This article walks through the factors that determine a workable date for a VEX Robotics Competition event: where your event fits in the season, the calendars around you, and the required deadlines to work backward from. It is written for Event Partners planning any local event, and especially a first one.
Definitions of the terms used here are maintained in the central glossary.
For the full requirements and season deadlines for qualifying events, see Qualifying Events and Their Requirements.
Find the Right Spot in the Season
Start by deciding roughly when in the season you want your event to fall. There is no single best time to host, but early and late season events serve different needs.
Early season events (roughly the first third of the season) give teams their first taste of competition while robots are still simple and strategies are still forming. Expectations tend to be lower, the atmosphere can be more forgiving, and there may be more room on the calendar. The trade-off is that your own planning window may be short, since it overlaps the quiet stretch before the season ramps up, and newer teams may not be ready to register far in advance.
Late season events (roughly the last third of the season) often fill quickly, because teams still chasing qualification want every remaining chance. A late date usually means strong registration numbers and higher-stakes competition. It may also mean less schedule flexibility if something goes wrong, and it puts your event close to championship season, when venues, volunteers, and the Program Support Team may all be in higher demand.
Mid-season dates balance the two, which is why they suit many first events.
Check the Calendars Around You
Once you have a target window, narrow it against the real world. Before you commit, check:
- Other events near you – Look at events.vex.com for events already posted in your region. Spacing events apart helps every event fill, and your Program Support Team can tell you what is coming before it is publicly visible.
- Your region's championship timing – Teams want qualifying opportunities before their championship, not after. Robot Skills-Only Events must be held at least four weeks before the local Championship Event.
- School and community calendars – Holidays, breaks, testing windows, and the big local happenings that compete for your venue, your volunteers, and your teams' attention.
- Your venue's availability – Including the night before event day if you plan to set up early.
- Your own calendar – Hosting takes real bandwidth in the weeks before the event and all of event day, so pick a date where the lead-up does not collide with the busiest stretches of your work, school, or family life.
Work Backward from Your Target Date
With a candidate date in hand, count backward through the required milestones for a qualifying event to see when your planning needs to start:
- Before anything is posted – Your event is reviewed and approved by your Program Support Team.
- At least one week before registration opens – Your event must be posted and visible on events.vex.com.
- At least eight weeks before event day – Registration must be open.
- At least three weeks before event day – Your key volunteers must be posted.
Treat these as minimums, not targets. Events posted early fill earlier, teams plan their season around the events they can see, and venues and volunteers are easier to secure with a longer runway. How much lead time you need will vary from person to person and event to event; many Event Partners begin planning several months before event day, well ahead of these posting milestones. Priority Registration is also tied to these dates; see Priority Registration and Tokens for how the priority window works.
One season-level deadline applies no matter your date: qualifying events must be posted by the season's posting deadline, November 13, 2026, for the 2026–2027 season. The full list of requirements and season dates lives in Qualifying Events and Their Requirements.
Confirm the Date with Your Program Support Team
Your Program Support Team sees the whole region's calendar: the events already planned, the gaps where teams need opportunities, and the championship timing your date should support. Bring two or three candidate dates to the conversation, and settle on the one that serves your community best before you begin the posting process.