THE 2026-2027 SEASON
This year's FIRST Tech Challenge season, BIOBUZZ™ presented by RTX, asks teams to find engineering ideas in the natural world. The Chesapeake Championship is where the region's best ideas meet.
2nd
Largest FIRST Tech Challenge event in the world
96
Middle and high school teams from DC, Maryland and Virginia
2
Divisions, the Blue Crab and the Red Cardinal
Free
Open to the public, both days
01 · THE ROAD HERE
Every qualifier feeds the hive.
Teams earn their spot at qualifying events across DC, Maryland and Virginia all season long. The top teams from each one come together in Doswell for two days of matches, judging and celebration, and the best of them carry the Chesapeake flag to Houston.
STAGE ONE
Qualifiers
Events in every corner of DC, Maryland and Virginia, December through January.
STAGE TWO · YOU ARE HERE
Chesapeake Championship
February 6-7, 2027 at Meadow Event Park, Doswell, Virginia.
STAGE THREE
FIRST Championship
Top Chesapeake teams advance to FIRST Premier Events and the FIRST Championship in Houston, April 28 to May 1, 2027. Advancement slots are announced in December.
STAGE ONE
Qualifiers
Events in every corner of DC, Maryland and Virginia, December through January.
STAGE TWO · YOU ARE HERE
Chesapeake Championship
February 6-7, 2027 at Meadow Event Park, Doswell, Virginia.
STAGE THREE
FIRST Championship
Top Chesapeake teams advance to FIRST Premier Events and the FIRST Championship in Houston, April 28 to May 1, 2027. Advancement slots are announced in December.
02 · THE WEEKEND
Three days, two divisions, one champion.
Friday belongs to the teams. Saturday and Sunday the doors open to everyone, with qualification matches, alliance selection, division playoffs and the Chesapeake final.
Detailed times, load-in and judging logistics live in the Team Guide.
FRIDAY · FEBRUARY 5 · TEAMS ONLY
· Load-in, pits and inspection open
· Practice fields open
SATURDAY · FEBRUARY 6 · OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
· Judge interviews
· Practice matches
· Opening ceremony
· Qualification matches
· Volunteer and alumni appreciation
SUNDAY · FEBRUARY 7 · OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
· Qualification matches
· Alliance selection
· Division playoffs
· Finals and awards ceremony
FRIDAY · FEBRUARY 5 · TEAMS ONLY
· Load-in, pits and inspection open
· Practice fields open
SATURDAY · FEBRUARY 6 · OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
· Judge interviews
· Practice matches
· Opening ceremony
· Qualification matches
· Volunteer and alumni appreciation
SUNDAY · FEBRUARY 7 · OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
· Qualification matches
· Alliance selection
· Division playoffs
· Finals and awards ceremony
03 · THE FORMAT
The Blue Crab meets the Red Cardinal.
DIVISION ONE
Blue Crab Division
48 teams · Qualification matches Saturday and Sunday · Eight alliances to the playoffs
DIVISION TWO
Red Cardinal Division
48 teams · Qualification matches Saturday and Sunday · Eight alliances to the playoffs
SUNDAY AFTERNOON
The Chesapeake Final
Division winners meet face to face. Best of three.
DIVISION ONE
Blue Crab Division
48 teams · Qualification matches Saturday and Sunday · Eight alliances to the playoffs
DIVISION TWO
Red Cardinal Division
48 teams · Qualification matches Saturday and Sunday · Eight alliances to the playoffs
SUNDAY AFTERNOON
The Chesapeake Final
Division winners meet face to face. Best of three.
The 96 teams split into two divisions of 48: the Blue Crab Division and the Red Cardinal Division. Each plays qualification matches over both days and sends eight alliances to the playoffs. The two division winners meet face to face in a best-of-three final for the Chesapeake title.
DIVISION
Blue Crab
48 teams
8 alliances to the playoffs
vs.
Chesapeake Final
Best of three
DIVISION
Red Cardinal
48 teams
8 alliances to the playoffs
04 · PLAN YOUR VISIT
Bring the whole family. It's free.
Two days of robots, students and hands-on STEM under one roof, with free admission and free parking both days.
Getting there
Meadow Event Park, Doswell, Virginia. Enter off Rt. 30 through Gate 3. Free parking in Lot F.
