FIRST Tech Challenge
FTC started as a demonstration event at the 2004 World Championship and grew to over 800 teams in the 2007 season. In order to continue that growth it was decided that a platform that better reflected current technology now and into the future was required. FTC now has the resources to expand its impact and plans to scale globally over the next ten years.
The FTC program is for high school aged students, and is flexible enough in structure that a team can form within the school or home-school environment, as an after-school program, with a neighborhood group, or as part of any youth-based organization: neighborhood groups, churches, civic groups. There is no age limit placed on the team members but in order to participate they cannot have already graduated from high school.
Teams register online on the FCTregistration web site from May to February. FTC reveals the yearly game challenge in September. October and November are the active months when teams prepare their solutions to the game challenge, and all tournaments occur November through February.