Washington State has over 500 FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge teams each year. Teams are formed in schools, community organizations, and neighborhoods. They can be formed by any interested adult willing to facilitate team logistics for about four months.

Both nationwide and within Washington, about 77% (~460) of the FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge teams are formed through schools, so the first place to look for opportunities to join a team is with your child’s school. Generally, the school-based teams are open only to students attending that institution because interest often exceeds capacity. If your child’s school does not currently have a team, you may want to work with a teacher or administrator there to help form a team within the school.

About 10% of the Washington teams are formed through community organizations such as 4-H, YMCA, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, or Boys & Girls Clubs. Generally, this is only one of many activities that the organization facilitates for its members, but if your child is interested in one of these organizations overall, this might be an avenue to pursue in your local area.

The remaining teams in Washington are formed through homeschool groups, religious organizations, or neighborhood groups of friends. While these groups are not specifically closed to other students, they do not usually engage in recruiting members.

Since finding an opportunity with an existing team may be difficult, many experienced coaches and parents advise families new to the program to start their own team. The benefits to your child and for those who have an opportunity to participate are well worth the effort. If you need additional resources or encouragement, contact us at FIRST® Washington.

Search for Teams Near You

FIRST^® LEGO^® League Challenge is known around the globe not only for what we do (the Robot Game and Project), but also how we do it, with Core Values at the heart. The rubrics used for judging reflect these three equally important aspects of FIRST^® LEGO^® League Challenge.

Official tournaments must follow the judging and awards structure determined by FIRST^® LEGO^® League Challenge. Although the audience mostly sees teams playing the Robot Game at tournaments, teams are also being judged on:

• Core Values
• Project
• Robot Design

The Core Values Poster and the Robot Design Executive Summary are additional tools that may be used to help facilitate discussion in the Core Values and Robot Design Judging sessions at official events. FIRST^® Washington will distribute instructions to teams outlining the information to be included if we require the Core Values Poster and/or the Robot Design Executive Summary at our events.

The Core Values Poster and the Robot Design Executive Summary may be used as part of the judging at the World Festival.

About Judging

• Teams must participate in all elements of a FIRST^® LEGO^® League Challenge competition including the Robot Game and all three judged areas in order to be eligible for any Core Award.
• Judges use the rubrics to help them determine which teams will receive awards.
• With the exception of the Robot Performance Award, awards are determined by a deliberation process, which is formulated around discussions of team performance in each category.
• If a team does not exhibit Core Values at a tournament, they may be disqualified from winning any awards – including Robot Performance – no matter how well they scored.
• Adults are strictly prohibited from directing team members or interfering with the judging process or robot rounds in any way.
• No team is allowed to win two awards, unless one of the awards is for Robot Performance. Robot Performance is the only category based solely on score.
• While they may attend other events for fun, teams are only eligible to win awards at the first official event of each qualifying level attended during the season.

In accordance with the Participation Rules, teams are eligible for awards and advancement only at the first official event of each qualifying level attended during season. In most cases, event capacity within a region limits team participation to only one qualifying event each season.

The qualifier advancement policy is based on Champion’s Award criteria. As described above, Champion’s Award celebrates a team that embodies the FIRST ® LEGO® League Challenge experience by fully embracing the Core Values while achieving excellence and innovation in Robot Performance, Robot Design, and the Innovation Project.

Contact your local Partner or Tournament Director to find out how many teams will be advancing from the event you are attending. (See the official Advancement Policy).

It is possible for a team to receive a 1st Place Core Values, Project, Robot Design or Robot Performance but not advance to Championship due to not having performed well in one or more of the three judged areas.

Absolutely, the easiest way to join a FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge program is to start your own team. Ask your principal if your school has a team; if not, encourage your principal to identify a teacher who would be willing to start a team with your help as a team volunteer. Please let your principal know that FIRST® is a collaborative partnership with private industry professionals and educators to inspire young people towards STEM.

If a school-based team is not a possibility, you may find another youth-focused organization that can help. Scouts, 4-H, and other clubs may also support FIRST® teams.

Teams are also formed by neighborhood groups, or groups of friends with children of a similar age. There are no restrictions on who can start a team!