FIRST® LEGO® League Florida State Championship 2026
Date
February 20-21, 2026
Location
Shorecrest Preparatory School
Teams
55 Teams
The Florida Central & West Region proudly hosts the 2025-2026 Florida State Championship for FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge teams. Join us for a full day of innovation, competition, and celebration as Florida's top teams showcase their robots and projects!
FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) introduces STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) to children ages 9-14 through fun, exciting hands-on learning. Participants gain real-world problem-solving experiences through a guided, global robotics program using LEGO® technology.
The FLL competition evaluates teams in four key areas:
Core Values, Innovation Project, Robot Design, and Robot Performance.These areas are weighted equally during the tournament which helps determine the overall ranking of the teams.
The UNEARTHED theme for the 2025-2026 season of FIRST® LEGO® League invites teams to explore the past, uncover hidden stories, and use STEM to envision a brighter future. Teams will build and code autonomous LEGO Education robots to complete a series of archaeology-themed missions, simulating real-world challenges faced by archaeologists. Additionally, teams invent solutions to real-world problems faced by archeologists. The theme encourages teams to think critically about how the past can inform our future and to develop innovative solutions for the future.
$225 per team
Includes tournament entry, team pit space, practice table access, and team gifts. Additional costs: T-shirts ($TBD each) and pre-order boxed lunches ($12 each).
Plan your championship weekend with our daily schedule. Please remember this is a draft schedule.
6:30 AM - Volunteers Arrive
6:45 AM - Team Registration & Pits Open
7:15 AM - Coaches' Meeting and Judges' Meeting (Rooms TBD)
7:30 AM - Opening Ceremony
8:00 AM - Judging and Robot Games Begin
5:00 PM - Closing Ceremony
Shorecrest Preparatory School
5101 1st St NE
St. Petersburg, FL 33703
On-campus parking is available for all attendees. Parking attendants will direct you to designated areas upon arrival.
Free parking for all participants and spectators
Shorecrest Preparatory School is conveniently located just off I-275 in St. Petersburg, approximately 5 miles from downtown and easily accessible from all major Tampa Bay area highways.
We've secured special rates at hotels near Shorecrest Prep. All hotels are within 5 miles of the venue.
Note: Most hotels are clustered around the 54th Avenue North exit from I-275. Additional downtown St. Petersburg hotels are available within 5 miles. Book early as rooms fill quickly!
Deadline: February 12, 2026
Boxed lunch options available for pre-order. Each lunch is $12 and includes:sandwich, chips, cookie and drink.
Students may bring refillable water bottles. Water bottle filling stations will be available throughout the venue.
Outside food and beverages are NOT permitted in competition areas such as gyms and judging rooms.
Concession stands will be available during the event offering snacks and beverages.
Cash and card accepted
Dress for all teams is casual. We encourage your team to adopt a fun and unique team identity that showcases your team spirit, engineering experience, or project theme.
Think smart marketing and HAVE FUN!
Saturday, February 21: 7:15 AM - 7:45 AM
Only one coach needs to check in. Spectators and parents can set up tents, tables, and chairs outdoors in the Team Tailgate Area unless they are registered event volunteers. After the coach has checked in, team members should go directly to the team pit.
Team Roster Due: Wednesday, February 12, 2026 by Noon
The tournament director will communicate with coaches who have been pre-identified by Program Delivery Partners (PDPs). Coaches will receive an email from SuncoastFLL@gmail.com. Coaches should add this email address to their safe senders email list. A google form link will be sent to coaches to complete the following information:
Friday, February 20: 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Teams can check help set up on Friday afternoon. And then they can set up their tailgate areas on Friday evening to get ready for the big day! Feel free to visit St. Pete beaches and otehr attractions in the area. All judging and robot games take place on Saturday.
The Pit is your team's home base when working on the robot and coding during the competition. The Pit is for coaches and team members only. The Pit is not the space for teams to congregate all day long. The Tailgating Area is for teams to have down time during the tournament. Parents and guaardians can set up tents, tables, and chairs outdoors. Create interactive displays at the tailgate area and encourage teams to engage outdoors.
The Pit Area will have charging stations. There is no need for teams to bring extension cords or surge protections. There will also be an area for Practice Tables. Teams are not allowed to bring Field Kits, Mission Mats or Models in the Pit. Each Pit space will have:
Decorate your Tailgating Area to showcase your team identity! Bring:
Make your tailgating area memorable!
Celebrating excellence in robotics and innovation
Top Florida teams advance to prestigious international competitions
Help make this championship possible!
Every team must provide at least one adult volunteer (18+) to volunteer at the State Championship. Teams that meet this requirement will receive their registration packet and schedule by Wednesday prior to the event.
Volunteers help keep the event moving on schedule:
Saturday, February 21: 6:45 AM
Location: Volunteer Room
ALL volunteers must check-in and attend this meeting. If you're a coach, please ensure that your team's volunteer is aware that they will need to have a FIRST account and be background checked
Register your volunteer on your FIRST Dashboard at www.firstinspires.org
Questions? Email suncoastfll@gmail.com
The Robot Game competition area is FREE and open to the public!
Spectators are encouraged to:
Please respect team-only areas:
Only registered team members, coaches, and volunteers allowed in restricted areas
Bleacher seating is available at the venue. We encourage families to also:
Includes tournament entry, pit space, practice tables, and team gifts