Duluth’s FIRST Robotics Competition brings in Students from around the world

DULUTH, Minn. — High schoolers and robots are on the loose at the DECC as the FIRST Robotics launches into this year’s competition!

Two full-size regional competitions are underway, marking week one of the 2026 season.

The winners will go head-to-head to move on to the world championships.

Each year, there is a new challenge, and students have six weeks to build their bots to complete that challenge from scratch.

This year, the robots will have to climb a ladder and shoot balls into a goal.

Teams will work together on offense and defense to earn points.

“The challenge is the same for everyone, but the tools that they use, the designs that they make, are all so very individualized. There’s always a handful of robots that just have a really unique way to approach the problem every year, and it’s interesting to see what our teams come up with to address those unique concerns,” said Nicole Schossow, Regional Director of Minnesota, North Dakota, & South Dakota.

The event attracts students from across the globe, including China and Hawaii, but competitors say it’s about more than just robots.

“We care not only about the competition results, but also what we gain from it, and also the friendship. So, I think it’s really precious,” said Yixuan Huang, Member of the Chinese team 6907 The Goat.

As a double-regional tournament, this is the largest competition outside the world championships.

This event is free to spectate and open to the public.