About this competition
FIRST LEGO League Challenge is the gateway robotics competition for grades 4 through 8. Teams of up to 10 students build and program autonomous LEGO robots to complete missions on a themed field, while also researching a real-world problem related to the season's theme and presenting their solution to judges.
FLL is widely considered the best on-ramp to competitive STEM: the cost is reasonable, the learning curve is gentle, and the team-research-presentation format builds the exact skills colleges and selective summer programs look for later.
Season & deadlines
Team registration opens May; tournaments run November through February.
Season window: August through December.
Cost
$300–$1,500 — Registration ~$225, robot kit ~$500-$1,000, plus event fees.
Prizes & outcomes
Champion's Award, world festival invitations
Prep resources
- Official rules and game manual · website
Summer LEGO + intro-robotics camps
Many FLL teams form at summer camps where students meet teammates and learn the kit.
Related competitions
Natural next step: FIRST Tech Challenge