Every year, FIRST LEGO League releases a Challenge, which is based on a real-world scientific topic.

Each Challenge has three parts: the Robot Game, the Project, and the Core Values. Teams of up to ten children, with at least two adult coaches, participate in the Challenge by programming an autonomous robot to score points on a themed playing field (Robot Game), developing a solution to a problem they have identified (Project), all guided by the FIRST Core Values. Teams may then attend an official tournament, hosted by our FIRST LEGO League Partners.

Past Challenges have been based on topics such as nanotechnology, climate, quality of life for the handicapped population, and transportation. By designing our Challenges around such topics, participants are exposed to potential career paths within a chosen Challenge topic, in addition to solidifying the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) principles that naturally come from participating in the program. Team members also learn valuable life and employment skills which will benefit them no matter which career path they choose.

RePLAY Challenge

How and where can we help people be more active?

All around us, there are opportunities to play and be active — from open parks to cement courts, in our classrooms, and even when we’re waiting in line. But more and more people are not active enough. So Playing makes being active more fun. You get creative when you want to play, and it’s this creativity—your creativity—that can help motivate us to be more active.

This robotics season, we’re stepping into the world of sports, play, and fitness – moving, collaborating, competing, and celebrating. In RePLAYSM, FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge students will explore the activities we can do in different spaces for play and how we can ensure that our games and activities are fun and accessible for everyone involved.