Fifth anniversary of robots taking over The Big E completes the FIRST AGE season in New England

Apr 24
7 min read

For the fifth year in a row, NE FIRST returned to The Big E for our weekend-long robotics showcase featuring all FIRST programs together on one fairground. For the FIRST AGE season's FRC game, REBUILT, 100 teams in two divisions competed like crazy to see who would take home the title of New England District Champions! All six New England states were represented and teams were battling it out to see who would earn one of 32 qualifying spots at the FIRST Championship in Houston, Texas, next week!

It was amazing to bring everyone together for this incredible celebration of FIRST and STEM in our district. Check out the crowd on our New England "Einstein," the INGENUITY field where division champions fought for the title of New England District Champions and many of our top awards were announced on Saturday afternoon!

Each division of 50 teams ran 100 qualification matches, had their own alliance selection and playoffs tournament, and crowned champions and other award winners. Though the finale teams were closely matched and kept scores under 600 through the tiebreaker match, teams put up high scores of 730 and 734 in qualification matches and 791 in the Burns playoffs!

After lunch on Saturday, the Burns Division Champion Alliance went up against the Newsom Division Champion Alliance to crown the true winners of the New England District Championship. Congratulations to the Burns Division Champions who came out victorious!

FULL FRC EVENT PROGRAM + TEAM LIST

FIRST AGE NEW ENGLAND SEASON PHOTOS

Since 2023, our dual-division district championship has featured fields named for inspiring STEM leaders in and from New England. This year, we were excited for teams to compete in the NEWSOM Division presented by GE Aerospace, and the BURNS Division presented by GlobalFoundries!

The BURNS Division presented by GlobalFoundries is named for Ken Burns. Ken Burns is an American filmmaker known for his documentary films and television series that explore the people, events, and culture that have shaped the United States. His distinctive style brings archival photographs and historical moments to life, creating a deeper understanding of how the past connects to the present. Based in New Hampshire, his work continues to inspire audiences to look closer, reflect, and find meaning in the stories that define us.

The NEWSOM Division presented by GE Aerospace is named for Dr. Bonnie Newsom. A citizen of the Penobscot Nation, Dr. Newsom is an archaeologist focused on understanding and preserving the pre-contact lifeways of Maine’s Indigenous peoples. As an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Maine, her work brings together Indigenous knowledge and Western science to strengthen connections between people, place, and cultural heritage. Through collaboration, stewardship, and a focus on care, she works to ensure these histories are protected and carried forward for future generations.

Dr. Newsom joined us on April 16th to bring artifacts from the University of Maine Climate Change Institute into our Expo. We were able to recognize her contributions during our Saturday Opening Ceremony and present her with a framed rendering of the field bearing her name!

Thank you to Dr. Bonnie Newsom and Ken Burns for inspiring us this season and beyond!

Outside of the REBUILT matches throughout Thursday and Friday, teams were able to participate in a variety of activities and projects. Whether they used the new robot photo booth to take high-quality photos of their competition machine, or had fun with lawn games and LEGOs, there was something for everyone!

Between robot matches in the Coliseum and the robot pits in the Young Building, the NE FIRST Expo was full of colleges and universities in Scholarship Row, local companies sharing incredible technology in Sponsor Row, representatives from the teams testing the new FIRST Control System, an interactive dig site for visitors to find team artifacts and puzzle pieces to create one giant art piece created by FotoForms, and even members of the 501st Legion. We also had our district Engineering Inspiration and Rookie All-Star teams who were competing for these awards without their robot at the event, ready to tell their stories to invited guests.

Special thanks to Northwest Designs for creating commemorative shirts for the occasion that anyone could customize and purchase: they are still available at their After Event Store using our event dates!

The fairgrounds was also home to the FIRST Tech Challenge New England Premier Event. This second annual advancement event took over the Better Living Center with a DECODE competition hosting 56 teams from all over the U.S.

Special thanks to our event speakers representing NE FIRST sponsors, for joining us throughout the weekend's ceremonies:

Christine Miska, FIRST mentor and engineering director for BAE Systems
Dan Shelley, Rutland Plant Manager at GE Aerospace

Thank you to the companies and organizations that joined us in the New England Expo, looking to inspire the next generation of employees with their support:

BAE Systems
GE Aerospace
Mathworks
Onshape by PTC
Hack Club
AndyMark
Maine Pulp & Paper
United States Space Force
REEKON

And thank you to the colleges and universities, many of whom brought in FIRST alumni to chat with current students about next steps after high school:

Clarkson University
Merrimack College
United States Air Force Academy
University of Bridgeport
Western New England University
Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Our weekend of FIRST robotics at The Big E would not have been possible without the efforts of nearly 300 incredible volunteers, whether they planned for months for a great team experience or they held field and pit roles to make everything run smoothly all weekend. They were led by a small but mighty team of event planners who worked behind the scenes since late last year to make the 2026 New England District Championship a success!

