The 2018-19 VEX IQ Challenge season brought a new game — Next Level — to elementary and middle school students across Iowa and Nebraska. Teams competed in 60-second teamwork matches, working collaboratively with alliance partners to score points on a shared field.
The Next Level Game
In Next Level, two-team alliances worked together to:
- Score and stack colored Hubs in Building Zones
- Remove Bonus Hubs from a Hanging Structure
- Park or Hang on the Hanging Bar at the end of the match
The game rewarded coordination and communication between alliance partners — teams that understood the field layout and worked well with others scored the highest.
2018-19 Tournament Schedule
The season offered five regular-season tournaments plus the Nebraska/Iowa Regional Championship:
| Tournament | Date | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Mary Our Queen VEX IQ Tournament | Saturday, November 10 | $35/team |
| Marrs VEX IQ Tournament | Saturday, December 1 | $35/team |
| Jr. Jacket Robotics VEX IQ Tournament | Saturday, December 8 | $35/team |
| St. Robert Bellarmine VEX IQ Tournament | Saturday, January 12 | $35/team |
| Pwnament VEX IQ Tournament | Saturday, February 2 | Mixed division |
| Nebraska/Iowa Regional — Thomas Jefferson HS | Saturday, February 9 | TBD |
All tournaments offered separate Elementary and Middle School divisions, with the exception of Pwnament which ran a mixed format.
The Omaha Area League Play also continued in 2018-19, with sessions at Jesuit Academy, Kids Can, Mary Our Queen, and Holy Cross School ($40/team for the full series).
Getting Started
Register your team: The team registration fee was $150 for the first team in a school or organization, and $100 for each additional team. Registration included a Welcome Kit with resources to support the team's participation.
Teams and coaches were encouraged to share the season information with anyone interested in starting a VEX IQ program.