Students from Taiwan Shine at 2026 FIRST Championship in Houston Reflecting Taiwan’s World-Class STEM Education
Taiwan’s education system supports inspires innovation in STEM fields and students who are passionate about robotics have many opportunities to participate in competitions. Thanks to the vibrant environment this creates and the hard work and dedication of the students and their teachers, teams from Taiwan continue to achieve excellence in international robotics competitions. The FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Championship is widely regarded as the Olympics of Robotics, and supported by their schools, parents, and the Esun Robot Association, fifteen qualified teams from Taiwan—comprising nearly 300 students and mentors—took part in the world finals of the 2026 FIRST Championship which were held in Houston from April 29 to May 2.
One team competed in the FIRST LEGO League division – for ages 6 to 10; two teams competed in the FIRST Tech Challenge division – for ages 12 to 18; and twelve elite teams competed in the FIRST Robotics Competition division—the championship’s most demanding category, for ages 14 to 18. This is the highest number of teams from Taiwan that has ever qualified for the world finals, where they competed against more than a thousand teams from more than 50 countries. Yvonne Hsiao 蕭伊芳, Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston, Rebecca Lan 藍先茜, Director of the Education Division, and Dr. Chen Pin-Chuan 陳品銓, Director of the Science and Technology Division visited the competition venues on the opening day of the competition to cheer the teams on.
During the four fiercely competitive days, the students demonstrated their knowledge, skills, strategic and creative thinking, and their ability to tackle complex engineering challenges. Their outstanding performances resulted in their earning the following seven awards, the highest number of awards teams from Taiwan have ever won at this world championship.
In the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC):
- Team 8595 – This Is How We Play from Ger Jyh Senior High School was awarded a Finalists Award in the FIRST Robotics Competition Curie Division;
- Team 8020 – CyberpunK from Taipei Municipal Chien Kuo High School was awarded the Excellence in Engineering Award;
- Team 7632 – An Kang Robotics Maker from New Taipei Municipal An Kang High School was awarded the Team Sustainability Award;
- Team 9427 – iDEER, a coalition team of students from New Taipei Municipal Shulin High School and from Yuteh Private International School in New Taipei was awarded a Rising All-Star Award; and
- Team 10034 – GammaLand, a coalition team of students from two schools in Yilan County—Ci-Xin Waldorf School, an experimental senior high school—and from National Lotung Industrial Vocational High School was awarded a Rising All-Star Award.
In the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC):
- Team 17257 – GoBuilder.GC, a coalition team of students from Sacred Hearts High School, National Tou-Liu Senior High School, Fu Jen Catholic High School, and Kang Ming Senior High School—all in the Yun-Chia region of southwestern Taiwan—was awarded the Control Award 2nd Place;
In the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Challenge:
- Team 75225 – The Potter by the Stream from Taichung Municipal Shi Nan Junior High School received the Robot Performance Award – 5th Place
After the competition, Director General Hsiao presented messages to the following award-winning teams from behalf of President Lai Ching-te 賴清德 and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim 蕭美琴 congratulating them for their outstanding accomplishments on the global stage. She said afterwards “These students have demonstrated far more than technical excellence; they have shown the courage to innovate and an inspiring spirit of teamwork and collaboration. These opportunities for international connection and cross-cultural dialogue are among the most valuable lessons students can gain beyond the classroom.”
These young innovators have proven their ability to compete and collaborate at the highest international level, serving as outstanding ambassadors for Taiwan’s education sector, and Taiwan’s government remains committed to providing advanced, interdisciplinary STEM education and nurturing Taiwan’s next generation to be globally minded and competitive.
