Hi ,

In this week's blast:

⚙️Second Event Preferencing 
⚙️ Late Registration for Second Events 
⚙️ Additional Event Registration 
⚙️ Award Submissions 
⚙️ Safety Manual 
⚙️ Extended Hours 
⚙️ FIRST^® Robotics Competition Blog Updates 
⚙️ Inside Look at the Judging Process Resource 


Program Updates, Deadlines, & Reminders

Closing Soon! FIRST^® Robotics Competition Event Registration, Second Event Preference: Round 2 of event preferencing closes in a few hours today, Thursday, October 23, at 12:00 p.m. ET. Teams must be registered or waitlisted for a first event in order to preference events in Round 2. Be sure to review our Event Preference User Guide for step-by-step instructions and an FAQ.  

Late Registration for Second Events: Event Ready teams that missed the Second Event Preferencing period can select their event in our late registration that opens on Friday, October 24, at 12:00 p.m. (noon) ET.  

Opening Soon! Additional Event Registration: Additional Play Event Registration for unrestricted regional events and in-district events opens Thursday, October 30, at 12:00 p.m. (noon) ET. All event registration will close at 12:00 p.m. (noon) ET Tuesday, November 18. Payment is due for additional events on January 21, 2026.

Opening Soon! Award Submissions: The 2026 FIRST^® Impact Award, Dean's List Award, and Woodie Flowers Award application portals open on Thursday, October 30, at 12:00 p.m. ET. View additional information on the Awards page, as well as tips and instructions on how to designate an award submitter.  

Safety Manual: The Safety Manual has been updated for the season! Instilling a culture of safety is a value that every individual in the FIRST community must embrace so we encourage all to review the updated manual.  

Reminder! Extended Hours: FIRST Support will offer extended customer support until 8:00 p.m. ET on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays through October 30. Support will be available via phone, chat, web forms, and email.

FIRST Robotics Competition Blog Updates:   

✏️ New FIRST Robotics Competition Trainings!

Resource of the Week: Check out the Inside Look at the Judging Process resource to learn more about how the judging process works at events.

Upcoming Important Dates:

⚙️ Thursday, October 24 at 12:00 p.m. ET – Second Event Late Registration Opens 
⚙️ Thursday, October 30 at 12:00 p.m. ET – Unrestricted Regional Event and Additional In-District Event Registration Opens 
⚙️ Thursday, October 30 at 12:00 p.m. ET – FIRST^® Impact Award, Dean's List Award, and Woodie Flowers Award Application Portals Open 
⚙️ Friday, October 31 at 12:00 p.m. ET – FIRST Robotics Competition Volunteer Registration Opens