- Grades1 to 8
- Cost$100 to $1,200
Robotics competitions for middle school students
Robotics competitions that accept students in grades 6 to 8. Middle school is the best time to start competing, because the fields are smaller, the entry barriers are lower, and the habits you build here carry straight into the high school versions of the same competitions.
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Robotics
SeaPerch
Build an underwater robot from PVC pipe and motors for well under a hundred dollars, then race and manoeuvre it.
Robotics
VEX IQ Robotics Competition
A snap-together robotics league for elementary and middle school, with cooperative rather than head-to-head matches.
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- Cost$50 to $300
- FormatTeam
- WhereIn person
Check site
- Grades3 to 8
- Cost$200 to $1,200
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Robotics
FIRST Tech Challenge
A smaller, cheaper robotics league with the same season structure as FRC and a far lower barrier to entry.
Robotics
VEX Robotics Competition
The largest robotics competition in the world by team count, with tournaments running most weekends.
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- Grades7 to 12
- Cost$300 to $3,000
- FormatTeam
- WhereIn person
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$300 to $3,000
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Robotics
World Robot Olympiad
An international robotics competition running in over eighty countries, with categories from age six upward.
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- Cost$50 to $2,000
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Robotics
Botball
Fully autonomous robotics where all the programming is done in advance and nothing is driver-controlled.
Robotics
MATE ROV Competition
Build an underwater remotely operated vehicle and run real ocean-industry missions in a pool.
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- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$500 to $3,000
- FormatTeam
- WhereIn person
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- Cost$100 to $3,000
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Robotics
RoboCupJunior
International robotics with three distinct leagues: robot soccer, disaster rescue, and performance.
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- Grades5 to 12
- Cost$50 to $2,000
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Check site
Questions people ask about this
Can a middle school student enter high school competitions?
Sometimes. Many competitions set an upper grade limit but no lower one, so a younger student is eligible. Every listing on this site states the exact grade and age rules, and several also set an age limit on the competition day that catches people out.