PROGRAM UPDATE · 2027-2028 SEASON
Updated September 17, 2026 · after FIRST’s game design preview
FIRST LEGO League is changing. Here’s what we know.
FIRST is building the next generation of its K-8 programs. They launch with the 2027-2028 season, with the full reveal coming next spring.
Nothing changes for the season you are in right now. Your 2026-2027 team, your kits, your events and your registration all stand. If you are deciding whether to start a team this fall, start the team.
What FIRST has confirmed so far
There will be a 2027-2028 season. It keeps the Robot Game and the Innovation Project, with Gracious Professionalism and Core Values at the center.
Teams can build with LEGO Education SPIKE Prime or a new robot and build system FIRST will introduce soon. SPIKE products are being phased out over time.
One game for everyone, regardless of which platform a team uses.
For grades 3 and up, teams of up to 10 students play a fully autonomous game on the same size table as today. Keep your tables.
Events, advancement, team sizes, costs, operations, and volunteer needs will be comparable to past years.
Top awards keep recognizing the full experience: technical skill, creativity, and Core Values.
What we don’t know yet
Exact pricing, what the new robot and build system is, how the divisions will be named, the timeline for phasing out SPIKE, and what it means for schools that have already invested in kits. We are not going to guess in public. When FIRST shares it, this page gets updated and we will date the change.
.png)
THIS SEASON · 2026-2027 FIRST Canopy · BIOGLOW
A hands-on approach to STEM learning.
FIRST® LEGO® League
Engaging youth in STEM exploration. Grades K-8 across DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
Robot Game
Missions on a themed table
Challenge teams design, build, and code a robot to complete BIOGLOW missions in two and a half minutes.
Innovation Project
A real problem, a real solution
Teams research an ecosystem question, design a solution, and present it to judges.
Team model and poster
Explore's showcase
Explore teams build a motorized LEGO model of their idea and a poster that tells the story.
Core Values
Judged in everything
Discovery, innovation, impact, inclusion, teamwork, and fun. How teams work matters as much as what they build.
Founders Edition
The FLL you know
LEGO Education SPIKE Essential and SPIKE Prime.
Explore
Grades K-4
Team model and poster. Season ends at a festival.
Challenge
Grades 4-8
Robot Game plus Innovation Project. Qualifiers lead to a championship.
Future Edition NEW THIS SEASON
The new experience
LEGO Education Computer Science & AI sets. Same BIOGLOW theme.
Future Edition K-2
Grades K-2
Guided building and first coding steps. Run by FIRST Chesapeake in Maryland.
Future Edition 3-8
Grades 3-8
Robot Game and project on the new hardware. Events run through VA-DC FLL. Maryland teams are invited.
Wondering about 2027-2028? That is a different season. Read the program update at the top of this page. Nothing in it changes what you do this year.
Who runs FLL where you live
Pick your division.
Then pick your state.
Three partners deliver FLL in our region. FIRST Chesapeake runs Explore and Future Edition K-2 in Maryland. UMBC runs Maryland Challenge. VA-DC FLL runs everything in Virginia and DC. Rows with a yellow mark are ours.
VA+DC FLL
Everything in Virginia and DC
va-dcfll.org
Coaches Chats: recorded webinars for coaches. Challenge Oct 7, 21, Nov 4. Explore Nov 5, Jan 6, Feb 24. Future Oct 14, Jan 27, Mar 3.
Maryland FLL at UMBC
Maryland Challenge
marylandfll.org
The FLL Impact
From first bricks to a full robot game.
FIRST LEGO League introduces STEM to kids in grades K-8 through fun, hands-on learning. Guided by adult coaches, teams solve a real-world problem, build and code with LEGO Education technology, and share their work with their community. Coaches get step-by-step guides. No engineering background needed.
Kids get to
-
Build and code with LEGO bricks and motors
-
Research a real problem and design a solution
-
Present to reviewers and judges
-
Practice teamwork, public speaking, and persistence
-
Celebrate at a festival or tournament, every kid with a medal
.jpeg)
Grades K-2 · Future Edition
Future Edition K-2
Guided building and first coding steps with LEGO Education Computer Science & AI sets. A gentle start for the youngest teams, with a festival at the end.
Grades K-4 · Founders Edition
Explore
Teams explore a real-world problem, design a LEGO model powered by SPIKE Essential, and build a poster. The season ends at a festival with medals for every kid.
Grades 4-8 · Founders Edition
Challenge
Friendly competition. Teams research, code, and engineer a SPIKE Prime robot to run the BIOGLOW missions, then present an Innovation Project to judges.
Grades 3-8 · Future Edition
Future Edition 3-8
Robot Game and project on the new hardware. Maryland teams join Virginia's events this season through VA-DC FLL.
FIRST Core Values
Friendly competition and mutual gain are not separate goals.
The Core Values set FIRST LEGO League apart. Kids learn that helping one another is the foundation of teamwork. We call it Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition®.
Discovery
We explore new skills and ideas.
Innovation
We use creativity and persistence to solve problems.
Impact
We apply what we learn to improve our world.
Inclusion
We respect each other and embrace our differences.
Teamwork
We are stronger when we work together.
Fun
We enjoy and celebrate what we do.
