Note. The same May 2026 split between VEX Robotics and the REC Foundation applies here. Confirm which organisation's pathway your local events belong to before registering, since the two now run separate world championships.

VEX IQ Robotics Competition

A snap-together robotics league for elementary and middle school, with cooperative rather than head-to-head matches.

Run by REC Foundation

Official website Reviews and tips

Eligible grades: Elementary and middle school students. not yet checked against the official source
Source note: the only reference found for this was a third-party listing or encyclopedia, not the organiser. Eligibility must come from the organiser, so this is marked unconfirmed until a first-party page confirms it.
Source, checked 2026-09-02
Official divisions: Elementary and Middle School levels, assigned by birth date relative to the World Championship rather than by grade.
Based on the organiser's own divisions.
Eligible ages: Not confirmed. This organiser may set eligibility by grade rather than age. We do not convert one into the other.
Set by birth date relative to the World Championship. Reported for 2026-27: elementary level for students born after 1 May 2014, typically grades 3 to 5 plus 6th graders who will be 12 or younger at Worlds; middle school level for students born after 1 May 2011, typically grades 6 and 7, with 5th graders allowed to play up. Confirm against the official manual.
Individual or team: Team · Not confirmed
Where it runs: In person · United States, International
Entry cost: Several hundred dollars per teamNot published on the pages checked. Season registration plus event fees and the IQ kit.
Registration deadline: Set locally, not published as a single national date No single deadline; event entry runs through the season.
Competition dates: Regular season roughly September 2026 to March 2027, extending to May for teams advancing to a World Championship.
Difficulty: Open to beginnersNo prior competition experience assumed. If you can do the school-level material, you can enter and score points.
Prizes: Trophies and World Championship qualificationAwards including Excellence and Teamwork Champions; no cash prizes found.

What VEX IQ Robotics Competition is

VEX IQ uses a snap-together plastic kit that needs no tools, which makes it workable for elementary students and for teams without a workshop. Its notable design choice is that qualification matches are cooperative: two teams work together toward a shared score rather than against each other, which changes the social dynamic of the competition considerably for younger students.

How the competition works

Teams build a robot from the VEX IQ kit for the season's game and compete at tournaments in teamwork matches, where two teams combine for a shared score, plus individual robot skills challenges. Judges also review an engineering notebook and interview the team. Results qualify teams for regional and world championship events.

Eligibility notes

Separate elementary and middle school divisions.

How to register

Register the team with the REC Foundation through RobotEvents.
Order the VEX IQ kit and the season's game elements.
Sign up for nearby tournaments on RobotEvents.
Start the engineering notebook at the first meeting.

What skills you need

Recommended resources

VEX IQ competition page Official · free
Game information and kit details.
RobotEvents Official · free
Registration and tournament calendar.

Frequently asked questions

How is VEX IQ different from FIRST LEGO League?

Both target the same age range with snap-together kits. VEX IQ runs many more tournaments per season and includes driver-controlled matches; FIRST LEGO League robots run fully autonomously and the season includes a substantial research and presentation project.

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Verification

Not yet re-checked 2026-08-29

Age range, cooperative teamwork match format and kit-based structure follow the REC Foundation's published description. Current fees and tournament dates were not confirmed during the last check.

Not confirmed for this cycle: Who can enter, Registration deadline, Competition dates, Entry cost, Individual or team, Prizes, How to register. Check these on the official site.

Source: the organiser's own site. No individual fact on this page has been re-checked against it for the current cycle.

Cycle checked: 2026-27; SAME STRUCTURAL CHANGE AS V5RC

Looked for and not found: ages, deadline, entry_fee, format, prizes, team. These are shown as not confirmed rather than estimated.

Rules and dates change. Confirm everything on the official site before you rely on it.

At a glance

CategoryRobotics
Grades3 to 8
CostSeveral hundred dollars per team
FormatTeam
LocationIn person
Difficulty1 of 5

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