Hi ,

In this week's blast:

⚙️ Late Registration for First Events 
⚙️ Second Event Preference
⚙️ FIRST^® Lockbox Address Chang️e 
⚙️ Holiday Hours 
⚙️ Gene Haas Foundation 
⚙️ FIRST Robotics Competition Blog Updates 
⚙️ Prototyping Resource 

Program Updates, Deadlines, & Reminders

Late Registration for First Events: Event Ready teams that missed the first round of event preferencing can now pick their event in our late registration period. Teams must be “event ready” (no outstanding tasks on the FIRST Dashboard) in order to register for a first event. 

NEXT WEEK! FIRST Robotics Competition Event Registration, Second Event Preference: Round 2 of event preferencing begins on Thursday, October 16, 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.  

Important! FIRST Lockbox Address Change: The lockbox overnight address is changing effective Wednesday, October 22, 2025. Courier services such as UPS and FedEx cannot be delivered to USPS facilities or PO Boxes, so please ensure you are using the new overnight address:  

FIRST – 845446
Attn: Lockbox Processing  
10 Dan Road  
Canton, MA 02021

Holiday Hours: FIRST will be closing at 3:00 p.m. ET on Friday, October 10, and remain closed Monday, October 13. Regular business hours will resume on Tuesday, October 14, at 8:30 a.m. ET.

Gene Haas Foundation: For over 10 years, the Gene Haas Foundation has supported FIRST and helped students get a head start in their STEM careers. Check out Haas Machining Tips & Demos and the Haas Certificate Program for insights that can help your students with both robot and career skill building.

FIRST Robotics Competition Blog Updates:   

✏️ Announcing New Mentor Training, Team Connectivity, & More 

✏️ 2026 Season Award Updates 

✏️ 2027 Control System Testing Reminder 

✏️ Team Housing for the 2026 FIRST Championship

Resource of the Week: This week’s resource is on prototyping! Use this Prototyping Worksheet to help walk teams through the prototyping process.  

Upcoming Important Dates:

⚙️ Thursday, October 16 at 12:00 p.m. ET– Second Event Registration - Round 2 Preference 
⚙️ Thursday, October 16 at 12:00 p.m. ET – Safety Animation Award Opens