FIRST Safety | FIRST Robotics Competition & FIRST Tech Challenge

FIRST Safety | FIRST Robotics Competition & FIRST Tech Challenge
FIRST
Robotics Competition &
FIRST
Tech Challenge
Safety
Instilling a culture of safety is a value that every individual in the
FIRST
community must embrace as we pursue
FIRST’
s mission and vision.
FIRST
Robotics Competition has adopted safety as a core value and has established the framework for safety leadership in all aspects of the program.
View Resource Library
FIRST
believes that the teams who take the lead in developing safety programs and policies have a positive and lasting impact on each team member, mentor, their communities, and their present and future workplaces.
FIRST
recognizes the teams that demonstrate safety throughout their programs and are truly committed to developing and nurturing a safety culture.
To help teams understand and implement safe practices, the
FIRST
Safety Manual
provides information on the
FIRST
Safety Awareness and Recognition Program.
Safety Manual
Safety Animation Award
sponsored by UL Solutions
We are excited to announce the theme for the 2025-2026 Safety Animation Award sponsored by UL Solutions:
Unearth Safety
! This award is now open to both
FIRST
Tech Challenge &
FIRST
Robotics Competition teams.
Fieldwork is a journey of discovery, but each step must be taken safely and sustainably. Safe and sustainable practices allow us to honor our heritage while creating a path to future innovation.
For the 2025-2026 Safety Animation, we invite teams to dig deep to uncover impactful ways to implement safe and sustainable practices. Use bold storytelling and imaginative artistry to create a memorable message that inspires responsible exploration and careful stewardship of our resources.
Please Note
If you are looking for the
Digital Animation Award,
please visit
this page
for submission information.
Submission Requirements
Submission Requirements
Animations must:
Be no more than 40 seconds long, including opening and credits
Be animated. Any kind of animation, including stop-motion, is allowed. Live video is allowed provided it is accompanied by virtual/augmented animated elements. Live video of people is not allowed.
If using copyrighted music, you must have written permission. If using Creative Commons Music (CCM) online, the music must be used in accordance with the appropriate license and properly attributed.
Lyrics in music may not contain explicit or suggestive language.
Any animation that does not meet these criteria will not be considered for the award.
We ask that students please include their first name and last initial only in the video. Please do not include the full first and last name.
Please note that the team with the winning submission may be asked to reformat their video into a higher quality format in order to be shown at events. By making a submission the Submitter irrevocably grants to
FIRST
and designees of
FIRST
the right to use any or all of the submission in any and all media for the purpose of describing the submission, describing the Award, and/or otherwise promoting
FIRST
and the programs of
FIRST
FIRST
Tech Challenge Requirements & Submission Process
FIRST
Tech Challenge
Requirements & Submission Process
Any mentor must submit their team’s Safety Animation video through
this form
. Teams must include their team number and a URL to the video. The video must be marked as "public" such that it is viewable by anyone with the link.
Animations must be submitted between
Tuesday, September 9, 2025 at 12:00 PM, Noon (ET) and Thursday, October 24, 2025 at 3:00 PM (ET)
UL Solutions will provide restricted grants to the Winner and Finalists. The Winner each of the two Finalists will have their registration for the 2026-2027 season paid.
FIRST
Robotics Competition Requirements & Submission Process
FIRST
Robotics Competition
Requirements & Submission Process
A student who is designated as the Award Submitter or Lead Coach 1 or 2 must submit their team’s Safety Animation video through the
FIRST
Dashboard
. The student submitting must have a signed
FIRST
Consent and Release form and be marked as an award submitter. Animations must be submitted electronically as .AVI, .MPEG, .MP4, or .WMV file
Animations must be submitted between
Thursday, October 13, 2025 at 12:00 PM, Noon (ET) and Thursday, November 20, 2025 at 3:00 PM (ET)
UL Solutions will provide restricted grants to the Winner and Finalists. The Winner will receive $500 and each of the two Finalists will receive $250 towards registration for the 2027 season.
Submission Requirements
Animations must:
Be no more than 40 seconds long, including opening and credits
Be animated. Any kind of animation, including stop-motion, is allowed. Live video is allowed provided it is accompanied by virtual/augmented animated elements. Live video of people is not allowed.
If using copyrighted music, you must have written permission. If using Creative Commons Music (CCM) online, the music must be used in accordance with the appropriate license and properly attributed.
Lyrics in music may not contain explicit or suggestive language.
Any animation that does not meet these criteria will not be considered for the award.
