ATLAB Middle East, a subsidiary of Centena Group and the official organiser of FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) UAE, announced the winners of the 2025–26 season during a grand finale held on February 7 and 8, 2026 at the American School of Creative Science, Maliha Road. Organised by ATLAB Middle East, affiliate Partner for FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and LEGO® Education, the event brought together young innovators from across the UAE to demonstrate their skills in robotics, AI, STEM learning, and problem-solving.
Nilesh Korgaonkar, CEO of ATLAB, stated: “We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all teams who reached the Finals of the FIRST® LEGO® League UAE 2025–26 season. The FIRST® LEGO® League UAE continues to be a powerful platform for inspiring young minds across the country. These students are not only building robots but addressing real-world challenges with creativity, collaboration, and purpose. Their work strongly aligns with the UAE Centennial 2071 and the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031, reinforcing our commitment to developing a future-ready workforce. We wish the teams every success as they go on to represent the UAE internationally, proudly showcasing the nation’s spirit of innovation, excellence, and global leadership”
The FIRST® LEGO® League EXPLORE category included 202 teams, with 42 teams reaching the Finals. All EXPLORE finalists were recognised across six award categories, with Team Robo Relics selected to represent FIRST® LEGO® League UAE EXPLORE at the World Festival in the USA. Several special awards were also presented, including the Challenge Solution Award, Coding Award, Core Values Award, Team Poster Award, Team Model Award, and Rising Star Award.
In the FIRST® LEGO® League CHALLENGE category, 189 teams competed, with 38 advancing to the Finals. A total of 19 awards were presented, and seven teams qualified to represent the UAE at international competitions. Team ACE was crowned Champion of the category, and Team Metalmech was named runner-up — with both set to compete in the USA against teams from 114 different countries. Team RoboRelix and Team Eviebots will represent the UAE in Australia, Team Lithomex will compete in Greece, Team Dew of the Void in Korea, and Team Chrono Diggers in Mexico, marking a strong international presence for the UAE across global competitions.
The season, themed ‘UNEARTHED,’ highlighted the creativity, teamwork, and technical excellence of participating students. Inspired by archaeology, the theme encouraged teams to explore how modern technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence can support the discovery, study, and preservation of historical artifacts. The competition saw participation from 391 teams nationwide across two categories: FIRST® LEGO® League EXPLORE and FIRST® LEGO® League CHALLENGE.
Reflecting the season’s theme, teams presented innovative solutions linking robotics, AI, and heritage preservation. Projects included drone-based scanning to map excavation sites, ground-penetrating radar to locate buried artifacts safely, autonomous rovers for hazardous environments, and an AI-powered application capable of identifying archaeological artifacts from images, demonstrating how technology can enhance research and documentation.
Additional honours in the CHALLENGE category included the Robot Design Award, presented to Team Lithomex with Team Uncharted as runner-up. The Robot Game Award was claimed by Team Robo Relics, followed by Team ACE as runner-up and Team Metalmech as second runner-up. The Innovation Project Award and Core Values Award were presented to Team Eviebots and Team Dew of the Void respectively, with runner-up teams also recognised.
Abdallah Alsafadi, Coach of Team ACE, said: “This season of FIRST® LEGO® League was about far more than building a robot or competing. It gave students the space to think, experiment, fail, and grow together. We witnessed clear growth in their confidence, communication, and sense of responsibility. At the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences, we believe such experiences shape how young people see their future. While we are delighted at the championship victory, the students’ personal growth is the true achievement.”
Teams were evaluated by a distinguished panel of judges from universities, schools, and public and private institutions across the UAE. Judging criteria covered innovation, robot design and performance, teamwork, and core values, with a strong emphasis on Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition®, aimed at promoting collaboration, respect, and shared learning.
The successful conclusion of the FIRST® LEGO® League UAE 2025–26 season reinforces ATLAB’s ongoing commitment to nurturing young talent and strengthening the UAE’s growing ecosystem for robotics and STEM education.