Brainiacs Robotics Olympiad Mechanics The Brainiacs Robotics Olympiad is an international competition aimed at developing engineering thinking, programming and autonomous robot-building skills among students from Grade 1 to Grade 12. It features two competitions — Line Following and Robot Sumo — and runs in two stages: the Preliminary Round and the Global Round.
CategoriesGrades 1-6, Grades 7-12
Preliminary Round INovember 28, 2026Registration deadlineNovember 26, 2026
Preliminary Round IIDecember 19, 2026Registration deadlineDecember 17, 2026
Preliminary Round IIIJanuary 16, 2027Registration deadlineJanuary 14, 2027
Preliminary Round IVFebruary 13, 2027Registration deadlineFebruary 11, 2027
Global FinalMarch 25-31, 2027Early registrationJanuary 23, 2027Late registrationFebruary 20, 2027
Welcome to the Brainiacs Robotics Olympiad!
Join us!Video up to 5 min PreliminaryRaces and matches Global Final
Line FollowingRobot Sumo
English and the host country's languageEnglish at the Global Final
Mechanics
CATEGORIES
- Category 1: Grades 1 to 6
- Category 2: Grades 7 to 12
PRELIMINARY ROUND
Students register through the official Brainiacs Olympiad website or through authorised representatives in their country. To register, a team chooses a competition and an age group, enters the team name and its members' details, and provides a video link showing the robot. A team has 1 or 2 participants.
The four online rounds follow the same format but feature different challenges. Participants who do not qualify in the first round, or cannot take part in it, may take part in the second, third and fourth.
- Online I: November 28, 2026 (registration deadline November 26, 2026); results December 3, 2026
- Online II: December 19, 2026 (registration deadline December 17, 2026); results December 24, 2026
- Online III: January 16, 2027 (registration deadline January 14, 2027); results January 21, 2027
- Online IV: February 13, 2027 (registration deadline February 11, 2027); results February 18, 2027
Format. The Preliminary Round is held completely online. Each team records a video presentation of up to 5 minutes with a short introduction of the team, a brief description of the robot's design, a demonstration of the programming and a demonstration of the robot completing the chosen challenge. In Line Following the robot follows a line on the track; in Robot Sumo it is shown on a sumo ring in a short match.
Scoring. Judges evaluate the video and how well the robot meets the requirements of the chosen competition, out of 100 points: Robot Design 25, Programming 25, Task Performance 35, Project Presentation 15. Video quality — a clear image, good sound and an easy-to-follow demonstration — is also among the criteria.
Recognition. 40-49 Honorable Mention Certificate, 50-74 Bronze Medal, 75-89 Silver Medal, 90-100 Gold Medal. Participants scoring at least 40% qualify for the Global Round, and every participant receives a Certificate of Participation.
GLOBAL ROUND
The Global Round of the 3rd Brainiacs Olympiad takes place at Xiamen University Malaysia from March 25 to 31, 2027. Standard registration deadline: January 23, 2027. Late registration deadline: February 20, 2027. Students register through the official Brainiacs Olympiad website or through authorised representatives in their country.
The Global Round takes two consecutive days of official races and matches in the chosen competition, in a round-robin format in which teams meet each other and every race or match adds to the overall ranking — so each team gets as many chances to compete as possible.
Day 1. A mandatory technical inspection of every robot — dimensions, weight, number of sensors and number of motors against the category's technical requirements — after which robots stay in a quarantine area until their scheduled time; practice runs and sensor calibration; the first official races and matches.
Day 2. Practice runs and sensor calibration; the final races and matches; additional matches where needed to resolve a tie.
Line Following. The robot completes the designated track fully autonomously, navigating all obstacles in the fastest possible time with no intervention from the team.
Robot Sumo. Robots meet one-on-one on the competition ring under the category's rules and technical requirements; the result is the total of points earned through the tournament.
Results. Winners are decided separately for each age group and competition, on the results of all official races and matches and on full compliance with the technical regulations and competition rules. A tie in the final standings may be settled by additional races or matches. The Head Judge's decision is final.
Recognition. Medals go by share of all participants: the top 10% receive gold, the next 20% silver, the next 30% bronze and the next 15% an honorable mention.
LANGUAGES
The official languages are English and the official language of the country hosting the Preliminary Round. At the Global Round the competition is held in English, and all regulations, announcements, technical documentation and judges' decisions are published in English.
