This article walks through the official event types an Event Partner can host, so you can choose the right event for your community. It is written for every Event Partner, whether you are a new host or a seasoned veteran.
Definitions of the terms used here are maintained in the central glossary.
For the requirements every qualifying event must meet, see Qualifying Events and Their Requirements.
Start with Your Community's Need
The right event type depends on what the teams around you need. Are there enough events in your region, or do teams travel long distances to compete? Do new teams need a low-pressure place to learn before their first real competition? Do experienced teams need more chances to post Robot Skills scores late in the season? Your answer points to your event type, and your Program Support Team can tell you what your region is missing.
Your event type is one of the first things you will talk through with your Program Support Team, and it is a conversation worth having before anything is posted. They know your region's calendar, its team density, and where a new event would help most. Most event types are qualifying events, which carry official requirements. See Qualifying Events and Their Requirements to learn what that entails. Bring your idea, and decide together.
The event types below are grouped generally from smallest to largest: practice events, then local qualifying events, then season-long and large-scale events, so you can find the level that matches your experience, your volunteers, and your community's needs.
Scrimmage Events
These events carry no qualifying requirements, which makes them the natural on-ramp for new Event Partners, new teams, and new volunteers alike.
- What it is – A practice event. Teams test robots and run practice matches, and volunteers get training reps in a low-stakes setting.
- Qualifying Event? – No.
- Requirements and limits – Scrimmages provide no official rankings, judged awards, Robot Skills rankings, or advancement, so qualifying event requirements do not apply.
- A good fit when – You want to build experience for yourself, your volunteers, or your teams without the requirements of an official qualifying event. Many Event Partners host a scrimmage before their first tournament.
Local Qualifying Events
These are single events where teams can earn official results. Each must meet the requirements in Qualifying Events and Their Requirements.
Robot Skills-Only Event
- What it is – An official event offering Robot Skills Challenge matches without Qualification Matches or elimination rounds. Teams post official Robot Skills scores that feed the World Skills Standings, used for rankings, championship qualification pathways, and waitlist consideration.
- Qualifying Event? – Yes, though no direct advancement spots are awarded. Teams advance through their Robot Skills scores.
- Requirements and limits – Robot Skills-Only Events must be held at least four weeks before the local Championship Event.
- A good fit when – Teams in your region need more official Robot Skills opportunities, especially as championship deadlines approach.
Open Tournament
- What it is – The standard local competition. Registration is open to all eligible organization types within the program, and teams compete in Qualification Matches, Robot Skills Challenge matches, and elimination rounds, usually with judged awards.
- Qualifying Event? – Yes.
- Requirements and limits – Participation may still be limited by capacity, level, and registration deadlines.
- A good fit when – Your region needs more standard competition opportunities. This is the most common choice for a first qualifying event.
School-Based Event
- What it is – A qualifying event limited to teams affiliated with eligible schools, districts, or approved school-based organizations. It supports school districts, educational partners, and school-based competition pathways.
- Qualifying Event? – Yes.
- Requirements and limits – You may host one School-Based Event per competition program; hosting a second in the same program requires also hosting an Open Tournament for that program in the same season, unless otherwise approved by the Global Robotics and Science Foundation.
- A good fit when – You are part of a district or school network that wants a competition pathway for its own teams.
Invitational Event
- What it is – A qualifying event where participation is limited by published criteria, such as capacity, geography, school or organization type, or prior qualifications.
- Qualifying Event? – Yes, when approved by your Program Support Team.
- Requirements and limits – Invitational Events carry three requirements of their own: identify the event as limited-entry, publish the eligibility criteria before registration opens, and explain how teams are selected. You may host one qualifying Invitational Event for each Open Tournament you host in the same program that season, unless otherwise approved by your Program Support Team.
- A good fit when – Your event serves a defined group of teams and you can state the criteria clearly and fairly.
Season-Long and Large-Scale Events
These events extend beyond a single competition day. They can be a series of sessions, an elevated showcase event, a destination event, or the championship that caps a region's season, and they ask more of an Event Partner in return.
Competition League
- What it is – A series of competition sessions held over multiple dates, culminating in a final league championship session. It is one event's worth of competition stretched into a season-long arc.
- Qualifying Event? – Yes. Advancement is awarded through the final league championship session.
- Requirements and limits – At least three scheduled sessions posted on events.vex.com, plus the final league championship session. Teams get Robot Skills opportunities at every session, and results are uploaded within 48 hours of each session. The 25% organization limit that applies to other qualifying events does not apply to leagues.
- A good fit when – Your teams can meet regularly, which works especially well where teams are concentrated close together.
Spotlight Event
- What it is – A new class of event for the 2026–2027 season, positioned between local qualifying events and Signature Events. Spotlight Events recognize competitions that go above and beyond, offering an elevated, memorable team experience built on exceptionally strong tournament operations, judging, and refereeing.
- Qualifying Event? – Yes. Spotlight Events carry Qualification Advancement Spots.
- Requirements and limits – Spotlight Events offer more hosting flexibility than a Signature Event, with added organizational visibility and sponsor recognition. Work with your Program Support Team to explore this pathway.
- A good fit when – Your local events already run exceptionally well and you want a stepping stone toward future Signature status.
VEX Robotics Signature Event
- What it is – A high-level competition offering more than a standard local event: strong competition, enhanced production, and a memorable experience. Signature Events draw teams from a broad region, a nation, or an international community.
- Qualifying Event? – Yes. Approved Signature Events offer direct advancement to the VEX Robotics World Championship.
- Requirements and limits – Signature Events have their own requirements, outlined in the Signature Event Requirements Guide (coming soon). Work with your Program Support Team to explore this pathway.
- A good fit when – You are an experienced Event Partner ready to build a destination event that teams will travel for.
Championship Event
- What it is – The culminating competition for a defined conference, region, state, province, country, or approved program pathway (such as an Event Region Championship, State Championship, or National Championship) where qualified teams compete for awards and further advancement.
- Qualifying Event? – Yes. In addition, the event must meet championship-level requirements beyond the standard ones.
- Requirements and limits – Championship-level requirements are scaled to the event's importance: at least two competition fields per division, at least eight Qualification Matches per team, dedicated Robot Skills and practice fields in ratios based on team count, pit space and displays appropriate to the event, one Certified Head Referee per competition field plus a Certified Judge Advisor, and adequate volunteer staffing across every function. Global Robotics may review fields, schedules, staffing, and layout before approving, and each season has a final championship hosting date.
- A good fit when – You have hosted successful qualifying events and are ready to anchor your region's season, working closely with your Program Support Team.