On February 7, 2026, the 26th annual Maine FIRSTLEGO League Challenge State Championship brought together 24 teams from across the state at Spruce Mountain Middle School in Jay. Teams tested their robots on this season’s “unearthed” competition tables—which featured an archaeology theme—and met with judges to present their innovation projects.
The Veazie Viking Robotics won the Maine FIRST LEGO League Challenge State Championship.(Courtesy: Veazie Community School Facebook page)
The Veazie Viking Robotics (Team 26180), representing Veazie Community School, won this year’s Maine state championship. The team will now have the opportunity to represent Maine at the FIRST LEGO League World Festival in Houston, Texas, this April. Students have already begun fundraising efforts to support their travel. Despite experiencing mentor changes this season, the Veazie Viking Robotics demonstrated tremendous growth since showcasing their robot at the Maine Computer Science Education Showcase in December.
Other awards presented to teams at the Maine FIRST LEGO League Challenge State Championship included:
- The Champion’s Finalist Award, presented to the Robosharks (Team 1440) from Kittery.
- The Robot Performance Award, presented to The Fellowship (Team 61905), representing the Cobscook Currents 4-H Club in Washington County.
- The Robot Performance Finalist Award, presented to the Frosted Yoshies (Team 51454) from Berwick.
- The Core Values and Core Values Finalists Awards, presented to the Pink Shovels (Team 72112) and the Northern Dig (Team 72113)—both from Caribou. FIRST’s Core Values include discovery, innovation, impact, inclusion, teamwork, and fun. The commitment of the Pink Shovels and Northern Dig was especially evident in their willingness to make a nine-hour round trip to the event.
- The Robot Design and Robot Design Finalist Awards, presented to the Wentworth Brick Invaders (Team 69634) from Scarborough and the Dino Eggs (Team 3484) from Jay, respectively.
- The Innovation Project Award, presented to the Squires of Katahdin (Team 61864) from Wilton. Their project featured the development of a handheld tool that uses mechanical vibrations to assist with excavating, aligned closely with this season’s theme.
- The Innovation Project Finalist Award, presented to the Hermon Hawks (Team 69695) for their concept of the Gaia Beetle, a mobile, enclosed structure designed to protect excavation sites from extreme weather conditions, while preserving artifacts and improving archeologist safety and health.
- The Rising All-Star Award, presented to the LMS Coyotes 6 (Team 74819) from RSU 34.
The LMS Coyotes 6 (Team 74819) from RSU 34 won the Rising All-Star Award at the Maine FIRST LEGO League Challenge State Championship. (Courtesy: RSU 34 LMS Facebook page)
Individual honors were also presented at the Maine FIRST LEGO League Challenge State Championship. The Outstanding Volunteer Award went to Ryan MacDonald of the Maine School of Science and Mathematics (MSSM) in Limestone. The Coach/Mentor Award went to Arik Akerburg, mentor to the Seacoast Seals (Team 70877) and the Colossal Krakens (Team 26429), both based in South Berwick.
To learn more about robotics opportunities in Maine schools, please visit the Robotics Institute of Maine (RIM). Additional information about computer science and robotics education can be found on the Maine Department of Education’s (DOE) Learning Through Technology webpage. Schools wishing to share their robotics success stories are encouraged to contact jonathan.m.graham@maine.gov.
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