We ask that students please include their first name and last initial only in the video. Please do not include the full first and last name.
Please note that the team with the winning submission may be asked to reformat their video into a higher quality format in order to be shown at events. By making a submission the Submitter irrevocably grants to
FIRST
and designees of
FIRST
the right to use any or all of the submission in any and all media for the purpose of describing the submission, describing the Award, and/or otherwise promoting
FIRST
and the programs of
FIRST
FIRST
Tech Challenge
Requirements & Submission Process
Any mentor must submit their team’s Safety Animation video through
this form
. Teams must include their team number and a URL to the video. The video must be marked as "public" such that it is viewable by anyone with the link.
Animations must be submitted between
Tuesday, September 9, 2025 at 12:00 PM, Noon (ET) and Thursday, October 24, 2025 at 3:00 PM (ET)
UL Solutions will provide restricted grants to the Winner and Finalists. The Winner each of the two Finalists will have their registration for the 2026-2027 season paid.
FIRST
Robotics Competition
Requirements & Submission Process
A student who is designated as the Award Submitter or Lead Coach 1 or 2 must submit their team’s Safety Animation video through the
FIRST
Dashboard
. The student submitting must have a signed
FIRST
Consent and Release form and be marked as an award submitter. Animations must be submitted electronically as .AVI, .MPEG, .MP4, or .WMV file
Animations must be submitted between
Thursday, October 13, 2025 at 12:00 PM, Noon (ET) and Thursday, November 20, 2025 at 3:00 PM (ET)
UL Solutions will provide restricted grants to the Winner and Finalists. The Winner will receive $500 and each of the two Finalists will receive $250 towards registration for the 2027 season.
