The Single Day Design Challenge is designed to engage experienced FIRST LEGO League teams in a one-day free-form competition that will challenge them at every level. Click here to register for updates.
Prizes/Awards
Every team will leave with no less than $300. They can win as much as $1100. And each team will receive a cool trophy!
- Every team gets $200 for showing up.
- Each team will receive one of the following awards:
- Robot Performance Awards
- Design Awards
- Creative Awards
- Documentation Awards
- There are 16 awards (4 per category)
- 1st $300
- 2nd $250
- 3rd $200
- 4th $100
- One team will recieve the Highest Score award of $150
- One team will receive the Rapid Deployment Award (highest honors) of $600
General Rules
- 16 teams
- 4-9 students per team
- Ages 9-16
- Teams can be made up of students from any program to form a team for this event.
- Two mentors per team in the pits
- Mentors may assist lightly
- Focus is on directing and not inventing
- Teams will be provided with two 6-foot tables and 8 chairs
- Teams will be divided by trade show pipe-and-drop screens.
- Electrical service will be available at every table
- Only official LEGO parts may be used
- Teams will keep simple documentation on forms provided at the event
- This documentation will be part of the awards process
- Judges will review the documentation during the lunch break
- Bring your own components (LEGO parts and EV3 bricks)
- Bring your own computers
- Wi-Fi will be available
- Teams will be given a sample set of field objects
- The actual challenge will be on a 4x8 foot field (similar to FIRST LEGO League)
- Teams will have access to the competition tables all morning in 10 minute segments.
- No limit to the number of robots (teams may build multiple functional robots)
- Only one robot on the field at a time.
- No limit to the number of components on each robot (multiple EV3s are allowed) nor is there a limit on size.
- Field helper objects may be used and hand-placed as long as they are made of LEGO parts
- This can be ramps, barriers, or motor driven devices, and are hand placed on the field.
- They may not move under their own power at any time.
- Robots may be user controlled (autonomous is not required) via wire, Bluetooth, or Wifi. Note: It will be important that teams have a working control option.
- See the Robot Commander App from LEGO
- See Builder Dude's Remotely Control One EV3 with Another Via Bluetooth
- See Aaron Maurer's LEGO EV3 Brick Bluetooth Controller Tutorial
- See Aaron Maurer's LEGO EV3 Bluetooth Controller App video.
- EV3 Mindstorms or any other programming languages may be used
- A suggested alternative is Quorum: https://quorumlanguage.com
- Sample code can be found here: https://empowermats.com/quorumsample1
508 Compliance/Accessible Materials
All materials will be available in compliant forms including braille, PIAF printed diagrams (tactile), and tactile field surfaces using the Empower Mats Accessible Symbolics system.
The Challenge: Putting it All Together

Manufacturing makes everything we touch, use, eat, buy and sell. Because of modern manufacturing processes we can make one or one million items with consistent quality.
This challenge focuses on the key techniques of manufacturing. The challenge is designed so a few well-designed mechanisms can be used on the entire table. You will be moving elements from the supplier, placing them in storage, moving them to the assembly area for completion, packaging the items, and transporting them to the customer. Plus there’s a bonus challenge that will spin your mind!
The Schedule
Teams have four hours to build a solution and refine it in a one day format.
- 7:30a:Teams arrive and set up. Each team will have two 6-foot tables, 8 chairs, and power. Teams may bring bottled water into the pit area.
- 7:45a: Students are given a short briefing.
- 7:55a:Teams are given a packet with a description of the challenge and a scaled drawing of the challenge mat and elements.
- 8:00a-12:00p: Teams have 4 hours to build a working solution with documentation.
- 12:00p-1:50p: Lunch break. There will be substantial discounts available at area restaurants.
- 12:00p-1:50p: Judges review the work of the teams while the students are at lunch.
- 2:00p-3:00p: Four teams at a time are then invited to the first round of actual challenge table (four tables at a time) and they have 10 minutes to run missions, modify their robot, and score as high as possible. The will have four minutes to setup, and six minutes to run their scoring missions.
- 3:15p-4:00p: Teams rapid development session.
- 4:00p-5:00p: Four teams at a time are then invited to the second round of actual challenge table (four tables at a time) and they have 10 minutes to run missions, modify their robot, and score as high as possible.
- 5:00p-5:30p: Awards Ceremony