Host a K-12 Robotics Competition at Your Local Library
Your library can host a robotics competition where the kids and teens who already come to its programs take the lead in building, coding, and operating the robots. TEAM Alliance brings the competition equipment, host guides, and staff support, while your library just needs a room and a staff member as the contact.
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TEAM Alliance
Why your library is a good venue
Much of what an event needs is part of how a library already works. A meeting room, community room, or other open space can hold the competition, as long as it has enough room for the competition fields and the teams. The smallest event, one Indi field and about 10 teams, can fit in a room the size of a small classroom. That would be about 25 by 30 feet, though some people and supplies may spill into the hallway. Other programs use bigger fields, so the space you need grows with the program and the number of teams. The people who run it may already be in place, too. If your library offers youth programs, a competition is just another event alongside the ones your staff already runs.
Your contact might be a youth services director, teen services coordinator, programming librarian, or whoever books your rooms and plans your calendar. They do not need a technical background because students take the lead in building, coding, and operating the robots. Your staff does not have to write the rules either, since TEAM Alliance sets them in its published competition manuals.
If you’re collecting library program ideas, this one comes with its rules, equipment, and host guides already prepared. TEAM Alliance’s guides and planning tools include the Event Host Guide, the Event Host Planning Tool, the Event Agenda Builder for an estimated schedule, and the Event Host Example Layouts for arranging the room.
What hosting costs your library
Sphero and TEAM Alliance want to reduce the financial burden of hosting by providing the materials you need through the Event Host Support Package.
As the host, your library receives a portion of the teams’ registration fees in the form of Event Host consideration, which offsets the cost of running the event and supports your programs. For In-Person events in the 2026 to 2027 season, the consideration for Sphero Robotics Competition is $50 for each team at a qualifying event and $70 at a championship event. For the Blueprint Robotics Competition, it is $75 per team at a pre-qualifying event, $110 at a qualifying event, and $160 at a championship event. Where your library allows them, local event sponsors are another way to fund the day.
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Signage
A TEAM Alliance banner for display and event information.
Team Recognition
Medals and trophies for the winning teams.
Fields
Access to free Sphero Competition Fields and Sphero Competition Game and Field Elements.
Swag
TEAM Alliance and Sphero swag to hand out to the teams.
What the event day looks like
TEAM Alliance staff support you from planning through the event itself, so you do not run the day alone. Your volunteers get TEAM Alliance’s comprehensive volunteer guides. If your library is short on volunteers, TEAM Alliance can send its own support team to help run the event alongside your staff.
How the day runs, from check-in through awards, depends on your event’s format and size. We’ll walk through and plan those details with you before event day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Youth Protection Policy require at an event?
Every adult at the event must follow TEAM Alliance’s Youth Protection Policy. It requires adults to supervise students during activities, avoid being alone one-on-one with a student, keep physical contact appropriate and minimal, and avoid private communication with students outside team activities. Students lead the work, and adults provide guidance and support.
Do our library's background check rules still apply?
Yes. The Youth Protection Policy says adults must also follow any youth protection requirements the event host has, such as background checks or other screenings required by national, state, or local rules. If your library or library system screens the adults who work with young people, those rules apply at your event too.
What guidance do event volunteers get?
Volunteers get TEAM Alliance’s volunteer guides, which are written to keep the event running smoothly. TEAM Alliance’s Code of Conduct also applies to everyone at the event, from event hosts, volunteers and team coordinators to students, parents and other attendees.
How do we report a concern, and what happens next?
Report it to the event host or TEAM Alliance staff as soon as possible, or email TEAM Alliance staff at youthprotection@teamalliance.org. Because your library is the host, your staff may be the first to hear a concern, so pass it to TEAM Alliance staff right away. If a student may be in immediate danger, or the law requires a report, contact local law enforcement. Do not investigate or step in yourself. Every report is taken seriously and reviewed promptly.
Which students compete at an event we host?
Students from TEAM Alliance’s four programs compete, and each built for a different age group: indi Missions are for students under 9 (U9), BOLT Missions for under 12 (U12), RVR Missions for under 15 (U15), and the Blueprint Robotics Competition for under 19 (U19). If you plan library events for teens specifically, these two programs fit your programming best. RVR Missions is for students age 14 or younger on August 31, 2026 (born September 1, 2011, or later), and the Blueprint Robotics Competition is for grades 7 to 12, up to age 18 (born September 1, 2007, or later). An event can run one program or several, and you discuss which ones with TEAM Alliance as you plan. You can compare all four programs first.
Ready to host a library robotics competition?
To begin, pick an open date, reserve the room, and name the staff member who will be TEAM Alliance’s contact. Then use the Host an Event button below to apply.
Still deciding? Talk to us first.