FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC)

About this competition

FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is the flagship high-school robotics league run by FIRST. Each January, teams worldwide receive a brand-new game challenge and have six weeks to design, build, and program a 125-pound robot before regional and district competitions begin. Teams operate like real engineering firms — mentors from industry, fundraising, marketing, and rigorous design reviews are all part of the experience.

FRC is the pinnacle of pre-college robotics: alumni populate top engineering programs and earn millions in college scholarships every year. Expect a serious commitment of time, mentorship, and money.

Season & deadlines

Team registration opens September; build season kicks off the first Saturday of January.

Season window: January through April.

Cost

$5,000–$25,000 — Registration ~$6,000 per team plus event fees, materials, and travel. Sponsorships and grants are essential.

Prizes & outcomes

College scholarships, district/regional/world championship trophies

Prep resources

• Official rules and game manual · website

620 events tracked across 71 regions · 8,463 registered teams worldwide.

Events in Virginia

Find your team

Every registered FRC team has a page — search by number.

Or explore long-running teams:

• Team 1 — The Juggernauts (Pontiac, Michigan)
• Team 4 — Team 4 ELEMENT (Van Nuys, California)
• Team 5 — Robocards (Melvindale, Michigan)
• Team 6 — The CogSquad (Plymouth, Minnesota)
• Team 7 — Team007 (Baltimore, Maryland)
• Team 8 — Paly Robotics (Palo Alto, California)
• Team 9 — Roosevelt RoboRiders (Chicago, Illinois)
• Team 10 — Red Knights (St. Louis Park, Minnesota)

Related competitions

Good preparation: FIRST Tech Challenge