VEX IQ runs on a yearly rhythm, and once you know it, the whole season makes sense.
A brand-new game every year
Each spring, VEX reveals a new competition game — new field setup, new scoring objects, new rules. Every team in the world starts over from the same blank page, which is exactly the point: last year's robot won't win this year's game, so the design process begins again. The current game, its field, and the official game manual always live on VEX's current game page — that's the authoritative source, updated as the manual revises through the season.
How the year flows here in Nebraska
- Spring — game reveal; teams study the manual and start dreaming.
- Summer — camps, team formation, and registration for the new season.
- Fall — building, programming, practicing; training sessions for coaches and volunteers.
- Late fall through winter — competition season: scrimmages, league nights, and tournaments across the state.
- February — the Nebraska VEX IQ State Championship, the season's local summit. Teams qualify through their event results.
- Beyond State, top teams can advance toward the VEX Robotics World Championship.
Coaches: the season planning guide has the team-side version of this, including the subscribable events calendar.
Why the yearly reset matters
It keeps the playing field honest — rookie teams are never years behind, because everyone is months into this game at most. If your students are just starting, that's not a disadvantage. It's the design.