The Lobstah Bowl VEX V5 Robotics Competition Spotlight Event

General Info

This year's VEX V5 Robotics Competition Spotlight Event in Maine will be held on October 30 - November 1 in 2026. This event will of course be a great opportunity for teams to compete with others from around the nation and world and experiment with early to mid season strategies.

The event will be held at the University of Maine in Orono in their spacious and airy field house.

Teams will compete over the course of 3 days for the title of Lobstah Bowl Champions.

Lobster Feast

Due to inadequate interest, the Lobster Dinner has been cancelled. If you are still looking for a great lobster dinner, there are a number of good restaurants in the area.

High Tide in Brewer, Maine

Pepper's Landing in Old Town Maine

Are a couple.

 

Saturday Night

Teams are encouraged to set up a trick or treat station at thier pit tables on Saturday!

 

Apparel

If you would like some apparel to wear at or after the event, we have put together some options on CustomInk. 

 

The Venue

The University is the flagship campus for the University of Maine System and is an R1 research University. It is also the home to the Advanced Structures and Composites Center, an advanced engineering and research facility that is home to the worlds largest 3D printers. Tours will be available to attendees throughout the duration of the event.

 

General Event Details

Skills matches will start in the afternoon of Day 1 with checkin, inspection starting at noon.

Day 2 will be Qualifications and Skills

Day 3 will finish matches and move to eliminations and finals in the late afternoon.

Payment deadline for the event is October 16th. If your school or orginization requires a lengthy period to process payment or cut a check, please start this process as soon as your teams have registered.

This event will advance 2 teams to the VEX Robotics World Championships: High School Excellence Award (1) and Middle School Excellence Award (1) as long as the 10 team threshhold is met for each category.

 

Three additional awards will be given...

Best team costume to be work on Halloween Lobster themes get bonus points.

Best Robot costume... Lobster theme gets bonus points

Grand Prix Winner - Field House track race, fastest long distance runner(robot) gets Grand Prix trophy.

 

Grade Level: High School and Middle School

Skills Challenge Offered: Yes

Judging Format: All In-Person Judging Team Interviews with Remote Notebook Judging Submission. Notebooks shall be submitted by the notebook submission deadline: October 16, 2026.

 

*World Spot Eligibility:
Spotlight Events will be awarded World Championship qualification spots if they meet all established criteria set forth by the Global Robotics and Science Foundation. Failure to fully comply with these criteria may result in the event being ineligible to receive World spots, regardless of prior expectations or historical precedent.

 

Grade Level: All

Skills Challenge Offered: Yes

Judging Format: Digital Engineering Notebook Submissions / In-Person Team Interviews

Skills Challenge Offered for VURC/VAIRC teams: No