FIRST FRC 2023

Qualcomm Announced as Presenting Sponsor of Energy-Themed Season Inspiring Young People to Innovate Season to Conclude with Return to Houston for International 2023 FIRST Championship

MANCHESTER, NH, May 18, 2022 – FIRST®, a robotics community that prepares young people for the future, announced the upcoming youth robotics season, FIRST ENERGIZE presented by Qualcomm. The 2022-2023 season energy theme challenges FIRST teams to reimagine the future of sustainable energy and power their ideas forward.

The new season will kick off August 2 with the FIRST LEGO League challenge release, followed by FIRST Tech Challenge in September and FIRST Robotics Competition in January, and conclude in April with the 2023 FIRST Championship. FIRST Championship will be held in Houston as a four-day event April 19-22, 2023. Season team registration through the FIRST Dashboard* opens tomorrow, May 19.

“We’re thrilled to introduce an exciting new FIRST season that sets out to energize young people to innovate, with incredible support from Qualcomm and our entire community of sponsors, volunteers and other supporters,” said Chris Moore, chief executive officer, FIRST. “Coming off a successful 2022 FIRST Championship event last month, we look forward to once again bringing together our global robotics community to celebrate the season at the 2023 FIRST Championship in Houston.”

Qualcomm Incorporated, a FIRST Strategic Partner and longtime supporter of FIRST, returns as Season Presenting Sponsor of the FIRST ENERGIZE season. The theme, introduced in a new FIRST video narrated by actor Laurence Fishburne, addresses global challenges related to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #7, focused on ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.

“We’re proud to partner with FIRST on the upcoming robotics season focused on the essential role energy plays in connecting us and powering our lives,” Angela Baker, senior director government affairs, Qualcomm Incorporated. “Creating power-efficient technologies is in Qualcomm’s DNA, and we need the next generation of inventors to help push our industry forward. With a critical need to minimize the effects of energy use on our global climate, we’re sparking new ideas in energy generation, efficiency, and use.”

With support from a dedicated global community of mentors, coaches, educators, volunteers, sponsors, donors, alumni, and supporters, the FIRST ENERGIZE season will be pulled through the FIRST program games and challenges, in which students build robots to complete tasks and create innovative, real-world solutions:

• FIRST® LEGO® League students (ages 4-16, varies by country) will explore where energy comes from and how it is distributed, stored, and used – and then put their superpowered creativity to work to innovate for a better energy future – in SUPERPOWEREDSM.
• FIRST® Tech Challenge teams (ages 12-18) will compete in an energy-driven game and test the limits of performance, efficiency, and endurance as they power their innovations forward in POWERPLAYSM presented by Raytheon Technologies.
• FIRST® Robotics Competition teams (ages 14-18) will unlock the power of engineering to transform renewable energy and take on a challenge fully charged to power a better future in CHARGED UPSM presented by Haas.

FIRST also announced dates for the 2024 FIRST Championship, to be held April 17-20, 2024, in Houston. Save the dates:

• 2022-2023 Season Registration: May 19, 2022, via FIRST Dashboard* *FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST LEGO League teams outside North America should contact their local partners for registration details
• FIRST LEGO League SUPERPOWERED materials release: August 2, 2022, worldwide
• FIRST Tech Challenge POWERPLAY kickoff: September 10, 2022, worldwide
• FIRSTRobotics Competition CHARGED UP kickoff: January 7, 2023, worldwide
• 2023 FIRST Championship: April 19-22, 2023, Houston
• 2024 FIRST Championship: April 17-20, 2024, Houston
• Find more FIRST events at firstinspires.org/team-event-search

Learn more about the 2022-2023 season at firstinspires.org/firstenergize and receive regular updates and latest news by signing up for the FIRST Newsletter.

About FIRST

FIRST® is a robotics community that prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages 4-18 (PreK-12) that can be facilitated in school or in structured after-school programs. Boosted by a global support system of volunteers, educators, and sponsors that include over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies, teams operate under a signature set of FIRST Core Values to conduct research, fundraise, design, build, and showcase their achievements during annual challenges. An international not-for-profit organization founded by accomplished inventor Dean Kamen in 1989, FIRST has a proven impact on STEM learning, interest, and skill-building well beyond high school. Participants and alumni of FIRST programs gain access to education and career discovery opportunities, connections to exclusive scholarships and employers, and a place in the FIRST community for life. Learn more at firstinspires.org.