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Event Region Championship Requirements

This article outlines the requirements an Event Partner must meet for an Event Region Championship application to be recommended for approval, covering event standards, staffing, fields, communications, awards, and key dates for the 2026–2027 season. It is written for Event Partners planning to host an Event Region Championship.

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

For general planning guidance, see the Hosting an Event section.

What Is an Event Region Championship?

Event Region Championships are the highest level of competition within a Global Robotics Event Region. Teams qualify from local qualifying events into their Event Region Championship. Depending on the Event Region, this event is sometimes called a State, Provincial, or National Championship. Teams from across the Event Region compete for a chance to qualify for the VEX Robotics World Championship.

Event Standards

Every Event Region Championship must follow the standards in:

Referee Certification currently applies to VEX V5 Robotics Competition and VEX IQ Robotics Competition only, using the current season's game-specific courses:

Qualifying Criteria

  • Participating teams must be from that specific Event Region.
  • The event must allow enough time for all teams to run Skills matches.
    • If the event has more than 48 teams, Robot Skills Challenge matches must be available to teams for a minimum of 2 days.
    • Teams must have the opportunity to run no more than three (3) Driving Skills matches and three (3) Autonomous Coding Skills matches.
    • Robot Skills fields must stay open until the final qualification match is complete.

Each Event Region Championship must include the following ceremonies and meetings:

  • An Event Meeting, where the Head Referee and Event Partner review event logistics with participants, including how to queue for matches, the game rules, and a brief question-and-answer session.
  • An Opening Ceremony that welcomes teams, spectators, volunteers, and invited guests.
  • An Award Ceremony that closes the event. Some awards may be given out before the final match, but the Tournament or Teamwork Champions and the Excellence Award are announced after the final match.
  • All Skills and practice fields must be closed during Event Meetings and ceremonies.

Additional Requirements

  • Every team must have the opportunity to be judged, following the standard Global Robotics judging process.
  • The Event Partner must create a clear Refund Policy that states what happens if the Event Partner cancels the event, and what happens if a team registers and then chooses not to attend.
  • The event must have a clear Payment Deadline. If a team does not pay by that deadline, the team moves to the waitlist.
  • An Event Region Championship must be single Level only, not blended.
    • Exception: If both Levels within a program in an Event Region have only one VEX Robotics World Championship spot allocated for each, the Event Region may choose to hold a blended Event Region Championship or split Event Region Championships, one per Level.

Fields

  • Raised competition fields are recommended for Qualifying and Finals matches, with a height between 10 and 24 inches.
    • If fields are raised, field risers must be reinforced and durable enough to hold the weight of people (referees, students, field resetters, and others) without moving or shifting, and they must be level.
  • The event must provide enough fields for Qualifying matches, Skills Challenges, and practice areas. All fields used for the same match type — VEX V5 Robotics Competition, VEX AI Robotics Competition, VEX U Robotics Competition, or JROTC — must use the same perimeter type, per the Game Manual.

VEX V5 Robotics Competition / VEX AI Robotics Competition / VEX U Robotics Competition / JROTC

  • At least 2–3 competition fields per division.
  • At least eight (8) Qualifying matches per team.
  • At least one (1) Skills field for every 16 teams.
  • At least one (1) practice field for every 32 teams.
  • Anti-static tiles on the competition and Skills fields.

VEX IQ Robotics Competition

  • At least 2–3 competition fields per division.
  • At least eight (8) Qualifying matches per team.
  • At least one (1) Skills field for every 15 teams.
  • At least one (1) practice field for every 25 teams.

Staff

Division Manager – Oversees the running of Tournament Manager, field operations, and queuing in each division.

Field Staff

  • At least two (2) Certified Head Referees for each division, with final authority on all rulings.
    • At least one Certified Head Referee should have experience in that role at a VEX Robotics World Championship, Signature Event, or Event Region Championship in the current or previous season, or experience in that role at 2 or more qualifying events that season.
  • A Head Referee must watch the entire duration of every competition match.
    • Best Practice: One Certified Referee for each competition field, and one overall Certified Division Head Referee who monitors all matches.
  • At least two (2) Scorekeeper Referees for every VEX V5 Robotics Competition, VEX AI Robotics Competition, or VEX U Robotics Competition field, and at least one (1) Scorekeeper Referee for every VEX IQ Robotics Competition field.
    • Scorekeeper Referees are required to read the Game Manual before the event.
  • At least one (1) Certified Head Referee for each Robot Skills area, with final authority on all rulings.
  • Every Robot Skills Challenge field should have at least one (1) Scorekeeper Referee.
  • At least one (1) emcee per division.
  • A field reset crew for each division.
  • A designated Field Technician is strongly recommended.
  • At least one (1) queuer for every Qualifying and Finals match field. The queuer is a staffing role, distinct from the Field Queue monitor listed under Communications, which is a display, not a person.

