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VEX Robotics

Official Q&A: VEX V5 Robotics Competition 2026-2027: Override

All Questions

Usage Guidelines

When first reviewing a new robotics game, it is natural to have questions about situations which may not be immediately clear. Navigating the Game Manual and seeking out answers to these questions is an important part of learning a new game. In many cases, the answer may just be in a different place than you first thought. Or, if there is no rule explicitly prohibiting a strategy, then that usually means it is legal!

However, if a Team is still unable to find an answer to their question after closely reviewing the relevant rules, then every Team has the opportunity to ask for official rules interpretations in the VEX V5 Robotics Competition Q&A System.

All responses in this Q&A system should be treated as official rulings from the VEX Robotics Competition Game Design Committee, and they represent the correct and official interpretation of the VEX V5 Robotics Competition Rules. The Q&A system is the only source other than the Game Manual for official rulings and clarifications.

To ensure that the GDC is able to provide answers at the level of quality expected by our teams, we ask that you please review these suggestions prior to hitting "Submit." Failure to follow these guidelines may result in removal of posting privileges.

1. The Q&A system is for rules clarifications only.

  • The Q&A platform is intended to be a communication channel for questions such as "is this interpretation of a rule legal?", not a discussion forum to post questions such as "I disagree with this rule, can it be changed?". For those comments, please use the official VEX Forum or email [email protected].
  • For event, registration, or other competition support questions, please contact your Regional Support Manager.
  • For VEX technical support, contact [email protected] or [email protected].
  • For game questions, suggestions, or concerns outside of specific and official rules questions, contact [email protected].
  • Questions that are beyond the scope of this Q&A system will be deleted.

2. Only registered teams, certified Event Partners, and certified V5RC Head Referees may ask questions in the Q&A system.

  • In order to ask a question, you must be logged in under an account that is an Event Partner, a certified Head Referee, or an adult Primary Coach, Secondary Coach, or Financial Contact for a team that is registered in the current V5RC season.
  • If you wish to ask a question but are not one of these, check with your teacher or other team leader responsible for managing the team account. If you are a volunteer, check with the Event Partner for the event at which you are volunteering.
  • If you are the Primary Coach and have any questions about this process, please contact your Regional Support Manager.

3. Read and search the manual before posting.

  • The Q&A is not a replacement for the official V5RC Game Manual. Many of the questions asked each season could be answered by simply pressing Ctrl+F and searching the manual. The V5RC Game Manual is a relatively short document and a valuable tool—please use it!

4. Read and search existing Q&As before posting.

  • This is a corollary to point 3. As the season goes on, we tend to see a great deal of repetition in the Q&A posts. This repetition clutters the forum and makes it harder to find the real precedent-setting posts in here. If everyone followed points 3 & 4 before posting, we would see a significant reduction in the number of posts, which makes it much easier to follow this guideline!
  • Questions that are answered by prior posts with no need for clarification will be deleted from the system.

5. Quote the applicable rule from the latest version of the manual in your question.

  • Often, you'll find that by quoting the rule, you'll answer your own question. Similarly, if your question can be answered by a direct quote from the manual, that is all that we will answer it with. Save yourself the time and waiting by checking the manual first!

6. Make a separate post for each question.

  • If you have three questions on three separate topics, please put them in three separate posts. This may seem like extra work, but it makes it much easier for the community to find specific topics later. If you have multiple questions that are all highly related, then feel free to ask them all as part of one post, but please bear in mind point 7.

7. Use specific and appropriate question titles.

  • The more specific your question title, the easier it is for people who are searching to find relevant posts.
  • "Scored", "multiple GG12 questions", and "this happened at an event" are all very poor titles. "Does SG4 apply in Driver Skills?", "Is paint a non-functional decoration?", and "Do Blocks count as Scored if they're not fully in a Goal?" are all better titles.
  • We reserve the right to revise question titles and content as needed.

8. Questions will (mostly) be answered in the order they were received.

  • We know that your question is important to you, and you want the answer as soon as possible. Most questions submitted by Tuesday evening will be answered on or before Thursday of the same week. Most questions that are submitted after Tuesday will be answered on or before Thursday of the following week.
  • However, some questions may take additional time to review internally, and responses may take longer during high-volume times of year. In order to ensure the consistent quality of all answers, there are no guarantees that questions will be answered before a given date. Therefore, if you need an answer before your competition, we would advise posting it 1-2 weeks in advance, not the night before, to ensure a higher likelihood of a response.

9. This system is the only source for official rules clarifications.

  • Please do not privately contact the Game Design Committee to ask for rules clarifications. We will simply point you to this Q&A system or ignore the inquiry entirely. This includes via email, social media, private messages, etc. This policy exists primarily to make sure that all rules clarifications are posted publicly for all Teams, Head Referees, and Event Partners to learn from equally.

10. The GDC cannot and will not overrule a Head Referee’s decision.

  • Please do not ask what the ruling for a specific scenario “should have been,” and do not post videos of specific matches you feel resulted in incorrect rulings. Per rule T1, "Head Referees have ultimate and final authority on all gameplay and robot ruling decisions during the competition" (not the GDC).
  • Questions that we view as attempts to undermine referees’ rulings will be deleted from the system.

11. You can add images to your questions by dragging and dropping them into your question.

  • You can add video links to illustrate general points in your question, but all links must be to videos available on a public video sharing platform like YouTube.
  • The GDC will not review videos that are hosted in non-public platforms like Google Drive.
  • The GDC cannot and will not overturn a decision made by a Head Referee at an event, and it is generally impossible to issue blanket answers based on the limited perspective in a video. You should only include a video if it is necessary to your question.