The 2024 Nebraska VEX IQ State Championship moved to a prestigious new venue — the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum in Ashland, Nebraska — for the culminating event of the 2023-24 Rapid Relay season.
Event Details
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Friday, March 1 | 4:00–8:00 PM — Optional Skills Challenge runs |
| Saturday, March 2 | 8:00 AM–4:00 PM — Main tournament (required) |
| Venue | Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, 28210 W Park Hwy, Ashland, NE 68003 |
| Skills attempts | 3 max Driver, 3 max Autonomous per team |
| Qualification matches | 8 per team |
| Finals alliances | 12 |
| Concessions | Yes |
Two-Day Format
Friday, March 1 was optional — teams could complete Skills Challenge runs ahead of the main event, fine-tune strategies, and reduce Saturday's rush. Friday attendance was not required.
Saturday, March 2 was the main tournament. All teams were required to attend.
Awards
Robot Performance Awards
- Teamwork Champion (2 teams — Worlds qualifier for Middle School)
- Teamwork Challenge Second Place (2 teams)
- Robot Skills Champion — Top combined Autonomous and Driving Skills score
- Robot Skills 2nd Place
Judged Awards
- Excellence Award (Worlds qualifier for Elementary and Middle School)
- Design Award
- Innovate Award (new for 2023-24) — Recognizes a novel aspect of robot design; teams submitted a description and relevant notebook page numbers
- Amaze Award — Consistently high-performing and competitive robot
- Think Award — Effective and consistent use of coding techniques
- Judges Award
Judging Format
Judging followed the REC Foundation's Guide to Judging. Engineering notebooks were judged in person at the event. Team interviews were conducted in person in the pit area during the State Championship.
Volunteers Needed
gainingSTEAM encouraged each participating organization to provide at least two adult volunteers. No experience was required, and volunteers could sign up for full or partial days. Full-day volunteers received lunch.
Bringing Your Competition Field
Teams and coaches with VEX IQ competition fields were encouraged to bring them to provide additional practice opportunities. Fields could be dropped off on Friday, March 1st (4:00–8:00 PM), or delivered during the week by arrangement.