Judging

  • At least one (1) Certified Judge Advisor for the event.
    • The Judge Advisor should have experience in that role at a VEX Robotics World Championship, Signature Event, or Event Region Championship in the current or previous season, or experience in that role at 2 or more qualifying events that season.
    • The Judge Advisor has read and agreed to follow Global Robotics judging processes.
  • At least one (1) pair of Judges (2 people) for every eight (8) teams.

General

  • At least one (1) Lead Robot Inspector, who should also be a Head Referee.
  • At least one (1) Robot Inspector for every twelve (12) teams.
  • At least one (1) practice field attendant for each practice field area.
  • A check-in table with one (1) staff member per 24 teams.

Pit Areas

  • Each attending team is given adequate space and resources in the pit area.
  • A dedicated power supply at each pit table or booth, or adequate charging stations for all teams.
  • 8' x 8' pipe-and-drape booths are preferred. If space is unavailable, the following can be used instead:
    • VEX V5 Robotics Competition teams: a pit table at least six (6) feet long, with at least 2 chairs per table recommended.
    • VEX IQ Robotics Competition teams: a pit table no less than four (4) feet long. This may be an eight-foot table shared between two teams.
    • VEX U Robotics Competition and VEX AI Robotics Competition teams: a table no less than eight (8) feet long, or two (2) tables no less than six (6) feet long each.

Communications

  • The event broadcasts to VEXvia, the Global Robotics mobile app, during the event. A live stream of the event is strongly preferred.
    • If music is played over a live stream, the Event Partner is responsible for making sure proper licensing is in place and no copyright laws are violated.
  • The venue has a clear, audible sound system.
  • If the event uses cameras, it must use video overlay on the competition fields during Qualifying and Finals matches.
    • If the event does not use cameras, at least one (1) audience display must be visible to the audience.
  • All custom artwork that uses VEX or Global Robotics logos must be approved by Global Robotics Marketing before printing.
  • Event setup and decoration must be finished before scheduled team check-in, with competition fields set up properly for matches.
  • The event uses the appropriate displays in Tournament Manager.
  • A Field Queue monitor is present on each competition field.
  • Pit displays are visible throughout the venue.
  • If Global Robotics secures a sponsor to support the event, the Event Partner follows the sponsor's deliverable guidelines when possible.
  • Official Global Robotics sponsors and partners may set up a booth or display at the event.

Awards

  • Award banners must be the standard banners from USA Image.
  • Any award that qualifies a team for the VEX Robotics World Championship must include a trophy.
  • Event Partners are encouraged to hand out as many awards as possible.

The following awards, when they qualify teams for the VEX Robotics World Championship, must include a banner in addition to a trophy:

  • Excellence Award
  • Teamwork/Tournament Champions
  • Design Award
  • Robot Skills Champion

Event Region Championships with at least 16 teams must hand out a second Judges Award and a Sportsmanship Award.

2026–2027 Dates and Deadlines

  • The deadline to host an Event Region Championship outside the United States is March 1, 2027.
  • The deadline to host an Event Region Championship within the United States is March 15, 2027.
  • Teams that qualify for an Event Region Championship on or before January 31, 2027, have two weeks to register and pay by credit card, check, or purchase order.
  • Teams that qualify for an Event Region Championship on or after February 1, 2027, have one week to register and pay by credit card, check, or purchase order.

Global Robotics may occasionally make an exception to one of these dates to better support a growing state, province, region, or nation. Contact the Program Support Team for more information.

Application Process

The Program Support Team for each Event Region sets the deadline to submit an application and the date applicants are notified of selection. To host an Event Region Championship, an Event Partner must plan to also host at least one qualifying event that same season.

Contact the Program Support Team with any questions about Event Region Championships.

Best Practices

In addition to the suggestions in the Global Library article on Hosting Championship Events Best Practices:

  • Create a planning team.
  • Attend another Event Region Championship or Signature Event and shadow the Event Partner.
  • Visit the desired venue multiple times to plan how the event could be set up.
  • Test an event idea on a smaller scale at a different venue before moving it to a larger venue.

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