Kari Karwedsky & Jamee Luce, Committee Chairs
Merideth Tumasz & Mike DeSousa, Senior Judge Advisors
Alex Carter-Boal & Jeff Huber, Senior Volunteer Coordinator
Blake Bourque, McKenzie Brunelle, Kyle Henry, Committee Members

Check out these presentations used throughout the event to:

Celebrate each of the 12 FIRST Impact Award winners, 12 Engineering Inspiration Award winners, 9 Rookie All-Star Award winners, 24 Dean's List Semi-Finalists and 12 Outstanding Volunteers from each of the 2026 New England District Events
Recognize all of the 2026 NE FIRST sponsors that made this season possible...as seen on The Big E's jumbotron!
Highlight teams' Woodie Flowers Finalist Award nominees for this year!

Congratulations to our NE FIRST District Championship Finale and Cultural Award Winners:

Woodie Flowers Finalist Awards:

Kyle Herren from FRC 1071, Team MAX from Wolcott, CT

Michelle Leach from FRC 5112, Gongoliers from Foster-Glocester, RI

FIRST Leadership Award Finalists:

Everett H. from FRC 172, Northern Force from Falmouth-Gorham, ME

Parnitha K. from FRC 190, Gompei and the HERD from Worcester, MA

Auritro D. from FRC 999, MechaRams from Cheshire, CT

Abinayya A. from FRC 2342, Team Phoenix from Nashua, NH

Evelyn B. from FRC 4905, Andromeda One from Ayer-Shirley, MA

Charlotte L. from FRC 8626, Cyber Sailors from Scituate, MA

Volunteer of the Year: Manisha Rajaghatta, FIRST Alum, Mentor and Senior Voice

FIRST Impact Awards:

FRC 131, CHAOS from Manchester, NH

FRC 195, CyberKnights from Southington, CT

FRC 4905, Andromeda One from Ayer, MA

FRC 6328, Mechanical Advantage from Littleton, MA

Engineering Inspiration Awards sponsored by SpaceX:

FRC 178, The Gongoliers from Foster/Glocester, RI

FRC 999, MechaRams from Cheshire, CT

Rookie All-Star Award:

FRC 11269, Batteries Not Included from South Burlington, VT

New England District Championship Winners:

FRC 1768, Nashoba Robotics from Bolton, MA

FRC 5687, The Outliers from Portland, ME

FRC 9644, NEIA Robotics from Marlborough, MA

FRC 8724, Mayhem from Bedford, NH

New England District Championship Finalists:

FRC 6329, The Bucks' Wrath from Bucksport, ME

FRC 3467, Windham Windup from Windham, NH

FRC 6201, The Highlanders from Somerville, MA

FRC 2648, Infinite Loop from Oakland, ME

Congratulations to all Newsom Division presented by GE Aerospace award winners:

NE FIRST District Championship Newsom Division Champions:

FRC 6329, The Bucks' Wrath from Bucksport, ME

FRC 3467, Windham Windup from Windham, NH

FRC 6201, The Highlanders from Somerville, MA

FRC 2648, Infinite Loop from Oakland, ME

NE FIRST District Championship Newsom Division Finalists:

FRC 6328, Mechanical Advantage from Littleton, MA

FRC 88, TJ² from Bridgewater/Raynham, MA

FRC 1071, Team MAX from Wolcott, CT

FRC 7474, RaiderBots from Rochester, NH

Industrial Design Award: FRC 6329, The Bucks' Wrath from Bucksport, ME

Judges' Award: FRC 238, Crusaders from Manchester, NH Rising All-Star Award: FRC 558, Elm City Robo Squad from New Haven, CT

Team Sustainability Award sponsored by Dow: FRC 1153, Timberwolves from Walpole, MA

Team Spirit Award: FRC 5422, Stormgears from Westford, MA

Excellence in Engineering Award sponsored by Littelfuse: FRC 190, Gompei and the HERD from Worcester, MA

Gracious Professionalism Award: FRC 5962, perSEVERE from Lowell, MA Creativity Award sponsored by Rockwell Automation: FRC 839, Rosie Robotics from Agawam, MA

Quality Award: FRC 3467, Windham Windup from Windham, NH

Innovation in Control Award sponsored by nVent: FRC 176, Aces High from Windsor Locks, CT

Autonomous Award sponsored by Google.org: FRC 2877, LigerBots from Newtonville, MA

Imagery Award in honor of Jack Kamen: FRC 3182, Athena's Warriors from Hartford, CT