A New Adventure Every Season
FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) is a global robotics competition for students aged 12 to 18. Every year a brand-new game is revealed, and small teams of students design, build, and program a robot to play it. Matches are only half the story — engineering process, teamwork, and community outreach matter just as much.
FTC sits in the middle of the FIRST family — one step up from FIRST LEGO League and one step below FIRST Robotics Competition. It is the port from which The Round Eye Pirates set sail, and the same challenge every crew on this site calls home.
Watch the Tales
More Than Robotics Education — FIRST Tech Challenge UK
DECODE presented by RTX — Game Animation
DECODE presented by RTX — Field Tour
What the Crew Actually Does
Design & Build
Each season starts with a brand-new game. The crew studies the rules, sketches ideas, and turns spare parts into a competition robot that fits in an 18-inch cube — one that starts small and grows up to twice that size once the match begins.
Program
The robot is powered by a REV Control Hub running Android, coded in Blocks or Java. Teams write autonomous routines so the robot can run on its own for the first 30 seconds, guided by sensors and camera AprilTags.
Compete
Matches are played on a 12-foot square field, two alliances of two teams each. Every match mixes up the partnerships — the team you beat one round might be your ally the next. Strategy, driving, and gracious professionalism all count.
More Than Robots
Teams are judged on the whole journey, not just the field. Engineering notebooks, outreach, team spirit, and community impact carry real weight — the highest award, the Inspire Award, goes to the team that does everything well.
The FIRST Family
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) runs a ladder of robotics programmes, so students can grow with the challenge:
The Voyage of a Season
The game is revealed for the very first time at Kickoff. The competition manual drops, the season theme is announced, and the six weeks of frantic designing and building begin.
Design, build, wire, and code. The crew prototypes, tests, and rebuilds the robot over and over — and keeps a detailed engineering notebook of every decision along the way.
Qualifiers run from late spring into summer here in New Zealand. Top teams advance from qualifiers to the National Championship, and from there to the FIRST Championship on the world stage.
The best teams from around the globe gather at FIRST Championship. Advance on robot performance, judged awards, or a strong balance of both.
More Than Points
Awards Are Half the Compass
Advancing to the next port is not just about winning matches. Half of every advancement comes from judged awards that reward the whole team — the engineering notebook, the design process, team spirit, and community outreach. The Inspire Award is the highest honour in FTC: given to the team that embodies everything FIRST stands for, it carries a direct ticket to the next level.
And at every event, the most important rule is Gracious Professionalism — competing fiercely but treating teammates, opponents, and volunteers with kindness and respect.
Plunder the Resources
Still curious about the crew behind the compass? Browse the FAQ or send word to the crew.