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World’s Largest Robotics Competition Goes Virtual: Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation’s to Host VEX Robotics Virtual World Celebration and First-Ever Fantasy Robotics Tournament

April 17, 2020
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Greenville, TX – April 17, 2020 – The Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation is taking its annual VEX Robotics World Championship virtual this year. Although the COVID-19 outbreak forced the organization to cancel this year’s in-person event, the REC Foundation will be hosting the VEX Robotics Virtual World Celebration and the first-ever Fantasy Robotics Tournament on Saturday, April 25 to honor its community of students, coaches and volunteers. The virtual experience will take place on the VEX Robotics YouTube Channel at 10 am CT (VEX Robotics Competition Group) and 11:30 am CT (VEX IQ Challenge Group).

All teams that qualified for the 2020 VEX Robotics World Championship are included in the simulated Fantasy Robotics Tournament with the winners of the tournament recognized during the VEX Virtual Worlds Celebration. Qualifying match schedules will be listed here today.

“Although we had to cancel the 2020 VEX Robotics World Championship due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we’re still planning to bring the excitement of this event to our community,” said Dan Mantz, CEO of the REC Foundation. “The nearly one million students worldwide who participate in our competitions have worked hard this past season, and we’re excited to highlight their extraordinary achievements. We also can’t wait to unveil our new 2020-21 VEX IQ Challenge and VEX Robotics competition game.”

This unique event replaces the REC Foundation’s annual VEX Robotics World Championship, the world’s largest robotics competition, which attracts more than 25,000 attendees from all 50 states and 50 nations. During the live event, students in grade three through college with their custom-built robots compete in timed, heart-pounding robotic matches.

The REC Foundation’s Virtual VEX Robotics World Championship and Fantasy Robotics Tournament is presented by the Northrop Grumman Foundation. Other global sponsors that support the program year-round and this event include: Autodesk, Dell, Google, HEXBUG, IFI NASA, Rack Solutions, Robomatter, Tesla, Texas Instruments, Toyota, TVA, VEX Robotics, MathWorks, Microchip, UPS and Nordson.

About the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation

The Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation’s mission is to increase student interest and involvement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by engaging students in hands-on, affordable, and sustainable robotics engineering programs.

About VEX Robotics

VEX Robotics is a leading provider of educational and competitive robotics products to schools, universities, and robotics teams around the world. The VEX IQ and VEX EDR product lines span elementary, middle, and high schools with accessible, scalable, and affordable robotics solutions. Beyond science and engineering principles, a VEX Robotics project encourages teamwork, leadership, and problem solving among groups. It allows educators to easily customize projects to meet the level of students’ abilities as they inspire and prepare the STEM problem-solvers of tomorrow.

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Jenn Goonan
Rocket Social Impact
Jenn@RocketSocialImpact.com
617.947.0971

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2025-2026 Signature Event Updates

  1. An Event Partner wanting to apply to host a Signature Event must have hosted events for at least 2 seasons prior to applying. 
  2. Signature Events must use the officially branded award banners for the Excellence Award and Tournament/Teamwork Champions Award.
  3. When hanging field skirts the VEX Robotics logo/brand name can not be covered up on the competition fields.
  4. VEX V5 Robotics Competition Signature Events may have regional capacity and max per organization restrictions lifted 8 weeks before the event if the event is not full (similar to the process already in place for VEX IQ Robotics Competition Signature Events).
  5. Minimum pit size reduced to 8’x 8’ instead of 10’x10’.
  6. Beginning in the 2025-2026 season, the REC Foundation will collect $10 instead of $5 per team registration on all Signature Events. This is to help offset travel costs for REC Foundation staff to support these larger events.

2025-2026 Signature Event Application Reminders

  1. Existing Signature Events only need to complete the Final Application (due by March 31, 2025)
  2. New Signature Event concepts will need to complete the Initial Proposal by January 31, 2025 and if approved, complete the Final Application by March 31, 2025.
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