Hi Friend,

 
Program Updates, Deadlines & Reminders 
 
Youth Protection Reminder: We encourage all teams to share the information and tools in this FIRST® Robotics Competition Blog that can help mentors create a safe environment for their students.
 
Opens Today! 2023 FIRST® Choice: Round 1 of FIRST Choice opens today Thursday, November 17, at 12 noon Eastern Time and closes Thursday, December 1. The lead mentor 1 or 2 from a secured or event registered team may peruse FIRST Choice, populate Priority Lists, and prioritize items for Round 1 (but orders are only processed for teams that have secured registration payment by 12 noon eastern on December 1, 2022; priority lists from teams who haven’t secured payment by this deadline will be discarded). More information is available on the Kit of Parts page including this helpful video!
 
Pre-Kickoff Virtual Kit Release: The 2023 Virtual Kit of Parts will go live today, November 17, at 12 noon Eastern Time for secured teams. Teams that haven’t secured payment yet will see the voucher codes populated on the “Password/Voucher Code” section of the Dashboard for lead mentors 1 and 2 once payment is secured. The details and instructions are posted in the Virtual Kit section of the Kit of Parts webpage.
 
Event Registration: Still need to register for your first event or thinking about a second* or third event? Check the 2023 Season Event List for the current team capacity for Regional and District events and then send an email with your choices. *The payment deadline for additional events is January 31, 2023.
 
FIRST Robotics Competition Kickoff presented by Novelis: The FIRST Robotics Competition Kickoff presented by Novelis is now less than two months away! We are SO excited to launch the CHARGED UPSM presented by Haas season with you on January 7 (and to see if any of the game predictions you made from the 2023 teaser come true).
 
Digital Animation Award sponsored by AutomationDirect.com: Submissions for the Digital Animation Award are now open through January 19, 2023. Please note that the submission process has changed slightly this season and specific details on how to submit and requirements can be found on the Digital Animation Award webpage.
 
 
FIRST Updates
 
2023 FIRST® Championship Team Housing: Team Housing for the 2023 FIRST Championship event in Houston is opening soon. Sign up to receive a notification when housing opens so you and your team can start planning your stay at our biggest STEM celebration.
 
 
Community Engagement  
 
Nominations for the Inspire the Future: FIRST Educators Recognition Program are Now Open! Help us celebrate the FIRST educators who impact and inspire their learning communities; we truly could not further the mission of FIRST without them. Learn more about the Inspire the Future:FIRST Educators Recognition Program and how you can nominate an educator who has made an impact in your community.
 
 
As always, we are here to help. Please contact our Customer Support Team with any questions.   
 
 
Sincerely,  
 
FIRST® Robotics Competition Team Support