FIRST
Robotics Competition
2026 Safety Animation Winners
2026 Safety Animation Award Winner:
Team 8291, Golden Yellow Experience - Peñoles from Torreon, CH, Mexico
2026 Safety Animation Award Finalist:
Team 2851, Crevolution from Sterling Heights, MI, USA
2026 Safety Animation Award Finalist:
Team 3975, Les Dragons from Montreal, QC, Canada
FIRST
Tech Challenge
2026 Safety Animation Winners
2026 Safety Animation Award Winner:
Team 27811, Crimson Claw from Santa Catarina, NLE, Mexico
2026 Safety Animation Award Finalist:
Team 16764, ROBOhana from Inlet Beach, FL, USA
2026 Safety Animation Award Finalist:
Team 23856, When’s Lunch? from Livingston County, MI, USA
Past Winners of the Safety Animation Award
Features
Video
Placement
2025 Safety – Dive into Safety!
Team 1986, Team Titanium from Missouri, USA
1986
Winner
Team 4048, Redshift from Massachusetts, USA
4048
Finalist
Team 5667, The Digital Eagles from Ohio, USA
5667
Finalist
2024 Safety – Full STEAM Ahead!
Team 8, Paly Robotics from California, USA
Winner
Team 1086, Blue Cheese from Virginia, USA
1086
Finalist
Team 1986, Team Titanium from Missouri, USA
1986
Finalist
2023 Safety – Energy Challenges
Team 836, The RoboBees from Maryland, USA
836
Winner
Team 4048, Redshift from Massachusetts, USA
4048
Finalist
Team 7272, Envirobots from New York, USA
7272
Finalist
2022 Safety – Faster, Farther, SAFER!
Team 1939, The Kugnigits, from Kansas City, Missouri, USA
1939
Winner
Team 836, The RoboBees, from Hollywood, Maryland, USA
836
Finalist
Team 1138, Eagle Engineering, from West Hills, California, USA
1138
Finalist
2021 Safety – Safety is Caring
Team 6348, PrepaTec - HORUS, from Colima, Colima, Mexico
6348
Winner
Team 1711, RAPTORS, from Traverse City, Michigan, USA
1711
Runner-Up
Team 4909, Bionics, from Billerica, Massachusetts, USA
4909
Runner-Up
2020 Safety – Sustainability on the RISE
Team 3100, Lightning Turtles, from Mendota Heights, Minnesota, USA
3100
Winner
Team 2228, CougarTech, from Honeoye Falls, New York, USA
2228
Runner-Up
Team 4048, Redshift, from Westborough, Massachusetts, USA
4048
Runner-Up
2019 Safety – Destination . . . Safety!
Team 5348, Charger Robotics, from Cokato, Minnesota, USA
5348
Winner
Team 846, The Funky Monkeys, from San Jose, California, USA
846
Runner-Up
Team 3100, Lightning Turtles, from Mendota Heights, Minnesota, USA
3100
Runner-Up
Team 3941, Absolute Zero Electricity, from Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, USA
3941
Runner-Up
Team 4083, The Iron Wolverines, from Dorchester, South Carolina, USA
4083
Runner-Up
2018 Safety – Simulating the Next Level
Team 2877, The LigerBots, from Newton, Massachusetts, USA
2877
Winner
Team 8, Paly Robotics, from Palo Alto, California, USA
Runner-Up
Team 1153, Walpole Robotics, from Walpole, Massachusetts, USA
1153
Runner-Up
Team 3181, Pittsford Panthers, from Pittsford, New York, USA
3181
Runner-Up
Team 6024, Team R Factor, from Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
6024
Runner-Up
2017 Safety – Quest for a Safer World
Team 3691, The RoboRaiders, from Northfield, Minnesota, USA
3691
Winner
Team 810, The Mechanical Bulls, from Smithtown, New York, USA
810
Runner-Up
Team 2129, Ultraviolet, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
2129
Runner-Up
Team 1502, Technical Difficulties, Chelsea, Michigan, USA
1502
Runner-Up
Team 3637, The Daleks, Flemington, New Jersey, USA
3637
Runner-Up
Team 3654, TechTigers, Middletown, Connecticut, USA
3654
Runner-Up
2016 Safety – Working Safely with your Robot
Team 846, The Funky Monkeys, San Jose, CA, USA
846
Winner
Team 1124, UberBots, Avon, CT, USA
1124
Runner-Up
Team 2473, Goldstrikers, Cupertino, CA, USA
2473
Runner-Up
Team 4048, Redshift, Westborough, MA, USA
4048
Runner-Up
2015 Safety – Safety Superheroes
Team 133, BERT, Standish, ME, USA
133
Winner
Team 2473, Goldstrikers, Cupertino, CA, USA
2473
Runner-Up
Team 2574, RoboHuskie, St. Anthony, MN, USA
2574
Runner-Up
2014 Safety – Safe Driving
Team 3324, The Metrobots, Columbus, OH, USA
3324
Winner
Team 624, CRyptonite, Katy, TX, USA
624
Runner-Up
Team 3966, L&N STEMpunks, Knoxville, TN, USA
3966
Runner-Up
2013 Safety – Making Event Safety a Top Priority
Team 245, AdamBots, Rochester Hills, MI, USA
245
Winner
Team 2607, Robovikings, Warminster, PA, USA
2607
Runner-Up
2012 Safety – Sharing Safety is Caring
Team 3705, Arrowbots, Brampton, ON, CA
3705
Winner
Team 3132, Thunder Down Under, Sydney, NSW, AUS
3132
Runner-Up
Team 2438, Lobotics, Honolulu, HI, USA
2438
Runner-Up
Team 1714, MORE Robotics, Milwaikee, WI, USA
1714
Runner-Up
Team 1094, Channel Cats, O Fallon, MO, USA
1094
Runner-Up
Team 114, Eagle Strike, Los Altos, CA, USA
114
Runner-Up
2011 Safety – A Lifetime of Safety
Team 846, The Funky Monkeys, San Jose, CA, USA
846
Winner
Team 226, Hammerheads, Troy, MI, USA
226
Runner-Up
Team 342, Burning Magnetos, North Charleston, SC, USA
342
Runner-Up
Team 359, Hawaiian Kids, Waialua, HI, USA
359
Runner-Up
Team 562, SPARK-Students Pursuing Applied Robotics Knowledge, Fitchburg, MA, USA
562
Runner-Up
Team 1899, Saints Robotics, Bellevue, WA, USA
1899
Runner-Up
2010 Safety – Safety Rules
Team 342, Burning Magnetos, North Charleston, SC, USA
342
Winner
2009 Safety – Safety....Share It
Team 342, Burning Magnetos, North Charleston, SC, USA
342
Winner
Team 303, The T.E.S.T. Team, Bridgewater, NJ, USA
303
Runner-Up
Team 1280, Ragin' C-Biscuits, Danville, CA, USA
1280
Runner-Up
Team 1716, Redbird Robotics, De Pere, WI, USA
1716
Runner-Up
Team 1746, OTTO, Cumming, GA, USA
1746
Runner-Up
Team 2783, Engineers of Tomorrow, La Grange, KY, USA
2783
Runner-Up