What is FTC?

FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an international organization preparing young people for the future through robotics. FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) is a competitive robotics organization for middle and high schoolers with approximately 30 teams across the state of Montana and 7,000+ around the world. Unlike traditional athletics where the rules and goals of a game remain mostly the same from year to year, FTC has a new game every year, revealed in September. The theme, goals, scoring mechanics, and rules change. Established teams may have a leg up with parts and experience, but the playing field is leveled somewhat because everyone will have to redesign their robots to meet the new challenges and restrictions. FIRST does a great job of encouraging ingenuity and rewarding creativity and originality in the way students problem solve and create unique solutions to make their robot more and more competitive.

FTC in Montana

Montana is seeing a lot of growth and new teams joining FIRST® Tech Challenge. The competition is getting fiercer and more opportunities and events are happening each year. There are season Kickoff events on September 6th and scrimmage events around the state. The first qualifier event is in Butte on November 22nd, 2025. The second qualifier is tentatively scheduled for January 17th, 2026 in Helena. The state championship is in Bozeman, tentatively scheduled for February 6th, 2026.

Check out the Montana Robotics Alliance website for more up to date info: MTRoboticsAlliance.org