General Info

Welcome to Ignite the Northwest 2026!

We’re excited to welcome you to the Gary D. Weikel Events Center, located at the Gateway to the Cascade Mountains in Monroe, Washington. Get ready for an inspiring experience, taking in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest and the Cascade Mountain views.

Make sure to check back often for updates! Sign up for email notifications and check out more details about the event here: https://www.igniterobotics.org/signature

If your team requires financial aid to attend this event, or if you are registering multiple teams from an organization, please describe your situation and contact: [email protected]

About the Event

Welcome to Ignite the Northwest 2026! We aim to bring the best teams from all over the US and the World to compete and to prepare students for their own Regional Championships and the World Championship. The event setup is very similar to the World Championships and will provide the teams with a great experience of high-level competition! Elimination rounds will include 16 alliances.

Please note that this event is a 3-Day event. Check the Agenda tab for more information.

Keynote Speaker

We are excited to welcome Aaron Parness as our keynote speaker for this event! Aaron Parness received his PhD from Stanford in robotics in 2009 working on gecko-inspired climbing robots. He earned bachelors degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Creative Writing from MIT in 2004. From 2010 to 2019, Aaron worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he founded and led the Robotic Rapid Prototyping Laboratory specializing in robotic grippers. Since 2019, he has worked as a Director in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence at Amazon. His teams in Seattle and Berlin build robots with a sense of touch to perform tasks in cluttered environments. These robots increase the speed of delivery and reduce the cost of order fulfillment for Amazon customers. We host internships for graduate students (for the future!).

Competition Preparation

This event is sure to be a fast-paced and exciting event. All teams should come prepared for the competition. Here are a few steps that every team should take to ensure that they are prepared.

1. Review the rules, the code of conduct, and run through the inspection checklist. 

2. Check the VEX Forum and the Q&A for official rule updates and changes.

3. Carefully read all of the information contained in this tournament posting

4. Review the descriptions and criteria for the awards that are being given during the tournament. 

5. Prep for your interviews with the judges. Check the awards tab to see what awards will be given during the tournament.

6. Ensure that you have the latest version of firmware.

Food and Drink:

We will have food trucks from 11:00am - 5:00pm each day of the event! 

Friday: Tacos Montes Alban, Big Dog food truck 

Saturday: Tacos Montes Alban, Big Dog food truck 

Sunday: Tacos Montes Alban, Big Dog food truck, She's Got Bowls 

Event Merchandise

Customize t-shirts and hoodies just like at the World Championships! Put your team number, personal motto, or alternative designs! 

Qualification for the VEX V5RC World Championships*

This event includes three spots for 2025-26 Push Back World Championships.

The awards that qualify for the World Championships are:

1x Excellence Award
2x Tournament Champions

*World Spot Eligibility:
Signature Events will be awarded World Championship qualification spots if they meet all established criteria set forth by the REC 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

Hotel Discounts:

https://igniterobotics.teamtravelsource.com/Search/?City=14405+179th+Ave+SE+Monroe+WA+98272&inDate=1/8/26&outDate=01/12/26&kw=ignite 

Local Attractions:

Monroe, Washington, and its surrounding Snohomish County offer a diverse mix of attractions that are sure to inspire, educate, and entertain. Perfect for students, parents, and teams alike, our carefully curated selection of local attractions seamlessly blends tech wizardry, awe-inspiring nature, and adrenaline-pumping adventure. Let's explore what awaits:

• Gear up for an exhilarating tour of the Boeing Factory! Witness firsthand where aviation marvels are born and take flight. From conception to completion, this is your chance to delve into the inner workings of one of the world's leading aerospace companies. Hurry though, spaces fill up fast!

• For the thrill-seekers among you, the powder-laden slopes of Stevens Pass are only an hour away. Experience the unrivaled snow conditions that make skiing in the Pacific Northwest an unforgettable adventure.

• Calling all animal lovers to the Monroe Reptile Zoo! The Monroe Reptile Zoo is home to the most diverse collection of Reptiles in the Pacific Northwest, with over 85 species from across the world. Here you will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with these magnificent creatures.

• Check out the beautiful nature of Washington by walking on one of the many nearby trails. The Centennial Trail, Whitehorse Trail, and Interurban Trail are fabulous trails that will leave you wanting more. 

• For those who enjoy the fine arts, we recommend visiting the Cascadia Arts Museum. Take a dive into the rich tradition of the visual arts and design in the Northwest. 

Get ready to unlock the limitless potential of your Washington visit!

Signature Event Early Bird Information

• All Signature Events will have a specific Early Bird Registration that is independent of all local/regional Early Bird systems.

  • Each team starts the season with three (3) opportunities to register during the Signature Event Early-Bird period.

  • A Signature Event Early-Bird opportunity is not taken away if a team registers for a tournament hosted by their school or organization (where the team’s coach is the Event Partner).

  • If a team registers during the Standard Registration period, a token is not taken away.

• The official Signature Event Early Bird policy can be found in the RECF Library.

• To find out how many Signature Event Early Bird tokens your team(s) have remaining, select the "My Teams" option in RobotEvents.

Made possible in part by assistance from The City of Monroe and The Snohomish County Hotel-Motel Tax Funds.

Grade Level: High School

Skills Challenge Offered: Yes

Judging Format: Remote Engineering Notebooks

Skills Challenge Offered for VURC/VAIRC teams: Yes