VEX Robotics IQ Teams Win Five Awards, Two Qualify For States

Elementary and middle school students who are part of Woodland Hills VEX IQ Robotics teams took part in the first competition of the school year on Friday, December 12 at Woodland Hills High School.

The VEX IQ Robotics Competition theme this year is Mix & Match, which challenges two randomly paired teams to work together to navigate their robots across a specially designed game board and score as many points as possible in 60 seconds. Points are awarded based on set criteria of completing challenges, such as stacking pieces and placing them in scoring areas.

Teams are also able to enter a separate skills challenge, and judges evaluate the teams on a variety of criteria for additional awards. Eleven Woodland Hills teams participated and five of them earned awards as part of the competition, with two of them earning qualification for the Western Pennsylvania VIQRC Championships.

TEAM 15104F No Name received the "Excellence Award." This award is presented to a team that exemplifies a high-quality competitive robotics program and the ethos of the REC Foundation. It recognizes a team's ability to document and explain their engineering Design Process via an Engineering Notebook and Team Interview. The team also demonstrates outstanding competition performance by being among the top performing teams at the event. This team is a strong contender in numerous award categories and exemplifies dedication, devotion, hard work and teamwork. This team is committed to quality in everything they do. This award qualifies them for the 2026 Western Pennsylvania VIQRC Middle School Championship!

TEAM 4183E Robotic Wolverines received the "Design Award." This award is presented to a team that demonstrates the most organized and professional approach to the design process, project and time management, and team organization. This team's Engineering Notebook provides clear and complete documentation of the team's robot design process and the development of their game strategy. They also demonstrate effective communication skills and teamwork. This award qualifies them for the 2026 Western Pennsylvania VIQRC Elementary School Championship!

Robotic Wolverines pose with awards

TEAM 15104J TVEX received the "Innovate Award." This award is presented to a team that develops and documents a unique or uncommon aspect in their team's design or gameplay strategy. This team self-identified this aspect for Judges, and has documented this aspect in their Engineering Notebook. The team has utilized independent inquiry to explore and develop this aspect from its initial conception though its current implementation.

TEAM 4183F IQ Pandas received the "Build Award." This award is presented to a team that has built the most durable and robust robot. The robot is reliable on the field and holds up under rigorous competition. The robot design shows attention to safety and detail.

TEAM 15104C Hardwired received the "Create Award." This award is presented to a team whose robot incorporates the most creative engineering solution to the challenges of this season's game. This team demonstrates a highly creative engineering process and methodology, and this team shows ambitious and creative approaches to game play.

The Blended VIQRC Western Pennsylvania Qualifying Tournament featured elementary and middle school teams from Clairton, North Allegheny's Marshall Middle School, Environmental Charter School, Redeemer Lutheran School, Attawheed Foundation Incorporated, and MySTEM Academy along with host Woodland Hills. The Woodland Hills teams will have additional competitions in early 2026 with more opportunities to qualify for the state championships in March.