My FIRST STEM Passport
Five stops at your own pace, with a certificate and raffle entry at the end.
Food
Concessions onsite both days. Teams can pre-order lunch through the Team Guide.
Quiet room
A calm space away from the arena, open Saturday and Sunday.
Where to stay
[Hotel partner and team rate, or nearby hotel list]
Can't make it?
Every match streams live on YouTube, with student commentary.
Getting there
Meadow Event Park, Doswell, Virginia. Enter off Rt. 30 through Gate 3. Free parking in Lot F.
My FIRST STEM Passport
Five stops at your own pace, with a certificate and raffle entry at the end.
Food
Concessions onsite both days. Teams can pre-order lunch through the Team Guide.
Quiet room
A calm space away from the arena, open Saturday and Sunday.
Where to stay
[Hotel partner and team rate, or nearby hotel list]
Can't make it?
Every match streams live on YouTube, with student commentary.
05 · FIELD TRIPS AND GROUPS
Bring your class, troop or club. We'll show you around.
For teachers, scout leaders, 4-H clubs and after-school programs, the championship is a free, ready-made STEM field trip. Students meet the teams who built the robots, watch engineering happen under pressure, and leave with a certificate they earned.
MY FIRST STEM PASSPORT · FIVE STOPS
1 The pits
See how teams build, test and repair between matches.
2 The field
Watch a match and learn how alliances score.
3 Scouting
Track a team like a strategist picking alliance partners.
4 Talk to a team
Ask the students how they designed their robot.
5 Tech Mixer
Meet the partners and try hands-on tech.
Collect four of five stamps from team members or volunteers to earn a completion certificate aligned to the Virginia SOLs, which many teachers accept for extra credit, plus a raffle entry.
Download the passport (PDF) to print at home or school.
SELF-GUIDED · ANY SIZE · ANY TIME
Families, small groups and classes come on their own schedule Saturday or Sunday. Pick up passports at the entrance and work through the stops at your own pace.
GUIDED GROUP VISIT · GROUPS OF 10+
A student ambassador from a competing team leads your group on a 45-minute walk through the pits and the field, with a sit-down with a team. Space is held for groups bringing their own lunch.
Saturday 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM · Saturday 1:00 to 4:00 PM · Sunday 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Sunday afternoon is playoffs: loud, crowded and great for older groups.
MY FIRST STEM PASSPORT · FIVE STOPS
The pits
See how teams build, test and repair between matches.
The field
Watch a match and learn how alliances score.
Scouting
Track a team like a strategist picking alliance partners.
Talk to a team
Ask the students how they designed their robot.
Tech Mixer
Meet the partners and try hands-on tech.
Collect four of five stamps from team members or volunteers to earn a completion certificate aligned to the Virginia SOLs, which many teachers accept for extra credit, plus a raffle entry.
Download the passport (PDF) to print at home or school.
SELF-GUIDED · ANY SIZE · ANY TIME
Families, small groups and classes come on their own schedule Saturday or Sunday. Pick up passports at the entrance and work through the stops at your own pace.
GUIDED GROUP VISIT · GROUPS OF 10+
A student ambassador from a competing team leads your group on a 45-minute walk through the pits and the field, with a sit-down with a team. Space is held for groups bringing their own lunch.
Saturday 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM · Saturday 1:00 to 4:00 PM · Sunday 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Sunday afternoon is playoffs: loud, crowded and great for older groups.
Free
ADMISSION, PARKING AND GUIDED VISITS
Teachers and CTE classes
Girl Scouts and scout troops
4-H clubs
Boys and Girls Clubs and YMCAs
Libraries and after-school programs
Youth groups
MY FIRST STEM PASSPORT · FIVE STOPS
The pits
See how teams build, test and repair between matches.
The field
Watch a match and learn how alliances score.
Scouting
Track a team like a strategist picking alliance partners.
Talk to a team
Ask the students how they designed their robot.
Tech Mixer
Meet the partners and try hands-on tech.
Collect four of five stamps from team members or volunteers to earn a completion certificate aligned to the Virginia SOLs, which many teachers accept for extra credit, plus a raffle entry.
Download the passport (PDF) to print at home or school.
Self-guided
ANY SIZE · ANY TIME
Families, small groups and classes come on their own schedule Saturday or Sunday. Pick up passports at the entrance and work through the stops at your own pace.
