Programs

FIRST^® LEGO^® League Explore (Ages 6 to 10 or 2nd through 4th Grade)

Guided by adult coaches, and FIRST^® Core Values, students use LEGO^® elements and motorized parts to build a model that moves. They also develop a team poster to illustrate their journey.

Each registration supports a team of 2-6 children formed by a school, after-school program, home school, or community group.

Teams meet for one-hour meetings generally held for 8-12 weeks, culminating in a Festival event!

Season Timeline
Registration Opens: To Be Announced
Season Launch: Early August

The challenge and game change every year - learn about this season's challenge!

Estimated FIRST Program Cost^*

Team Registration – $140 (includes Explore Set, Team Meeting Guide, Engineering Notebooks, FIRST registration)
LEGO^® Education SPIKE^™ Essential - discontinued

Note: The LEGO Education SPIKE Essential has been discontinued by LEGO Education as of June 30, 2026. New teams will need to source a SPIKE Essential (or equivalent) if they do not have one already. Please reach out if you have questions.

FIRST in Alabama Season Fees

Teams are invited to participate in Festival events to conclude their season. Teams are eligible to participate in at least one FIRST in Alabama Festival for a $25 registration fee per team per event.

Beyond 2026-2027

FIRST LEGO League will be no longer exist following the 2026-2027 season (see FIRST & LEGO Education Partnership Update). We will be sharing updates from FIRST regarding the development of a new K-8 program as they become available. You can follow those updates yourself at FIRST K-8 Programs: 2027 and Beyond | FIRST.

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FIRST^® LEGO^® League Challenge (Ages 9 to 14 or 4th through 8th Grade)

Teams design their own solution to a real-world problem and build autonomous LEGO^® SPIKE^™ Prime robots that perform a series of missions based on an annual theme.

Teams consist of 2-10 children and are formed by schools, after-school programs, home schools, or community groups.

Teams generally meet in two-hour sessions at a time for 10-15 weeks. All registered teams are eligible to compete the in the official Alabama tournament structure!

Season Timeline
Registration Opens: To Be Announced
Season Launch: Early August

The challenge and game change every year - learn about this season's challenge!

Estimated FIRST Program Cost^*

Team Registration – $275 (includes Team Meeting Guide, Engineering Notebooks, FIRST registration)
Challenge Set – $95 (includes mission models and mat)
LEGO^® Education SPIKE^™ Prime – discontinued

Note: The LEGO Education SPIKE Prime has been discontinued by LEGO Education as of June 30, 2026. New teams will need to source a SPIKE Prime (or equivalent) if they do not have one already. Please reach out if you have questions.

FIRST in Alabama Season Fees

All teams are eligible to participate in exactly one (1) official qualifier event. The qualifier registration fee is $105 per team.

Teams advancing from a qualifier event are eligible to participate in the Alabama Championship. The registration fee for the Alabama Championship is $160 per qualifying team.

Beyond 2026-2027

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FIRST^® Tech Challenge (Ages 12 to 18 or 7th through 12th Grade)

Teams design, build, and program their robots to compete in a 2v2 alliance-format with and against other teams. Robots are built from a reusable platform, powered by Android technology, and programmed using Java or a visual, blocks-based language.

Teams are formed of up to 15 students from schools, after-school programs, home schools, or community groups.

Teams generally meet for two-to-three hour meetings held at least twice a week for 18-20 weeks. All registered teams are eligible to compete in the Alabama tournament structure!

Season Timeline
Registration Opens: To Be Announced
Kickoff (Game Release): Early September

The challenge and game change every year - learn about this season's challenge!

Estimated FIRST Program Cost^*

Team Registration – $325
Robot Kit of Parts – $1200 (reusable)

FIRST in Alabama Season Fees

All teams are eligible to participate in at least one (1) official qualifier event. The qualifier registration fee is $50 per team.

Teams advancing from a qualifier event are eligible to participate in the Alabama Championship. The registration fee for the Alabama Championship is $150 per qualifying team.

Additional event types (scrimmages, build days, workshops, etc.) are hosted by FIRST in Alabama at no cost to teams.

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FIRST^® Robotics Competition (Ages 14 to 18 or 9th through 12th Grade)

Teams of students build and program a robot to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors, and are challenged to design a team brand, and hone teamwork skills.

Teams are formed of 10 or more students from schools, after-school programs, home schools, or community groups.

Teams meet throughout the year, but robot build season runs January through April!

Season Timeline
Registration Opens: To Be Announced
Kickoff (Game Release): Early January

The challenge and game change every year - learn about this season's challenge!

Estimated FIRST Program Cost^*

Team Registration - $6,300 (includes one competition event, one local kickoff event, seasonal kit of parts, associated materials and support)
Additional Event Registration (optional) - $3,000

FIRST in Alabama Season Fees

FIRST Robotics Competition teams do not have any participation fees due to FIRST in Alabama.

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OUR PROGRAMS