[MEMOS] FRC Mentor Memos, January 2026

Jan 26
3 min read

Updated: Jan 27

REBUILT is here!

We're so excited to uncover this year's game, REBUILT! This blast from the past features a ton of historic FRC game elements and inspiration.

With just about 200 teams this year, we'll see 100 teams at the District Championship at The Big E in April. On INGENUITY field, we will award:

4 FIRST Impact Award Winners
2 Engineering Inspiration Award Winners
1 Rookie All-Star Winner
2 Woodie Flowers Award Finalists
6 Dean's List Award Finalists

With additional top performers, a total of 32 teams will advance to the FIRST Championship! Read below for great news regarding funding for teams that may qualify.

A New England FRC Town Hall will be held Tuesday, February 17, at 8 p.m. to answer team questions before the season begins! We hope to see you all there.

CLICK ON THE 2/18 EVENT TO FIND LINKS TO ADD TO YOUR CALENDAR

Changes to Day 0 at competitions

For 2026 qualifiers, Pits will officially be open to teams for event registration, robot work and inspection from 4–9 p.m. This is ONE HOUR earlier than past years!

Individual events will also have the option to open earlier for Load In, which will follow Event Rules shared in E14.4 from the REBUILT Manual. If a Load In period is provided before Pits open, teams would be able to enter early with 6 team mentors/members, bring in all equipment and possibly set up their pit.

Each event will determine their earliest Load In time and communicate it in their team information packet. Events may be constrained by school dismissal times and other factors so an early Load In opportunity may not be possible.

2026 GAME MANUAL E14.4, LOAD IN

Some mini announcements about Competition Season!

The countdown to competition has begun! Event planners will share more information on their webpages before sharing full information for competing teams via email. Here are a few quick notes:

🫶 NE FIRST is hosting more events than ever this year, which means we need more volunteers! Interested in helping out at one of 12 District Events in March or early April, or know someone who is? Visit nefirst.org/volunteer!

🌲 The Pine Tree District Event may run as a "Small Event," which sees some exceptions to the number of Playoff Alliances as outlined in the 2026 Game Manual 10.6.6, linked below.

📣 We're excited to announce the New England District Championship Division names: NEWSOM presented by GE Aerospace and BURNS presented by Dell Technologies! Check out the stories of how they inspire us:

VOLUNTEER

SMALL EVENTS

EVENT DETAILS

Funding opportunities for teams qualifying for FIRST Champs

NE FIRST has received a generous pledge that will help teams who qualify for the FIRST Championship who have not attended in the past three years fund their trip.

This may include Rookie All-Star winners or other teams who have had to decline their invitations in the recent past.

We're excited to work with teams in April to allocate the donated funds! More information will be shared as the season progresses, but Michael can help with any questions!

EMAIL MICHAEL