THE FLL IMPACT
FIRST LEGO League guides youth through STEM learning and exploration at an early age. From a first LEGO model to a full Robot Game, students learn the basics of STEM and put those skills to work, building confidence, teamwork, and productive learning habits along the way.
Express Interest in Doing Well in School
87%
Time Management Skills Increase
95%
Teamwork Skills Increase
99%
Source: FIRST LEGO League participant evaluation, FIRST Inspires.
![[FLL] 2025-2026 FIRST LEGO League Challenge Release](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/49c9f8_cb08aa024e46437ebc7b1a902bd4e924~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_551,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/49c9f8_cb08aa024e46437ebc7b1a902bd4e924~mv2.jpg)
Start a team in Maryland
Three steps. Start now, register for a festival in November.
This path is for Maryland Explore and Future Edition K-2 teams. Everyone else registers with their delivery partner.
1
Gather your team
Two to six kids, one or two adult coaches, and a place to meet. Parents, teachers, and volunteers all make it happen. No engineering background needed.
2
Register with FIRST Inspires
The national fee gives you a team number, meeting guides, engineering notebooks, and the right to register for a festival. Every coach completes Youth Protection screening.
Getting registered in the new FIRST Dashboard
Add FIRST as a payor if you previously used a different vendor for registration purchases.
Set up your team’s Financial Guarantor if you plan to use a tax exemption certificate or pay by purchase order.
Confirm Lead Coach 1 and Lead Coach 2 both have all three green checkmarks: Consent & Release, YPP, and Mentor Ready training.
Once coaches are cleared, add students to the roster and collect a signed Consent & Release form for every student.
Step-by-step screenshots: Getting Competition Ready in the FIRST Dashboard. Stuck? Email fll-teams@firstchesapeake.org.
3
Register for a FIRST Chesapeake festival
$150
per team
-
A half-day festival slot in Maryland
-
A season medal for every student
-
A team award from a low-key reviewer interview
Registration Opens
November 1, 2026
Festivals are first come, first served. Popular dates fill within days. Festival dates and locations will be posted here when registration opens. Festivals are for Maryland Explore (Founders) and Future Edition K-2 teams.
FESTIVALS
The season ends with a celebration, not a scoreboard.
A festival is a half day where teams show their model and poster, talk with reviewers, and meet other teams. Families are welcome. Every student goes home with a medal.
_edited.jpg)
WHEN
December 2026 through May 2027. Morning and afternoon sessions, about two and a half hours each.
Where
Across Maryland. Recent hosts include Johns Hopkins APL in Laurel, Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, ShowPlace Arena in Upper Marlboro, and Westminster. 2026-27 dates will be posted here when registration opens November 1.
PREPARE
Finish your team model and poster. Practice a two-minute walkthrough where every kid speaks. Pack the model in a box that survives a car ride.
CHALLENGE
Challenge teams compete in qualifiers run by Maryland FLL at UMBC and VA-DC FLL. See Who runs FLL above to find yours.
Coach resources
Everything a coach needs, in one list.
Questions we hear most
Straight answers.
Anything about 2027-2028 is dated and matches the update at the top. Something missing? Email us.
No. FIRST has said plainly there will be a 2027-2028 season. It keeps the Robot Game, the Innovation Project, Gracious Professionalism, and Core Values at the center, with events, advancement, and team sizes similar to today. New tools, familiar experience. The full reveal comes next spring. This season runs exactly as planned.
Yes, this season, without question. For 2027-2028, FIRST has confirmed teams can build with SPIKE Prime or a new robot and build system it will introduce soon. SPIKE products are being phased out over time, and the timeline is not public. Your tables carry over: the field is the same size. What it means for older kits is one of the things we do not know yet.
Start the team. Kids who start this fall get a full season, a festival, and a head start on whatever comes next. Skills, teamwork, and a coach who knows the ropes carry over. A year of waiting does not.
No. Your team, your kits, your festival, and your registration all stand. BIOGLOW kicked off August 4, 2026 and runs through spring 2027 as scheduled.
Maryland Explore and Future Edition K-2: FIRST Chesapeake, right here. Maryland Challenge: Maryland FLL at UMBC. Maryland Future Edition 3-8: join Virginia's events. Virginia and DC, every division: VA-DC FLL. See the full breakdown.
Through FIRST Inspires. One registration covers up to 8 students under a single team number. You can bring them to a festival as one team of eight or as two teams of four; tell us which when you register for a festival. The festival fee is $150 per team. A second LEGO kit isn’t required, though two groups at the same festival usually want their own set. K-2 festival details will be posted here when locations are set.
Maryland Future Edition 3-8 teams join VA-DC FLL’s events this season. If your school bought FIRST’s 24-student bundle, you get one team number and can create up to three rosters (for example 1001-A, 1001-B and 1001-C). Contact VA-DC FLL at va-dcfll.org to say how many teams will attend.
LEGO Education has stopped selling SPIKE Essential and SPIKE Prime. When you register with FIRST, say that your team needs technology, and FIRST will try to connect you with a local partner that has kits to sell, loan or donate. You can also email fll-teams@firstchesapeake.org.
FIRST has promised the full reveal next spring, with Behind the Design updates along the way. The first came September 16, 2026. We update this page the day new information lands, and we date every change.