A non-profit organization headquartered in Manchester, New Hampshire, FIRST® was founded by inventor and entrepreneur Dean Kamen to inspire young people to pursue further studies and careers in science and technology.

The FIRST Robotics Long Island Regional Competition, hosted by FIRST Long Island, is held annually in March/April at Hofstra University, in Hempstead, New York. In 2018, the program was expanded to two full tournament-style events. The competition brings together teams of students and their mentors from roughly 50 Long Island schools, schools from the Metropolitan area as well as visiting teams from around the country and abroad.

Students aged 14 to 18 (grades 9 to 12) are eligible to participate. Teams form in the fall and consist of 15-25 members. The kick-off is held in January, when teams receive a kit of parts common to all teams everywhere. They are tasked with designing and building a robot, weighing up to 120 pounds, using a common set of rules and challenges, which change annually. Once these young inventors create their robots, teams participate in the Long Island Regional #1 and Long Island Regional #2 in March/April.  As the teams demonstrate their creations, they are cheered on by thousands of fans over a three-day period.  The competition includes two short games played by the robots, where the students program and remotely control them in competition rounds on the playing field. 

The judges measure the effectiveness of each robot as well as the collaborative efforts and determination of the students. Awards are presented for design, technology, musical theme and sportsmanship. Members learn about friendly competition, teamwork, problem solving and gracious professionalism. In addition, they are challenged to fill roles ranging from research to “design and build,” computer programming and animation, as well as fundraising and community outreach.    

This experience enriches students to seriously consider the pursuit of a college education and intended career in technology-related fields. FIRST Long Island hosts this program to provide talented students with scholarships, internships, and employment opportunities to keep talent on Long Island.

IMPORTANT NEWS

FIRST Long Island Regional 2024 to be held from March 21st to March 23rd
David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex, Hofstra University
Optimum and Zebra are co-sponsors

FIRSTⓇ Long Island Kicks Off 2024 Robotics Season with Distribution of Kits of Parts, January 6,2024

During the local Long Island Kickoff, FIRST Long Island, which hosts the event, will treat students and parents to presentations from its members and guests regarding the impact of the program on local communities and businesses. Raffle prizes will also be given out. Towards the close of the event, each team will collect its kit of parts to construct a 120-pound robot.

The 2024 FIRSTⓇ Long Island Regional is scheduled to take place at Hofstra University from March 21-23. This is a milestone year in that this will be the 25th year of the FIRSTⓇ Long Island Regional. The theme for this year's challenge is CRESCENDOSM presented by Haas. In CRESCENDOSM, two alliances of three teams compete in a dynamic game where they aim to score or play notes across three field elements. 

The objectives include amplifying speakers, getting on stage, harmonizing, and taking the spotlight within a limited time. Additional rewards are earned for meeting specific scoring thresholds and cooperating with opponents. Robots start autonomously in their alliance's zone, playing preloaded notes and collecting more. During driver control, alliances strategically collect and play notes, amplifying speakers for extra points. Cooperative actions in the first 45 seconds influence rankings. As time runs out, robots race to get on stage, deliver notes, and achieve harmony for bonus points. The alliance with the highest score wins. 

While teams attending the FIRST Long Island Regionals that need lodging may avail themselves of any of the local hotels, FIRST Long Island has arranged blocks of rooms with certain local hotels.
To take advantage of these, click on the corresponding link to register for the hotel you would like to use. They represent different price points.

For those teams that would like to stay local, we have made arrangements with a nearby hotel that you may take advantage of:
Courtyard Westbury Long Island for 169 USD per night

You can call and ask for the FIRST Long Island March Event or use the following link:
Book your group rate for Long Island March
Please book by Friday, March 1st.