PNW recently returned from the FIRST World Championships and we are SO proud. 🌲🏆
FLL, FTC, and FRC showed up, competed on the world stage, and brought home some hardware. 🤖🎉
FRC
Archimedes: 5468 won Industrial Design
Curie: 9023 won Creativity
Milstein: 2811 won Team Sustainability and 4915 was the division winner and competed on Einstein
Newton: 2046 was the division winner and an Einstein finalist; 2910 was the division winner, an Einstein Finalist, and won Innovation & Control; 9450 won Team Sustainability
FTC
Edison: 23305 won Edison and competed on DaVinci
Franklin: 9876 won 3rd place
FLL
27820 Unearthed Dinos won an Innovation Project Finalist Award
That’s a wrap on 2024–25. What a season. 👏 Next up... Season Canopy 🌿🌳
Eighteen years of late nights, long seasons, and showing up for kids who needed someone to believe in them.
Through FIRST Robotics, Chris Zawislak’s students have gone on to work at Apple, SpaceX, Blue Origin, Microsoft, Boeing, and Amazon. But he’ll tell you the robot was never really the point.
“My time with FIRST is what fills my bucket and gives me hope for the future.”
That is the power of a great teacher. Thank you to every mentor and teacher who keeps showing up. 💙
👇Tag a teacher who believed in you before you believed in yourself.
Seventeen years ago, a teacher had a simple idea. Give students a chance to do something real with what they were learning.
Seventeen years later, that idea has shaped hundreds of students in ways that go far beyond robotics.
“What started as a program centered around robotics has grown into an experience that shapes who these students become.” -Jason Vander Hoek
That is what great teachers do. Thank you to every mentor who keeps showing up.
👇What teacher(s) transformed your life?
🤖📝 Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! ✨📚
Some teachers don’t stop when the bell rings. They show up for late nights, long build seasons, and every moment in between.
Todd Andresen is one of those teachers. As a mentor for FRC Team High Desert Droids 753, he’s watched his students figure out something that changes them.
“One person can not do it all by themselves. But they do anyway and it’s awesome.”
This week we’re celebrating every teacher and mentor who gives so much of themselves to their students. In FIRST Robotics and everywhere else. Thank you. 💛
👇Tag a teacher who made a difference for you below.
In a galaxy not so far away, thousands of students across Washington built robots, solved problems, and developed a community. May the 4th Be With You and with every future leader and innovator in our FIRST WA family!
No limits. No final frontier. 🌍
Team 4450 just took home the FIRST Impact Award at the PNW District Championships, and the numbers speak for themselves. STEM camps. Community events. Outreach programs reaching students all the way in Cairo and Sudan. And a mission to make sure every student, regardless of gender or geography, has a seat at the table. 💡
Congratulations Team 4450, see you in Houston. 🤖🏆
Small town. Massive impact.
🏆 Team 4125 just took home the most prestigious award in FIRST Robotics ~ the FIRST Impact Award ~ at the PNW District Championships! And now they're at Worlds. 🌍
They briefed their state board of education. They learned from Arizona State University. They lifted up other teams. All from a small town, all with a whole lot of heart. Congratulations, Team 4125. The PNW is so proud of you!
16 semi-finalists. 4 chosen. Meet your PNW FIRST Leadership Award Finalists. 💙
The FIRST Leadership Award is the only individual award in the entire @first_official_ Robotics season, and it goes to the students who lead with heart, champion inclusion, and lift everyone around them.
Tara P., Maya D., Jewel M., and Catie Z. were nominated by their own teammates and selected from across the entire PNW. Now they're taking that leadership all the way to Houston. 🤖✨
YOUR 2026 PNW DISTRICT CHAMPIONS. 🏆🎉
50 teams. One alliance standing tall.
🥇 Team 2046 Bear Metal
🥇 Team 2910 Jack in the Bot
🥇 Team 2811 StormBots
And with 21 PNW teams now heading to the FIRST Championship in Houston, TX, the Pacific Northwest is just getting started. 💙🤖
See you in Houston. LET'S GO.
Congrats to Team 10991 on winning the Rookie All-Star Award at the PNW District Championships and advancing to Worlds in Houston, TX!
As we head into the 2026 FIRST Championship next week, this is the kind of story that reminds us why FIRST Robotics matters. 🤖✨
Thinking about starting a team? Do it. This is what your first year of competition can look like.
Washington’s future STEM workforce is HERE! 🎉 FIRST WA Robotics seniors are ready to take on their next big milestone and we’re celebrating every single one of them!
Senior pursuing STEM after high school? Apply for Washington State STEM Signing Day 2026! Sign your letter of intent, connect with STEM leaders, and celebrate at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Deadline is May 1 🚀
Link in bio. Don’t miss out! #stemsigningday #boeinginspires #stemeducation #waedu
