Hi ,

In this week's blast:

⚙️ Award Submissions 
⚙️ FIRST^® Choice Open Ordering 
⚙️ FIRST^® Robotics Competition Blog Updates 
⚙️ FIRST Impact Award Definitions Resource 
⚙️ Upcoming Important Dates 
⚙️ Other FIRST Updates 

Program Updates, Deadlines, & Reminders

Closing soon! Award Submissions: The 2026 FIRST^® Impact Award, Dean's List Award, and Woodie Flowers Award submissions are closing soon. Please visit the Submitted Awards page for more information.  

🏆 The Woodie Flowers Award and the Dean’s List Award applications will close next week on Thursday, February 5, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. ET.  

🏆 The FIRST Impact Award application will close on Thursday, February 12, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. ET. 

FIRST Choice Open Ordering: The open ordering phase of FIRST Choice begins tomorrow, January 30, at 12:00 p.m. ET. It is a traditional first-come, first serve ordering process. Find more details on the Kit of Parts webpage.

FIRST^® Robotics Competition Blog Updates:   

✏️ Award Deadlines Approaching 

Resource of the Week: This week’s resource is the FIRST Impact Award Definitions. These definitions were updated for the 2026 season and help standardize FIRST Impact Award judging. Teams are responsible for policing their own choice of words.  

Upcoming Important Dates:

⚙️ Friday, January 30, at 12:00 p.m. ET – FIRST Choice Regular Ordering Opens 
⚙️ Thursday, February 5, at 3:00 p.m. ET – Dean’s List Award Application Closes and Woodie Flowers Award Application Closes 
⚙️ Thursday, February 12, at 3:00 p.m. ET – FIRST Impact Award  Application Closes 

Other FIRST Updates:

New UL Solutions Safety Trainings Available in FIRST Training: We’re excited to share that several new safety courses provided by UL Solutions are now available in FIRST Training. These trainings are designed to help our community recognize hazards and reinforce safe practices in workshops, pits, and event spaces.  

Closing Soon! Request for Proposals- FIRST Championship Conferences: FIRST is currently accepting proposals for the 2026 FIRST Championship Conferences. Anyone is welcome to submit a proposal before our January 31 deadline. Presenters will be notified in late February if they have been selected. Apply now! If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. 

2026 FIRST Championship Team Housing: As part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring the FIRST Championship remains as accessible and affordable as possible for all teams, FIRST is once again partnering with travel experts ConferenceDirect and more than 175 Houston-area hotels to secure the best possible block-rates and reserve sufficient inventory for event participants.    

All registered teams traveling to the 2026 FIRST Championship presented by BAE Systems will be required to book their housing accommodations within those designated hotel blocks.  For booking questions, instructions, area maps, and hotel details, visit our FIRST Championship Housing webpage.  

Closing Soon! Deadline Feb 1! Apply Now for The Dr. Bart Kamen Memorial FIRST Scholarship! Time is running out! If you're passionate about medicine or biomedical engineering, don't miss your chance to secure one of four $10,000 annual scholarships. Act fast and apply now – the deadline is February 1!