ATAST — VEX Robotics Competition

About the Competition

The World's Largest Robotics Competition

VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) holds the Guinness World Record as the largest robotics program on the planet — with over 20,000 registered teams competing across more than 50 countries every season.

Organised by Innovation First International (VEX), the competition challenges middle and high school students to design, build, code, and drive robots that compete in an annual game challenge. Each season introduces a brand-new game, so every team starts on equal footing with a fresh engineering problem to solve.

VRC is not just a game — it is a full engineering experience. Teams maintain a design notebook, present their work to judges, collaborate with alliance partners, and are evaluated on strategy, innovation, and sportsmanship as much as raw performance on the field.

Official Website

ATAST's Role

Building Tunisia's Robotics Future

ATAST organises Tunisia's VEX Robotics programme — from team registration and mentorship through to qualifying events that send the best Tunisian robots to the World Championship.

Through ATAST, students gain access to the full VEX ecosystem: hardware kits, programming tools, competition rules, and a support network of experienced mentors and coaches. ATAST runs local qualifier events and tracks team standings to determine which teams earn the right to represent Tunisia internationally.

Competing under the Tunisian flag at the VEX World Championship — alongside teams from the USA, China, South Korea, and dozens of other countries — is a defining milestone for any young engineer. ATAST makes that journey possible.

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Competition Programs

A Program for Every Age Group

VEX offers four distinct competition programs spanning from primary school through university, each with its own robot platform and ruleset.

Middle & High School

VEX V5 Robotics Competition

The flagship program. Teams build full metal robots with the V5 platform — motors, sensors, microcontrollers — and compete in the season's main game. The primary pathway to the World Championship.

Elementary & Middle School

VEX IQ Robotics Competition

Uses plastic snap-together pieces designed for younger builders. Features Robot Skills (solo) and Teamwork Challenges (pairs), focusing on collaboration and foundational programming skills.

University

VEX U

College-level competition with expanded rules: teams can use 3D printing, sheet metal, and custom materials. Each team fields two robots simultaneously with a 30-second autonomous period.

High School & University

VEX AI

Fully autonomous competition with no driver control. Robots use vision systems with depth perception and machine learning to navigate the field independently — no human input during matches.

Match Format

Two Minutes of Pure Engineering

Every VRC match is exactly 2 minutes long, split into two distinct phases that test both programming intelligence and driving skill.

Autonomous 15 sec

Driver Control 1 min 45 sec

Autonomous Period (15 seconds) — Robots run pre-programmed routines with zero driver input. The alliance that scores higher earns an Autonomous Bonus, rewarding strong coding and strategy.

Driver Control (1 min 45 sec) — Drivers take over and compete head-to-head in real time. Alliance partnerships, field awareness, and robot reliability all become decisive.

Each match is a 2v2 alliance — two teams collaborate as partners. During qualifying rounds, alliances are randomly assigned, so every team must be ready to work with any partner.

Skills Challenges

Individual Team Performance

Alongside alliance matches, every team competes in two individual Skills Challenges that measure the robot's absolute performance — no alliance partner, just your robot against the field.

Driver Skills: One driver, one robot, 60 seconds — score as many points as possible
Autonomous Skills: Same challenge, but run entirely by the robot's code with no human input
Skills scores are tracked globally — qualifying teams for Signature Events and the World Championship based on combined score
Top Robot Skills teams from each region earn automatic World Championship qualification

Current Season: Override

The 2026–2027 VRC game "Override" challenges teams to stack pins and cups on goals — a fresh engineering problem requiring precision, speed, and creative robot design. A new game every year means every team starts equal, rewarding those who innovate fastest.

Tournament Structure

The Road to the World Championship

VRC has a clear qualification ladder. Every level demands more of your team — and earning a World Championship spot is a genuine mark of excellence.

Local Events

Qualify for regionals & build ranking

Regional / National

ATAST-organised qualifier events

Signature Events

Invitational high-stakes tournaments

World Championship

St. Louis, Missouri — USA

Build & Program

Design and build your robot from scratch using the V5 platform. Write autonomous code, test strategies, and iterate your design throughout the season.

Compete Locally

Enter ATAST-run local qualifier events. Earn ranking points through teamwork matches and skills runs. Your design notebook is reviewed by judges.

Earn Qualification

Top-ranked teams earn spots at higher-level events. Strong Skills scores also qualify teams directly — there are multiple paths to advance.

World Championship

The annual VEX World Championship hosts thousands of teams from 50+ countries. Divisions, elimination brackets, and a Parade of Nations make it unlike any other event.

Judged Awards

Excellence Is Recognised on Every Dimension

VRC doesn't only reward the team with the strongest robot. Awards cover engineering process, teamwork, sportsmanship, and community impact — every team has something to compete for.

Excellence Award

The highest honour. Recognises overall excellence — robot performance, design notebook, skills score, and team interview combined.

Tournament Champions

The alliance that wins the final elimination bracket earns the Tournament Champions title — the top performance award.

Robot Skills Champion

Awarded to the team with the highest combined Driver Skills + Autonomous Skills score — a pure measure of robot capability.

Design Award

Recognises the team that best documents and applies an engineering design process. The design notebook is the primary evidence.

Think Award

Celebrates teams with the best approach to programming — autonomous routines, code quality, and innovative use of sensors.

Sportsmanship Award

Given to the team that best exemplifies gracious professionalism — competing hard while uplifting and supporting fellow competitors.

Build Award

Recognises exceptional mechanical construction — hardware quality, structural integrity, and innovative use of the VEX V5 component system.

Amaze Award

Honours teams that go above and beyond to make the event memorable — through community engagement, STEM outreach, or inspirational stories.

Judges Award

Presented at the judges' discretion to recognise a team for an extraordinary quality or achievement not covered by other award categories.

World Championship

The Pinnacle of Robotics Competition

The annual VEX Robotics World Championship is the largest gathering of competitive robotics teams on Earth — a Parade of Nations, elimination brackets, and thousands of spectators.

Held in St. Louis, Missouri for the 2026–2027 season, the World Championship brings together qualifying teams from all 50+ participating countries. High school and middle school divisions compete separately, each running their own full tournament bracket.

Teams from over 30 nations march in the Parade of Nations at the opening ceremony — many wearing national costumes — before competing across multiple days of qualifying matches, alliance selection, and elimination rounds.

For a Tunisian team to reach the World Championship through ATAST is a genuine achievement. Past world champions have come from the USA, China, and South Korea — but every season introduces a new game, and every season belongs to whoever builds the best robot.

Get Involved

Start Your VEX Journey with ATAST

Whether you're a student looking to join a team, a school interested in starting a programme, or a mentor wanting to coach — contact ATAST to get connected with Tunisia's VEX Robotics community.

I am interested! info.atast@gmail.com