Robotics Contest

Robotics Contest Information

In person at State Field Day, May 23, 2026

The State Robotics Competition is a place for 4-H members to showcase their skills a learning in robotics. It also provides an opportunity for you and your leaders to network with others across the state who are interested in robotics and other STEM-related programs and activities.
As of July 2025, the VEX IQ Robotics Committee has confirmed their contest, below, for State Field Day 2026. If you would like to create a different robotics related contest, then contact your club leader who can contact CA State 4-H staff.

VEX IQ Competition: Mix and Match

This year’s 2025-2026 contest is “Mix and Match” and the robot is “Huey”. Mix & Match is a game of organization and planning. The primary objectives of the game are to build Stacks out of Pins and Beams, and place Stacks in Goals. See Rules below for custom scoring for State Field Day and other play details. At State Field Day the contest coordinators will set up one or two VEX IQ Competition fields. Participants are responsible for bringing their robots.

Contest Qualifications

• You or your team must bring your own VEX IQ robot(s).  No robots or robot parts will be provided.

• Bring your own battery chargers.  None will be provided.

• You do not have to be signed up in a 4-H Robotics Project to participate.
• All youth ages 9-18 can register. 
• Register as an individual or part of a team. If you are registering as part of a team, please make sure to list your team members in your registration. 
•  

Learn more about this year's game Mix & Match!

Rules

• Matches last 1 minute, with two Teams forming an Alliance, sharing points, and each Team using two players who switch between driving and loading (control switches between 0:25–0:35).

• Drivers must remain in the Driver Station and may not touch robots; no player may step on the field or touch any robot during play, or the Team receives zero points and/or the Match ends.

• Robots may be custom or modified “Huey” builds but must use only VEX IQ Competition parts.

• Robots must start touching the field wall, touching exactly one preload, stationary, and in a different Starting Zone than their partner; violations reset the Match, and a second offense results in disqualification.

• Game elements must be secure to count; stacks can be any color order, but must be upright, stable, not touching a robot, and have a matching bottom pin to earn the bonus.

• Teams play one or more Matches as scheduled; total points determine rankings, with top Teams and the highest-scoring Alliance recognized, and all participants receiving a Gold award.

VEX IQ Mix and Match 2026 Full Rules and Scoring 2026 Link

Presenting Robots and Engineering Books

4-H’ers registered for the VEX IQ robotics competition have the option to present their robot and/or engineering book to a judge located at a table in the robotics competition area. To learn more about the “VEX IQ engineering book”, search that phrase on the internet to discover what they’re all about. A 4-H’er does not need to use an official VEX IQ book. A 4-H’er is welcome to make their own book, content rules, format, etc. This will be an informal presentation setting between the 4-H’ers and the judge. No signup needed, just walk up to the table, show your robot and/or the engineering book, talk about it, and answer questions. No slides, presentation boards, etc. A 4-H’er may choose to prepare notes or index cards for what they would like to say to the judge. Limited to 3 minutes maximum for each presentation (6 minutes maximum for presenting a robot plus an engineering book).
There are no prizes but each participating 4-H’er will receive recognition for their presentation.

Contest Contact

VEX IQ Competition Coordinator: Beja Springer, 4-h-robotics-volunteers@googlegroups.com
Other State Field Day questions? Contact 4hsfd@ucanr.edu