FIRST LEGO League (FLL)

Engaging Youth in STEM Exploration

FIRST LEGO League introduces science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to children ages 4-16* through fun, exciting hands-on learning. FIRST LEGO League participants gain real-world problem-solving experiences through a guided, global robotics program, helping today’s students and teachers build a better future together. In FIRST LEGO League, students engage in hands-on STEM experiences, building confidence, growing their knowledge and developing habits of learning. FIRST LEGO League’s three divisions inspire youth to experiment and grow their critical thinking, coding and design skills through hands-on STEM learning and robotics.

FIRST LEGO League Discover - PreK- Grade 1:

For children ages 4-6, this playful introductory STEM program ignites their natural curiosity and builds their habits of learning with hands-on activities in the classroom and at home using LEGO® Duplo bricks.

FIRST LEGO League Explore - Grades 2-4:

In Explore, teams of students ages 6-10 focus on the fundamentals of engineering as they explore real-world problems, learn to design and code and create unique solutions made with LEGO bricks and powered by LEGO Education robot.

FIRST LEGO League Challenge - Grades 5-8:

Friendly competition is at the heart of Challenge, as teams of students ages 9-16* engage in research, problem-solving, coding and engineering – building and programming a LEGO robot that navigates the missions of a robot game. As part of Challenge, teams also participate in a research project to identify and solve a relevant real-world problem.

Way more than building robots. Building lasting friendships.

It’s way more than building robots. FIRST Tech Challenge teams (up to 15 team members, grades 7-12) are challenged to design, build, program, and operate robots to compete in a head-to-head challenge in an alliance format.

Guided by adult coaches and mentors, students develop STEM skills and practice engineering principles, while realizing the value of hard work, innovation, and working as a team.

The robot kit is reusable from year to year and can be coded using a variety of levels of Java-based programming. Teams design and build robots, raise funds, design and market their team brand, and do community outreach to earn specific awards. Participants are eligible to apply for $80M+ in college scholarships.

Each season concludes with regional championship events and an exciting FIRST Championship.

FIRST Alumni and Scholarships

High school-level FIRST participants become FIRST Alumni and gain access to exclusive education funding as part of the FIRST Scholarship Program.

Who are FIRST Alumni?

FIRST Alumni are graduates of high school-level FIRST programs (i.e. FIRST Tech Challenge and/or FIRST Robotics Competition).

FIRST participants automatically become FIRST Alumni after graduating high school.

FIRST Alumni are 2.6 times more likely to enroll in an engineering course freshman year of college.

Over 75% of FIRST Alumni are in a STEM field as a student or professional

Nearly half of the FIRST Alumni are still involved in FIRST as coaches, mentors, volunteers, and donors.

More information about FIRST Alumni, along with internship and networking opportunities, can be found at www.firstinspires.org/alumni.

Who is eligible for a FIRST Scholarship?

High school students who have participated or are participating in high-school-level FIRST Robotics Competition and/or FIRST Tech Challenge teams can apply for FIRST Scholarships.

Most FIRST Scholarship Providers request applications during a student's senior year, but there are a few scholarships available to juniors or college students. 

Each scholarship may also have other eligibility requirements as set by the provider. Eligibility requirements are available at www.firstinspires.org/scholarships.