FIRST® Robotics is an internationally acclaimed robotics program that inspires a passion for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths in young people.
Founded in the USA in 1989, FIRST® Australia was established at Macquarie University in 2006. Since then, FIRST® Australia has partnered with schools and universities across Australia with teams and competitions held in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
Australian teams have enjoyed remarkable success attending the FIRST® World Championship Tournament each year from 2006 to 2014.
Worldwide there are 32,600 teams made up of 350,000+ students from nearly 80 countries. 64,000+ Mentors and 66,000+ event Volunteers and Affiliate Partners donate their time to makeFIRST® possible.
For more information, please visit www.firstinspires.org!
All numbers are projected for the 2019-2020 season.
Global Reach
- 660,000 students
- 79,000 teams
- 51,000 robots created
- 300,000+ mentor, coach, judge, and volunteer roles
2020 FIRST® Robotics Competition: Grades 9-12 (ages 14-18)
- 4,000 teams
- 100,000 students (Ages 14-18; Grades 9-12)
- Representing 35 countries
2019-2020 FIRST® Tech Challenge: Grades 7-12 (ages 12-18)
- 8,000 teams
- 80,000 students (Ages 12-18; Grades 7-12)
- Representing 35+ countries
2019-2020 FIRST® LEGO® League: Grades 4-8 (ages 9-16; age varies by country)
- 39,000 teams
- 312,000 students, (Ages 9-16*; Grades 4-8)
- Representing 100+ countries
*Ages vary by country
2019-2020 FIRST® LEGO® League Jr.: Grades K-4 (ages 6-10)
- 28,000 teams
- 168,000 children (Ages 6-10; Grades K-4)
- Representing 70+ countries
2020 FIRST Scholarship Program
- Over $80 million in college, university, and technical program scholarships
- 3,500+ individual scholarship opportunities
- Nearly 200 scholarship providers
2020 FIRST Volunteers & Sponsors
- 300,000+ volunteer roles filled
- FIRST sponsors include more than 200 of the Fortune 500 companies