Guided group visit
GROUPS OF 10+
A student ambassador from a competing team leads your group on a 45-minute walk through the pits and the field, with a sit-down with a team. Space is held for groups bringing their own lunch.
Saturday morning
9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Saturday afternoon
1:00 to 4:00 PM
Sunday morning
9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Sunday afternoon is playoffs: loud, crowded and great for older groups.
GUIDED GROUP VISITS · REQUEST A TIME
Request a guided visit.
Groups of ten or more can book a free 45-minute walk through the pits and the field with a student ambassador, plus a sit-down with a competing team. Tell us about your group and we'll follow up to confirm your time.
AVAILABLE TIMES
Saturday, 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Saturday, 1:00 to 4:00 PM
Sunday, 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Thanks. Your request is in, and our team will follow up to confirm your visit.
06 · TEAMS · LIVE FROM FIRST, UPDATED DAILY
Meet the hive
96 teams, two divisions of 48. The list fills in on its own as teams qualify and register, live from FIRST and updated daily. Check back after the first qualifiers in December.
07 · ALL-TEAMS MEETING
One call before the big weekend.
In January we'll host a virtual all-teams meeting for the mentors and students headed to the championship. We'll walk through the weekend, share helpful hints from past events and answer your questions, so every team arrives ready.
Date, time and join link coming soon.
WHEN
· January 2027, date and time to be announced
WHERE
· Virtual, join link coming soon
WHO SHOULD JOIN
· Mentors and coaches
· Students from every championship team
WHAT WE'LL COVER
· Weekend schedule, load-in and pit setup
· Inspection, practice fields and judging
· The Team Guide and other team resources
· Helpful hints from past championships
· Live Q&A
WHEN
· January 2027, date and time to be announced
WHERE
· Virtual, join link coming soon
WHO SHOULD JOIN
· Mentors and coaches
· Students from every championship team
WHAT WE'LL COVER
· Weekend schedule, load-in and pit setup
· Inspection, practice fields and judging
· The Team Guide and other team resources
· Helpful hints from past championships
· Live Q&A
08 · VOLUNTEER
The hive runs on volunteers.
The second-largest FTC event in the world takes a big crew behind the scenes. You don’t need a technical background to help. Take the 60-second quiz and we’ll find the role that fits you best.
ROLES
Judge
Most needed
Referee
Training provided
Field reset and queuing
Great first role
Pit and team support
Great first role
Technical advisor
Experience helps
THREE GREAT PLACES TO START
Judge
Our most-needed role. Judges sit down with student teams to hear how they designed, built and programmed their robots, then help decide the awards. Bring curiosity and good questions; we provide the training.
Field Reset & Queuing
Keep the matches moving. Reset game pieces between matches and line teams up for their turn on the field. It’s fast, fun and right next to the action, with no technical experience needed.
Robot Inspector
Help every robot start the day safe and ready to compete. Inspectors walk each team through a simple checklist, and we train you on everything you need to know. A great fit for anyone who likes details.
Pit and team support
Great first role
Technical advisor
Experience helps
“Being on a FIRST Tech team, just the energy here, the teamwork… you really kind of feed off of that. It's just exhilarating.”
ZENIA · FIRST TECH CHALLENGE ALUMNA · CLASS OF 2024
PARTNERS
Presented by our partners.
The Chesapeake Championship is free to the public because partners invest in the next generation of engineers, builders and problem solvers across DC, Maryland and Virginia.
PRESENTING PARTNER
FRIENDS AND SUPPORTER MIXER
Supporting partner
BECOME A SPONSOR
Put your company in front of 96 teams, their families and thousands of visitors. Email partners@firstchesapeake.org to talk about championship partnership.
09 · FAQ
Questions.
No. The championship is free and open to the public on Saturday and Sunday. Walk in any time the doors are open.
Yes. Pick up the My FIRST STEM Passport at the entrance for a guided path through the event. The arena is loud, and a quiet room is open both days.
Please do. Groups of ten or more can book a free 45-minute guided visit with a student ambassador. Smaller groups are welcome to use the self-guided passport any time.
Teams earn advancement at qualifying events across DC, Maryland and Virginia during the season. See the FTC event list for dates and locations.
Absolutely. Most roles need no technical background, and every volunteer gets training. Judges are our biggest need.
Every match streams live on our YouTube channel, with student commentators calling the action.