 countries, they absolutely smashed their international debut. Go team!

STEM as a superpower

The FIRST Global Challenge brings together youth from across the globe to collaborate on STEM challenges that address real-world issues. This year’s game theme, “Feeding the Future,” explored the pressing need for a sustainable global food system. 

You can’t win gold without the classic “biting the gold medal” team photo!

The team spent their summer building their robot and working on outreach projects, and their hard work paid off when they arrived in Athens. However, just as with FIRST Tech Challenge UK, it was so much More Than Robots. 

Ahead of their journey, the team made communication cards to enhance collaboration within their alliances. The team put their innovative spirit to work and incorporated symbols, sign language and important translations to foster better communication.

“This journey has reminded us that STEM is not just about machines and algorithms – it’s about creativity, adaptability and the drive to solve complex real-world problems,” shared BSG Robotics.

Conquering the robotics universe

The Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Greece

To mark their international debut, the team proudly attended the opening ceremony at the Panathenaic Stadium – the original Olympic venue – to participate in the parade of nations. Having worked with young people from countless countries, you could say Team Great Britain has a knack for trans-continental networking!

Even with the end of the competition in sight, Team Great Britain was still improving their robot after learning from other teams and their own gameplay. They’re unstoppable!

Empowering women in STEM

As the first all-girls team from the UK to compete, their win is a landmark moment for future female engineers and innovators.

“It was an absolute privilege for these girls to represent the UK, and winning the first ever UK engineering award at the competition is a testament to their resilience and talent,” said Toby Osborne, Robotics Coach for the team and Assistant Headteacher at Bournemouth School for Girls. “They’ve had to overcome communication barriers, adapt quickly, and collaborate with young people from dozens of nations. Their engineering documentation reflects their dedication and ability to communicate complex ideas clearly to international judges. This gold medal shows that anyone can excel in STEM – especially girls!”

For the girls, the experience was life-changing! Team member, Emily, shared: “This week has changed how I see the world and the people in it. Meeting like-minded individuals from all over the globe reminded me that we’re not just robotics students – we’re athletes, musicians, and artists too. I feel proud to represent women across the UK who may not have the chance to explore STEM without fear of judgment. We’ve shown that you can wear makeup and pink while building an amazing robot.”

Building More Than Robots

From competing in FIRST Tech Challenge UK to winning gold on the global stage, the team proved women belong in STEM and are capable of making an impact on an international scale!

In the words of Team Great Britain, “STEM is not just a field of study but a superpower capable of transforming the future – one robot, friendship and boundary-breaking experience at a time.”

Take a look at their award-winning Engineering Portfolio for some top tips for the season ahead.

Congratulations, team!