Tune into Twitch Weekly: The next episode airs Tuesday, September 25 at 7:00 PM ET. If you missed the teaser reveal this Tuesday, make sure to check it out here.

 

Event Preference Selection opens today and will remain open until September 27 at Noon Eastern Time: Teams will be able to make their selections at any point during the week. Make sure to get your preferences in before the deadline! 

 

Make sure your team is “Event Ready” by updating your team profile on the Dashboard. Your team will need to have two current Lead Coach/Mentors in place, who have completed the Youth Protection Policy Screening (U.S. and Canada teams), in order to select your preferences during the First Preference round. 

 

Still not sure if your team is Event Ready? We’ve added an indicator on the Dashboard that will display either “EVENT READY” in green or “Review Outstanding Tasks” in red in the “Team Events” column of the team profile. 

 

Need help with registration? Read more about the Event Preferencing in this blog post, or reference the Event Preference System User Guide and 2019 Frequently Asked Questions for Event Registration document. And check out this episode of FIRST^® TV, when we covered Event Preferences and Team Registration. 

 

Reach out to us for additional assistance: Team Support will have extended phone support available until 8:00 PM ET on Tuesdays and Wednesdays through October 31, 2018 (regular business hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM -- 5:00 PM ET).

Rookies: The FIRST Robotics Competition Rookie Grant is here to help fund your team for not just one, but two years! Awarded teams will receive $6,000 for registration over the course of 2 seasons, receiving $4,000 in 2019 and $2,000 in 2020. This grant provides you with the opportunity to reduce the pressure of financing your first-year team and help you budget a year in advance for next year’s challenge.

 

To be eligible for the FIRST Robotics Competition Rookie Grant, your team must meet the following criteria:

• Have two screened team mentors
• Be a first-year (rookie) FIRST Robotics Competition team
• Be from a country with an existing FIRST Robotics Competition event

Don’t wait to apply. While the payment deadline for FIRST Robotics Competition is November 19, all applications for the grant must be received by November 1. Apply today! 

 

Not sure if you meet the requirements for the grant, but would like to apply? Contact frcrookie@firstinspires.org team for help.

 

NASA FIRST Robotics Competition Sponsorship Application for U.S. Teams: The deadline to submit is Sunday, September 30 at 11:59 PM PT. Please visit this page for more information and to apply. 

 

DonorsChoose.org: FIRST has partnered with the crowdsourcing organization DonorsChoose.org. Partial funding for FIRST Robotics Competition team materials is now available to U.S. public and charter school teachers, thanks to #NewsCorp & #DonorsChoose. Teachers can receive funding for robot parts, tools, 3D printers, or any other team materials! Learn more.

Sincerely,

FIRST^® Robotics Competition Team Support

603.666.3906 x 0  |  firstroboticscompetition@firstinspires.org  |  www.firstinspires.org