This is the second email in our State Championship series, focusing on judging and the engineering notebook so teams know exactly what to expect before arriving at the State Championship.
Judges are trying to understand the team's process, how ideas developed, what changed, and what students learned along the way.
🙋 Volunteers Needed
Robotics events rely on volunteers to run smoothly. We ask each team to help recruit a few parents, friends, or supporters to assist for part of the day — most roles require no prior experience.
Volunteer signup:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E084BA5AC229-59810116-2526#/
Lunch is provided for volunteers, and it's a great way to see the event from behind the scenes while supporting the students.
📘 Digital Engineering Notebook
We are using digital notebook submission so judges can review notebooks ahead of time and spend more meaningful time talking with students at the event.
Submission deadline:
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 — 11:59 PM CST
Teams can upload their notebook at any time before the deadline — you do not need to wait until the robot is "finished." Uploading earlier also helps avoid last-minute issues.
The registered team contact (coach) submits the notebook through the RobotEvents "My Account" panel.
Step-by-step instructions:
How to Submit a Digital Engineering Notebook
💡 Innovate Award (important)
Innovate Award Eligibility
Teams interested in the Innovate Award must include the following information when submitting their Digital Engineering Notebook, using the Innovate Award Submission Information Form:
- A brief description of the novel aspect of the team's design.
- The page numbers and/or sections where documentation of this work can be found.
- An explanation of why the team's approach is unique compared to other possible solutions to the same problem or task.
🎤 Team Interviews (at the event)
Judges will visit teams at their pit table on Saturday for a short conversation with students.
Students do not need a prepared presentation. A good interview feels like a discussion, not a test. Judges are simply trying to understand how the team worked and what they learned during the season.
Students should be ready to talk about things like:
- How the robot works
- What changed over time
- A problem they solved
- Something that didn't work at first
- How responsibilities were shared on the team
Judges will speak directly with students, so coaches and parents should step back during interviews.
Judging follows the RECF Guide to Judging to keep the process consistent across all teams.
Key Dates & Action Items
| Date | Item |
|---|---|
| Sun, Feb 15 | Remaining State invitations sent out |
| Tue, Feb 17 — 11:59 PM | Digital Engineering Notebook submission deadline |
| Fri, Feb 27 — 4:00–8:00 PM | Skills runs, inspection & practice (optional) |
| Sat, Feb 28 — 8:00 AM–4:00 PM | Main tournament day — judging, matches & awards (required) |
Venue
Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum
28210 West Park Highway, Ashland, Nebraska 68003
View Map
RobotEvents Pages
What to Expect from the Two-Day Event
Friday (Optional): Complete Skills runs, pass inspection, and get familiar with the venue — a great way to take pressure off Saturday.
Saturday (Required): The full championship experience — judging, qualification matches, finals, and awards.
We'll share a detailed agenda, skills strategy tips, volunteer needs, concessions info, and field logistics in upcoming emails.
Award Medal Sponsor
We are grateful to Buildertrend for sponsoring the student award medals at this year's State Championship. Because of their support, every student on a trophy-winning team will receive a medal recognizing their individual contribution — whether they were designing, building, programming, driving, or strategizing. Their partnership helps us celebrate teamwork and student achievement across Nebraska.
2026 VEX IQ State Championship Archive:
Email #1
Thank You
If you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to reach out. We're looking forward to a great State Championship with your teams! 🚀
Tara and Brandon Petersen
gainingSTEAM.net
[email protected]
Feel free to share this with other coaches or parents. If someone would like to be added to our mailing list, they can email [email protected].