Getting started

How do you take part in WRO®?

World Robot Olympiad is for students, coaches, schools, and independent teams who want to learn by designing, building, programming, and testing robots.

For students

Step by step

Students take part in teams of 2–3 with an adult coach. Each team chooses a competition category, prepares a robot or prototype, and takes part in the Icelandic national tournament.

Step 1

Find a team

Form a team with other students in the right age group. Each team consists of 2–3 students.

Step 2

Find a coach

A coach can be a teacher, parent, after-school instructor, or older student. Coaches must be at least 18 years old.

Step 3

Choose a category

Choose RoboMission if you want to solve tasks on a competition field, or Future Innovators if you want to develop a creative robotic solution to a real-world problem.

Step 4

Design, test, and improve

The team designs, builds, programs, tests, and improves its solution during the spring semester after the season theme and rules are published.

Step 5

Take part in the national tournament

Teams from around Iceland meet at the national tournament, present their solutions, and compete for opportunities to participate in international events.

Step 6

Keep learning

A new theme and new challenges are published every year. Teams can continue, move to a new age group, or try a different category.

For coaches

The role of the coach

A coach helps the team organize preparation, access equipment, find practice time, and work in a structured way. A coach guides the students, but does not solve the challenge for them.

Coaches should

  • help students form teams and choose a competition category
  • organize practice time and access to facilities
  • refer students to useful learning resources and exercises
  • register teams for the national tournament and follow deadlines
  • support students mentally and organizationally on tournament day

Coaches should not

  • design, build, or program the solution for the students
  • give students ready-made solutions or building instructions
  • speak for students in presentations or discussions with judges
  • encourage copying or unfair competition
  • take the project out of the hands of the team

The season

How is the WRO® season organized?

Each WRO® season begins with preparation in schools and communities. The theme and rules are published in January, teams work on their solutions during the spring semester, and the national tournament takes place in spring.

15 June

Joint equipment order

Schools and teams can take part in a joint equipment order so material can be shipped to Iceland in time for autumn practice. See the registration page for details.

15 December

Team registration

Coaches register the number of teams, age groups, and competition categories for the Icelandic national tournament through the registration page.

15 January

Theme and rules published

The new season theme, challenges, and rules are published. This marks the beginning of focused preparation for the spring tournament.

Spring semester

Design, building, and testing

Teams work on robots, prototypes, programming, testing, presentations, reports, and improvements.

Early May

Icelandic national tournament

Teams from around Iceland meet, present their projects, and compete for opportunities to participate in international events. Read more about the national tournament.

Autumn

International events

Top teams may have the opportunity to participate in European open events, other international open competitions, or the WRO international final.

Equipment

What equipment do teams need?

To take part in WRO®, teams need access to a robotics kit, a computer or tablet for programming, and, depending on the category, practice tables, game fields, and presentation materials.

For all categories

  • One robotics kit for each team of 2–3 students
  • A laptop or tablet for programming the robot
  • Practice time and space for testing solutions
  • A coach who supports organization and preparation

Especially for RoboMission

  • A competition or practice table
  • A printed game field or practice mat
  • Game elements and mission objects
  • StarterMission practice material for basic robot skills

Especially for Future Innovators

  • Robotics equipment with sensors and actuators
  • Materials for building a working prototype
  • Posters, presentation material, and a project report
  • Space to test and demonstrate the solution

WRO® is technologically flexible

WRO® is not tied to one brand or one technology platform. Teams may use different robotics systems, as long as their equipment follows the technical rules of the chosen category.

FLL to WRO

From FIRST® LEGO® League to World Robot Olympiad

Many Icelandic schools have experience with FIRST® LEGO® League. WRO® continues the spirit of learning, teamwork, and creativity, but introduces a different structure and more flexible technology choices.

Competition structure

In FLL, teams took part in several categories during the same season. In WRO®, each team chooses one competition category, such as RoboMission or Future Innovators.

Technology and equipment

FLL was based on LEGO® equipment. WRO® allows more varied robotics platforms and programming languages, as long as teams follow the rules of their chosen category.

Season timeline

WRO® rules are published in January, the Icelandic national tournament takes place in spring, and international events are held in autumn.

If your school has previously taken part in FLL, WRO® is a natural next step. Start by choosing a competition category and reviewing the equipment you already have access to.

View the competition

Next steps

Ready to prepare a team?

The next step is to choose a competition category, review the equipment you have access to, and follow the registration deadlines for the national tournament.