Hundreds of student competitors from across Kentucky will gather at Northern Kentucky University for the 2026 FIRST LEGO League state championships on Feb. 28 and March 14.
The statewide robotics competition, now in its 12th year at NKU, brings together elementary, middle and high school students. Events will run from 11:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Griffin Hall.
The challenge requires student teams to build and program a LEGO robot and present research on a real-world issue related to the annual theme. This year’s theme, FIRST AGESM, includes the FLL UNEARTHED challenge, which focuses on archaeology and ancient cultures.
NKU’s Center for Integrative Natural Science and Mathematics has hosted the state championships since 2012. The center also received a NASA Kentucky Space Grant to coordinate six regional qualifying tournaments across the state and provide coaching support during the season.