2020 - 2021 FIRST Programs Season Update

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Dear NYC FIRST Community,

As we begin to receive guidance from the City and State about the upcoming school year, we want to share our plans for this year’s FIRST programs. While there are still many factors up in the air, we wanted to share with you our guiding principles and plans as they stand right now to help you plan for the season.  

Our guiding principles put the health and safety of our teams and staff members first, and we hope they will allow teams, students, coaches and teachers to participate as fully as possible. 

• For teams that plan to register for the season, we want to make sure that they can participate safely in as many elements of the programs as possible. 
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• For teams that are not able to register, we want to keep them engaged in activities that embrace the core values of FIRST and allow them to build important skills, to engage in a way that supports social emotional growth and the mental health of our students, and to allow students to have fun together no matter where they’re located. 
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• We also hope to offer individuals - whether students, mentors or coaches - who want to participate, but their team is not participating in the season in any way, to join activities as individuals.
  

We have included detailed information below but want to highlight information that impacts all FIRST programs. As our plans continue to evolve as we receive guidance, we will continue to update our community with any changes.

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FIRST LEGO League Season Changes:

Program: FIRST LEGO League

Type: Remote

Season: The season kicked-off on August 4, 2020. Fully remote competitions are tentatively scheduled for April 2021

Season Info: FIRST LEGO League RePlay Season Info

Registration: Team registration for the 2020-21 season is currently open. Log in to or set up your account at www.firstinspires.org to get started

Technologies Needed: Teams will still need to build a physical robot, access to an EV3 or Spike Prime kit is required. Teams should also be prepared to have reliable internet access and a device that can access Zoom‍

Details: It's the same FIRST LEGO League you know and love - but fully remote! Details about remote judging, remote robot games, and awards will be released at the end of August

Grant Opportunity: NYC FIRST is excited to open up funding opportunities for FIRST LEGO League for the 2020 - 2021 Season. Funding will cover the team registration fee and 1 EV3 LEGO Bundle. Registration Link (Application Deadline: January, 25, 2021)

Program: Global Innovation Awards

Type: Remote

Season: Season began August 4, 2020, judging tentatively scheduled for March 2021

Season Info: Global Innovation Awards Season Info

Registration: Free to enter. Teams can be 1-10 students.

The formal Global Innovation Awards team registration will be open in September, but teams are encouraged to start working on their projects as soon as they can.‍

Technologies Needed: Teams should be prepared to have reliable internet access and a device that can access Zoom.‍

Details: The Global Innovation Awards is an extension to the FIRST LEGO League Innovation Project. Teams explore a problem, come up with a solution, and go above and beyond to explore how their solution can become a real product. Teams will research how to patent, prototype and start a business. They will then present a product pitch for the Global Innovation Awards judges. The top projects around the world will win $20,000! All judging will be held remotely this season and details will be released at the end of August.

FIRST Tech Challenge Season Changes:

‍Type: Remote

Season Kickoff : Watch the Kickoff Celebration on FIRST TV slated for September 12, 2020 at 12:00.

Season: Our remote qualifiers will begin in January. These qualifiers will culminate in a city-wide final in early spring.

Season Info: FIRST Tech Challenge Ultimate Goal Season Info

Registration: Team registration for the 2020-21 season is currently open until December 1. Log in to or set up your account at www.firstinspires.org to get started.‍

Technologies Needed: Teams will still need to build a physical robot. Each team will be given access to the official FIRST Remote Event Hub. Teams should also be prepared to have reliable internet access and a device that can access Zoom.‍

Details: In order to continue to put the health and safety of our community front and center, NYC FIRST will hold its FTC season remotely for the 2020-21 season. We are designing these FTC remote events to be as close to traditional competitions as possible. That means that each team will still build a robot and compete on an FTC field, and each team will present by video to panels of judges. We know that some teams might have difficulty building their robots, and NYC FIRST will be happy to share ideas with you as to how to make the physical building possible.

FIRST Events Schedule: (Register Here)

NYC FTC Remote Qualifier 1- March 15- March 21, 2021

NYC FTC Remote Qualifier 2- April 12- April 18, 2021

NYC FTC Remote Qualifier 3- April 26- May 2, 2021

NYC FTC Remote Qualifier 4- May 17 - May 23, 2021

NYC FTC Championship: May 31 - June 6, 2021

Grant Opportunity: NYC FIRST is excited to open up funding opportunities for both FIRST Tech Competition and FIRST Robotics Competition for the 2020 - 2021 Season. Funding will cover team registration and a kit of parts. Registration Link (Application Deadline: January 25, 2021)

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FIRST Robotics Competition Season Changes:

‍Type: Remote

Season Kickoff: FRC Kickoff is slated for Saturday, January 9, 2021

Season Info: FIRST Robotics Competition Infinite Recharge

Registration: Team registration for the 2021 season opens October 6, 2020. Log in to or set up your account at www.firstinspires.org to get started.‍

Registration Fee:

Veteran teams: $2,000

Rookie teams: $3,000

Teams are encouraged to explore grants on the FIRST Inspires website.

Details:

In recognizing the ongoing challenges for teams with remote and hybrid learning, limited access to building spaces, tools, and robots, as well as uncertainty for traveling to and attending in-person events, FIRST has introduced these new opportunities for our teams to participate this season:

• The Game Design Challenge will allow registered teams to design their own FIRST Robotics Competition game using real-world, virtual, or hybrid design elements, and compete for judged awards. Winning concepts will be considered for use in future official games.
  
• In the Innovation Challenge presented by Qualcomm, registered teams will identify a real-world problem related to this season’s theme, FIRST GAME CHANGERS powered by Star Wars: Force for Change, design a solution, build a business model and deliver a pitch to compete with other FIRST Robotics Competition teams for judged awards. This new challenge will have an advancement track, culminating in the Global Innovation Awards, a multi-day experience where students showcase their innovations, participate in workshops, and receive mentorship from experts, and compete for awards.
  
• INFINITE RECHARGE at Home brings components of events to you in two ways:

• Option 1: Teams show off what their robots and drivers can do in a skills challenge based on the 2020 INFINITE RECHARGE game. Scores are posted, and teams virtually compete against each other for the Skills Challenge Awards.
• Option 2: Teams illustrate their robot’s technical qualities by sharing information with judges remotely in competition for traditional robot-based awards. Teams can participate with or without access to their robot.
  

Grant Opportunity: NYC FIRST is excited to open up funding opportunities for both FIRST Tech Competition and FIRST Robotics Competition for the 2020 - 2021 Season. Funding will cover team registration and a kit of parts. Registration Link (Application Deadline: January 25, 2021)

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At this time both the Cornell Tech and Washington Heights STEM Centers are closed.

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