Hi ,

Program Updates, Deadlines, & Reminders

Reminder! KitBot & Kit Opt-Outs: Friendly reminder that the Black Tote and Drive Base opt-out deadline for veteran teams is approaching (September 24 at 12:00 p.m. ET)! To help you make an informed decision before opting out, read this FIRST^® Robotics Competition blog post for additional details on the kits and KitBot. Teams who opt out of the Drive Base Kit will receive a $450 Voucher to AndyMark. Teams who opt out of the Black Tote will receive a $125 Voucher to AndyMark and a $125 Voucher to REV Robotics. 

Upcoming! FIRST^® Event Registration, First Preference: Round 1 of event preferencing begins on Thursday, September 26, at 12:00 p.m. ET. Teams must be “event ready” (no outstanding tasks on your FIRST Dashboard) in order to preference events. Be sure to review our Event Preference User Guide for step-by-step instructions and an FAQ. 

2025 Event Listings: If you haven’t already, visit our list of official events and start planning your event attendance. We expect all events to be posted by event preferencing opening. Remember to check the location of your events as they may have changed from previous seasons! 

Alliance Selection Task Force Update: Over the past few months, we created task forces to look at a variety of topics. The Alliance Selection Task Force blog post is the first in a series of blog posts that will provide updates on each task force. Subscribe to the FIRST Robotics Competition blog to ensure that you receive updates on each task force as they are made available! 

Resource of the Week: This week’s featured resources are all about Team Organization! Check out the following resources: 

🤖 How To: Organize Your Team - A resource that shares ideas on how to organize your FIRST Robotics Competition team. 

🤖 How To: Effective Leadership - A resource that shares best practices for effective leadership. 

FIRST Updates

Register Youth Team Members: The parent or guardian of every youth team member is required to complete the FIRST youth registration process for their participant before they may participate in any organized team activities. This electronic process must be completed prior to the student attending any team meetings or any FIRST events or competitions. For more information and instructions on how to complete the online youth team member registration process, visit the Youth Registration System Overview.  

Express Enrollment: Coaches and mentors in the United States and Canada with completed FIRST Youth Protection Screenings can take advantage of Express Enrollment, which provides a simplified experience on mobile and desktop to register and accept youth to FIRST teams. View Express Enrollment Coach/Mentor Instructions and the Express Enrollment Parent/Guardian Instructions. Have questions? Check out our FAQ or contact FIRST Support.