Field and Pit Requirements for a Signature Event

This article outlines the field setup, lighting, quantity, and pit area requirements Event Partners must meet for competition, skills, practice, and pit spaces.

Definitions of the terms used here are maintained in the central glossary.

Fields

Competition Field Setup

Competition fields must be raised between 10 and 24 inches from the floor.

Raised field platforms must be structurally stable, level, safe, and capable of supporting the field, game elements, volunteers, and normal competition activity. Field platforms must not shift, flex excessively, or create a tripping or safety hazard.

Adequate access should be provided for referees, teams, field reset crews, and technical staff.

Lighting

Lighting must be consistent across all competition, skills, and practice fields. Fields should not have significant shadows, glare, dark areas, or lighting differences that could affect robot sensors, visibility, livestream quality, or competitive conditions.

White lighting is required when the venue's existing lighting is dark, colored, decorative, or otherwise insufficient for competition.

VEX V5, VEX U, and JROTC Field Requirements

Each division must provide:

Anti-static Field Tiles are required on all competition and Robot Skills fields.

Practice Fields should use field materials and game elements that allow teams to prepare under conditions reasonably similar to official competition fields.

VEX IQ Field Requirements

Each division must provide:

Fields should be positioned to provide safe team access and sufficient space for referees, scorekeepers, queueing, and spectators.

Field Allocation Adjustments

The Event Partner may adjust how fields are assigned between Robot Skills and practice use during the event. However, the total required number of fields must remain available, and the event must continue to provide teams with reasonable access to both Robot Skills and practice opportunities.

Any changes to field availability should be clearly communicated to teams and reflected in the event schedule.

Pit Areas

The event must provide adequate pit space and resources for every registered team. Pit areas should be organized to support safe movement, team preparation, battery charging, robot maintenance, and access to competition areas.

Each team pit must have reasonable access to electrical power. Power distribution must be safely installed and should not create overloaded circuits, exposed cords, or tripping hazards.

Preferred pit spaces are 8-foot by 8-foot booths separated by pipe and drape. When pipe and drape booths are not available, the following table configurations are recommended:

Each team must be provided with at least 50 square feet of pit space.

Additional space should be considered for VEX U teams, teams with larger equipment needs, and events that expect significant pit traffic.