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Competitions
Overview
Competing in VEX robotics is one of the most exciting parts of building a robot. You get to see how your robot performs against others, learn from watching different designs and strategies, and experience real engineering under pressure.
Why does this matter?
Competitions give you a real deadline and a real challenge. They push you to make your robot as reliable and capable as possible — because on competition day, there are no re-dos.
How VEX Competitions Are Organized
VEX competitions are organized and run by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation (RECF). There are multiple levels:
- Qualifying Tournaments — local or regional events where teams earn points toward advancing
- State/Regional Championships — the top teams from qualifying events compete
- World Championship — the best teams from every state and country compete at the global level
Events are registered on RobotEvents.com — that is where your mentor will sign your team up for competitions.
Match Format
VEX IQ
VEX IQ is typically played as a cooperative competition — two robots work together as an alliance to score as many points as possible. Both robots and their drivers share the field.
Match structure:
- Autonomous period: 60 seconds — robots drive themselves, no driver input
- Driver control period: 60 seconds — drivers control the robots using the VEX IQ controller
There is no “versus” in most VEX IQ formats — your alliance score is compared against other alliances.
VEX V5 (VRC — VEX Robotics Competition)
VEX V5 is played as head-to-head competition. Two alliances (each with two robots) compete against each other.
Match structure:
- Autonomous period: 15 seconds — robots drive themselves
- Driver control period: 1 minute 45 seconds — drivers control the robots
At the end of the match, the alliance with the most points wins.
Scoring
Each season has a unique game with specific ways to score points. Read the Game Manual carefully at the start of every season — it describes every scoring action, every rule, and every penalty.
Common types of scoring actions across VEX games:
- Placing game objects in or on specific goals
- Stacking objects in towers
- Parking in designated zones at the end of the match
- Autonomous bonus (extra points for scoring during the autonomous period)
The game manual is free and available at RobotEvents.com.
Rankings
During qualifying rounds, your team’s performance is tracked by:
- Wins, Losses, and Ties (for VRC head-to-head format)
- Average alliance score (for VEX IQ cooperative format)
- Autonomous performance (separate ranking in some events)
Rankings determine which teams are invited to elimination rounds and which teams earn bids to advance.
What Happens on Competition Day
Before the Event
- Robot inspection: A volunteer checks your robot against the rules (size limits, weight limits, allowed parts). Make sure your robot passes inspection before you arrive — fix any issues at home.
- Practice matches: Most events have practice time before official matches begin. Use this to verify your autonomous routine works on the official field tiles (which may be different from what you practiced on).
During Qualifying Matches
- You will be assigned alliance partners randomly for each match.
- Before each match, discuss strategy with your alliance partner — who scores which objects, who parks, who runs the more aggressive autonomous.
- After each match, note what went wrong and fix it before the next match. You will typically have 20–45 minutes between matches.
During Elimination Rounds
- Alliance selection happens after qualifying. Higher-ranked teams choose their partners.
- Elimination matches are head-to-head, single-elimination (lose once and you are out).
- Stay calm, stick to your best strategy, and keep your robot in good mechanical shape between matches.
The Judges’ Award
Competitions award trophies not just for winning matches — judges also recognize:
- Engineering Notebook quality — documentation of your design process
- Robot design innovation — creative, elegant mechanical solutions
- Teamwork and sportsmanship — how you interact with other teams
These “excellence” and “design” awards can qualify teams for advancement even if they did not finish at the top of the match rankings.
Packing for Competition Day
Bring everything your robot might need:
- Robot (fully charged battery)
- Extra charged battery
- Controller (fully charged)
- Laptop with VEXcode installed
- USB cable for downloading programs
- Hex keys (all sizes you use)
- Extra smart cables
- Extra screws, nuts, and standoffs
- Engineering notebook
- Spare motor cartridges
Arrive early — inspection lines can be long, and you want time for practice before your first qualifying match.
Sportsmanship
VEX competitions have a strong culture of gracious professionalism. This means:
- Helping another team fix their robot even if they are your competitor
- Being honest when a call does not go your way
- Cheering for good driving and clever designs even from opposing teams
Judges notice poor sportsmanship, and teams with a bad reputation in the community miss out on awards that go beyond match wins.