Nebraska VIQRC Middle School State Championship @ SAC Museum

VEX IQ Robotics Competition Middle School

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General Info

Nebraska Middle School VIQRC State Championship

Join us for the Nebraska Middle School VIQRC State Championship on February 27–28, 2026. Talented students from across Nebraska will come together to showcase their robotic ingenuity in this exciting competition. Participants will design and build robots to conquer the challenges presented by the current VIQRC game: Mix & Match.

You can explore the game details in-depth here: https://www.vexrobotics.com/iq/competition/viqc-current-game

What to Expect at the State Championship:

The State Championship features teams from Nebraska and will take place at the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum.

Competition Highlights:

Skills Challenges: All teams will be able to demonstrate their skills with a maximum of 3 Driver attempts and 3 Programming attempts per team.
Qualification Matches: Each team will participate in 8 qualification matches to determine their rankings for the finals.
Finals: The top ten teams from the qualification rounds will advance to the Finals, which will be grouped into 5 Alliances. The Alliance with the highest score in the Finals will earn the prestigious Tournament Champion Award.

Competition Preparation

To ensure a successful competition, we recommend that teams come prepared. Review the Game Manual, run through the Robot Inspection Checklist, and ensure your team runs the latest programming and firmware version.

Judging, Notebooks & Interviews

Judging will follow the Guide to Judging to ensure consistency throughout the season.

The judging format will be:

Remote Notebook Judging
We are implementing electronic judging for Engineering Notebooks to optimize volunteer time and ensure each notebook is thoroughly reviewed. The Judging Format Page has full details on submitting notebooks.
In-person Interviews
During the State Championship, team interviews will be conducted in person at the team's booth in the pit area.

Qualification & Registration

To be eligible for a Nebraska State Championship invitation, a team must have posted a skills score -OR- have competed in a qualifying event in the current season to be eligible for a State Championship invitation.

Qualification Methods

Qualifying Award - Earning a State Championship qualifying award at an official Nebraska Robotics event.
Robot Skills Rank - Invitations to the remaining unfilled State Championship spots will be determined by the Nebraska Middle School VEX IQ Skills Score standings. Teams will be invited in ranked order after the results of the last qualifying event in Nebraska has been posted.

https://www.robotevents.com/robot-competitions/vex-iq-competition/standings/skills?search=&event_region=Nebraska&country=244®ion=*&grade_level=Middle+School

As the Championship nears, coaches, please watch for additional information via email. All the most up-to-date information regarding food, reminders, etc., will be published here on RobotEvents for teams and families.

Registration Fee

All teams must pay the registration fee before attending the State Championship.

Participation and Consent Form:

All team members, coaches, and adult mentors should complete the online consent form, which is good for the entire season and all RECF-run events. Instructions for the form can be found here.

Join us for this exciting event, where Nebraska's young robotics enthusiasts will demonstrate their skills, creativity, and teamwork!

Grade Level: Middle School

Skills Challenge Offered: Yes

Judging Format: Remote Engineering Notebooks

Event Dates & Locations

Date: 27-Feb-2026 - 28-Feb-2026

Venue/Location:

Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum
28210 West Park Highway
Ashland, Nebraska 68003
United States

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Agenda

(Tentative Agenda)

Friday, February 27, 2026

4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - Team Registration & Inspection

4:15 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - Skills Challenge

Saturday, February 28, 2026

7:30am: Doors open for teams

7:30am - 8:30am: Team Registration & Inspection

8:30am - 9:00am: - Opening Ceremony / Drivers and Coaches Meeting

9:00am - 3:30pm: Skills Challenge (Please complete skills at your earliest convenience)

9:00am - 3:30 pm: Judging/Interviews

10:20am - 12:00pm: Qualification Matches

12:00am - 12:30pm: Lunch

12:30pm - 4:25pm: Qualification Matches

4:50pm - 5:15pm: Final Alliance Matches & Awards and Closing Ceremony

Volunteer

Get Inspired and Have Fun! Join the excitement by volunteering with a team that helps make this event a success for the students involved.

Volunteer Signup:

You can sign up to volunteer at the Nebraska VEXIQ State Championship, contact Tara Petersen at [email protected] or using the signup genius link [To be Announced]

Volunteer Coordinator:
Tara Petersen
[email protected]
402-333-8663 ext 1401

Experience level: No previous experience is needed for most volunteer positions, and you can even bring your kids for a family activity (for example, Field Resetter is an ideal position for young children).

Time Commitment: You can register for an entire day, or just a portion of the day as your schedule permits for most positions.

Meals: Lunch is included for volunteers.

Want to learn more about these volunteer roles and expectations? Visit the REC Foundation website at RoboticsEducation.org/volunteer-resources/ to view position descriptions and access volunteer training materials. Once you have an assigned volunteer role, please carefully review all guides and training materials posted on the Volunteer Resources page before the event.

Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Tara Petersen at [email protected].

Emergency/Bad Weather Policy

For weather related cancellation, we will monitor weather conditions and make a decision by 5 p.m. the night before the event.

In case of bad weather conditions or possible cancellations please visit the event on RobotEvents.com where we will post updates about the event status as needed. If any questions arise please contact Brandon Petersen at 712-828-5179 the day of the event.

Refund and Payment Policies

Refunds will be issued if we need to cancel due to weather or the host site needs to cancel for unforseen circumstances.

We ask that participants contact Tara Petersen for refund requests. Refunds can take up to 2 months to process following the event.

If the Event Partner cancels the event:

Full refunds minus the $5.00 processing fee

If a Coach/Mentor completes registration for the event then chooses to withdraw or not attend:

Full refunds minus the $5.00 processing fee will be available until one week before the State Championship. After that, refunds based on special circumstances may be made at the discretion of the event partner.

Tara Petersen
[email protected]
402-333-8663 ext 1401

Judging Format

Judging will adhere to the Guide to Judging to ensure consistency and fairness throughout the season. Below are the key details regarding the judging process and requirements:

Online Notebook Submission

We are implementing electronic judging for Engineering Notebooks to optimize volunteer time and ensure each notebook is thoroughly reviewed. Teams must submit their notebooks digitally by the deadline:

Submission Deadline:

Tuesday, February 17th, by 11:59 PM

Coaches, please submit your team’s notebook via the submission link in the "My Account" panel of the team contact on RobotEvents.com.

For detailed instructions, refer to the help article:
How to Submit a VIQRC Digital Engineering Notebook

Innovate Award

To be eligible for the Innovate Award, teams must respond to the questions found in the Innovate Award Submission form when submitting their Digital Engineering Notebook on RobotEvents:

Brief description of the novel aspect of the team’s design
Identify the page numbers and/or the section(s) where documentation of the development of this aspect can be found
Explain why your submission is unique from other approaches to the problem it solves or task it performs

In-Person Interviews

Team interviews will be conducted in person at the State Championship. During the event, judges will visit teams at their booths in the pit area.

For additional details on the judging and interview process, consult the VEX Guide to Judging.