WHAT IS FIRST®?

FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a robotics community that prepares young people for the future through inclusive, team-based robotics programs for grades K-12 that can be facilitated in school or in structured afterschool programs.

FIRST is an international not-for-profit organization (501(c)(3)) founded by accomplished inventor Dean Kamen in 1989. It has a proven impact on STEM learning, interest, and skill-building well beyond high school.

The mission of FIRST® is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.

For more information, visit firstinspires.org

“To transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders."

— Dean Kamen, Founder of FIRST®

FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC) combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited time and resources, teams of students are challenged to raise funds, design a team “brand,” hone teamwork skills, and build and program industrial-size robots to play a difficult field game against like-minded competitors. It’s as close to real-world engineering as a high school student can get.

Each season ends with an exciting FIRST® Championship where teams from all over the world compete together

2019-2020 Season Statistics:

679K+

students in ~110 countries

320K+

mentor, coach, judge, and volunteer roles

3000+

scholarship opportunities from 200+ providers totaling $80M

18%

projected growth in students reached globally

GRACIOUS PROFESSIONALISM®

Coined by the late FIRST distinguished advisor, Woodie Flowers, Gracious Professionalism is part of the ethos of FIRST. It’s a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community.

According to FIRST,

2x

more likely to show interest in STEM-related activities and careers

51%

of female alumni major in computer science or engineering

81%

of alumni end up majoring in computer science or engineering in college

83%

of students report feeling more confident in leadership roles

What does competition look like?

  1. Kickoff

    • Join teams from all around the world as they reveal game animation, an overview of the challenge, and season details! Click FIRSTtv to watch the stream on January 7, 2023!

  2. Build Season

    • Teams are given roughly 6 weeks to design, build, program, and test their robots. As competition approaches, teams dedicate time to driving practice as well.

  3. Competition

    • Around early March and April, teams participate in regional competitions, then move onto the world championship if they win. Teams can win certain awards to qualify for the championship. 4991 participates in the Greater Pittsburgh Regional.

  4. Offseason

    • Teams spend this time to work on gathering sponsorships, organizing outreach events, and preparing for the next competition season.

*for more details, visit https://www.firstinspires.org