Team Blast: September 3, 2026

In this week's blast:
⚙️ Express Enrollment
⚙️ FIRST^® Robotics Competition Blog Updates
⚙️ Mentor Resource of the Week
⚙️ Other FIRST Updates

Program Updates, Deadlines, & Reminders

Express Enrollment: Lead Coaches 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. For instructions, view Express Enrollment Lead Coach Instructions and the Express Enrollment Parent/Guardian Instructions.

FIRST Robotics Competition Blog Updates:

✏️ FIRST Impact Award Refresh

✏️ 2027 Event & Robot Rule Preview – Part 1

✏️ Award Order & Playoff Updates

Mentor Guide Resource of the Week: This week’s resource is the FIRST^® Robotics Competition Mentor Guide. We highly recommend this resource for all mentors. It is a guide intended to help teams with best practices for running their FIRST Robotics Competition team and is a great resource for both rookie and veteran teams. It provides a month-by-month overview of running a team, describes other key areas of team operations, and connects teams with helpful resources.

Other FIRST Updates

Holiday Hours: FIRST will be closing at 3:00 p.m. ET on Friday, September 4, and remain closed Monday, September 7, in recognition of the U.S. Labor Day holiday. Regular business hours will resume on Tuesday, September 8, at 8:30 a.m. ET.

Start a FIRST^® Tech Challenge team in your community: A limited FIRST Tech Challenge grant opportunity will help you expand FIRST access to more students in your school or community. New FIRST^® Tech Challenge teams associated with a current FIRST Robotics Competition or FIRST Tech Challenge team can apply for a $175 grant to help cover the cost of one 2026-2027 season registration. Learn more and apply.