It’s here: Back To School 2026. Summer flew by in a blur, but the VEX Robotics Team had a blast getting to go out and meet educators at conferences, share their views on some amazing podcasts, and… (trumpets, please) start gearing up for the new season of robotics competitions. 2026-27 brings our twentieth VEX Robotics World Championship. The small company that began in a garage in Greenville, Texas, has made significant progress. None of it could have happened without you. You, the teacher who has never taught robotics, but knew STEM was important and dove right in. You, the coach who gives up your free time to help students build, program, and compete, all on repeat, across a season or seasons. There are too many of you to name, so we’ll just say “thank you” and hope you enjoy this upcoming milestone with us.
Jump to an article to read:
- Strategies for Funding Your Robotics Program
- Stepping Up: How Two Interns Found Their Place at VEX Robotics
- VEX Point Gives Teams A Way to Share Their “Worlds”
- A Peer-To-Peer Global Community To Answer Your Robotics Questions
- The Educational Podcast Summer Circuit: Our Education Team Rocks!
Strategies for Funding Your Robotics Program
Every season, one question comes up more than almost any other: “How do we pay for all of this?”
After spending ISTELive 2026 speaking with educators from around the world, both those running established programs and those just bringing robotics and drones into their classrooms, VEX Senior Education Developer Alaina Haws noticed something surprising: the educators who successfully fund their programs aren’t the ones with grant-writing degrees.
They simply approach the process differently, and you can learn every one of their habits.
In this VEX PD+ Insights piece, she breaks down what actually works: leading with your students’ stories rather than a wishlist of kits, because funders invest in the outcomes a program makes possible, not the materials themselves. She explains why a foundation of small wins, a local mini-grant here and a funded classroom project there, tend to beat holding out for one big award and how each of those early yeses becomes evidence for the next application.
She also makes the case for treating grant seeking as a team sport, tapping district coordinators, parents, and fellow coaches who know about funding streams you’d never find in a search. And she offers a reframe for the part no one talks about: everyone gets rejected, but the educators who eventually get funded are simply the ones who revise, resubmit, and treat every “no” as “not yet.” With the new fiscal year underway, there’s no better time to start, and the article closes with a set of concrete resources to help you take that first step.
Stepping Up: How Two Interns Found Their Place at VEX Robotics
Addie and Niah arrived at VEX Robotics this summer from two different spots of the student experience. Addie, a high school senior transitioning toward an engineering degree, and Niah, a college senior preparing to enter the professional industry, represent the distinct stages of the academic journey that the VEX Robotics internship program aims to bridge.
Despite their different backgrounds, both interns shared a common welcoming beat: initial nervousness. Addie recalled being intimidated by the environment, admitting, “I was scared that they (VEX Robotics Engineers) were going to be super crazy smart engineers, and they are. At the same time, they’re really welcoming.” Niah piggybacked on that sentiment, noting that walking in was just as nerve-wracking for her until she realized that “they all started where you started.”
The scale of the VEX universe also made a significant impression. Addie, who has experience with VEX Robotics in the classroom, found it surreal to be behind the curtain, “seeing the parts that I used to use in competition and being like, ‘oh, I know where that comes from now.’” For Niah, the shock came from the sheer breadth of the community, noting she was “shocked by how the age range goes” from elementary school students all the way up through the college level.
Their work this summer represents two halves of the VEX Robotics mission. Addie is the ‘builder,’ contributing to the software engineering department by coding test flights for the newly launched VEX AIR. She found her stride in the logic of coding, celebrating small victories like successfully generating a “confetti graphic” on a controller screen. Niah is the ‘storyteller,’ a motion graphics intern who crafts the visual narrative for VEX Robotics’ YouTube and social media platforms. Her challenge was to bring “something that excites me but that still falls into the VEX Robotics brand,” making complex technical messages visually appealing to a global audience.
As they reflect on their time, they offer parallel advice for those following in their footsteps. Niah emphasizes resilience and self-belief for young creators, stating that “you shouldn’t… limit yourself” and reminding others that “just because you get rejected… [it] does not define you as an artist.” Meanwhile, Addie offers a practical call to action, urging students to “do things that are hard, do things that are [challenging], and push yourself,” while she regrets her own moments of procrastination on difficult challenges.
Their presence also speaks to the growing impact of women in STEM. Addie believes the field thrives on diversity because it needs “new ideas, new perspectives” to solve modern problems. Niah felt this inclusivity firsthand, noting how the team welcomed her and her ideas from day one. Both interns represent a future where the industry is shaped by whoever is willing to step up.
Addie and Niah are ultimately two future professionals at different points on the same road, each exemplifying the spirit of innovation fostered at VEX Robotics. Addie’s final takeaway serves as a mission statement for any aspiring intern: “put yourself out there,” regardless of where you are in your education, because taking that risk is the only way to move forward.
VEX Point Gives Teams A Way to Share Their “Worlds”
At the 2026 VEX Robotics World Championship in St. Louis, teams not only put their best foot forward in the overall competition, but some also got to turn their creative vision toward their own unique experiences.
The VEX Robotics Marketing Team put 10 cameras into rotation, allowing teams to capture their experience as they lived it. There was one small catch…
The cameras had no back screen, so teams couldn’t see what they had just shot. The process was simple: point, shoot, and keep going. The cameras were digital, but they also freed teams from worrying about “getting it right” because there was nothing to check.
Each camera held up to 500 pictures; no team came close (they were busy trying, though!). Participating teams loved it. We had representation from all over the globe, sharing their corner of “Worlds” and taking pictures with new friends from other countries along the way. So, we’ve decided to try it out for back-to-school.
This will be for US- and Canada-based teams only this time.
Want to share your workshop, your local competitions, or even your robots? Ask your coach to submit an application. Applicants must be over 18 and be a part of an official registered VEX Robotics team.
Enter for chance to be selected for the VEX Point Program.
A Peer-To-Peer Global Community To Answer Your Robotics Questions
The new school year is a chance to refresh your professional development. VEX PD+ already offered educators the resources to teach robotics in the classroom, compete in robotics competitions, or, for some educators, even do both. The VEX Education Team has now developed a new way to enhance peer-to-peer learning: the VEX PD+ Passport.
Whether you’re a “seasoned pro” steeped in all things VEX Robotics or you’re just getting started, we offer a global community to learn, grow, and share with. It’s incredibly helpful to find answers from others that know what you’re going through and can be a resource to get the answers you want. You can find peers either by location or by VEX Robotics platform using an interactive map. If you already have PD+, then the course is included with your subscription. Don’t build robots alone if you don’t have to.
PD+ Passport is a fantastic way to find the answers you need.
The Educational Podcast Summer Circuit: Our Education Team Rocks!
For most of us here in the US, the heat of the summer is still hanging on. Soon enough, though, back-to-school will be here for the students. If you’re looking for ways to ease back into the classroom and find some STEM inspiration, we have a few ways to help before the first bell ever rings.
Despite the heat, the VEX Robotics Education Team stayed busy attending inspiring conferences like ISTELive and CSTA. This gave them the chance to appear on a few podcasts and share their work and the importance of STEM and CS in classrooms.
Listen here:
This is going to be a fantastic school year; we can feel it. We’ll be back in a month for another issue with more things happening in the world of robotics. Thanks for reading!
Take a look back at our last issue’s articles: