The competition is open to students from Kindergarten to Year 12 currently enrolled in any school in Australia. Homeschooling students can also participate according to their equivalent year level. There is no state restriction — schools from NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA, TAS, NT, and ACT are all welcome.

There are two registration methods:

• School Group Registration: A school coordinator registers and pays for all students at once. After payment, the coordinator uploads a CSV file with student names, year levels, classroom names, teacher emails, and parent emails. The system automatically creates classrooms and assigns students to each teacher.
• Individual Registration: A parent or guardian registers their child directly through the [Register] page and pays via Stripe.

Both! Individual participation is welcome, and students can also form teams. After registration, the teacher or parent can assign students to teams via the Manager Dashboard. Each student must be individually registered and paid for, even if they are part of a team.

Yes! Registration remains open throughout the challenge period. The school coordinator can add additional students via the Manager Dashboard at any time — either individually or by uploading another CSV file. Additional spots can be purchased if the original quota has been filled.

The system supports multi-classroom management. The school coordinator registers and pays for all students, then uploads a CSV with classroom names and teacher emails. The system:

• Automatically creates accounts for each classroom teacher
• Assigns students to the correct classroom
• Each teacher can only view and manage their own classroom’s students
• The school coordinator (admin) can see all classrooms and all students

Each classroom teacher will receive a welcome email with instructions to set their password and access their dashboard.

Parent/guardian email is mandatory for each student. This is used for progress reports, eLearning platform notifications, and important competition updates.

⚠️ School/institutional email addresses cannot be used as parent emails. The system blocks domains such as .edu.au, .school.nz, .k12.*, etc. Please provide a personal email address (e.g., Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo).

The 2026 entry fees are:

A single payment covers participation in all categories — Coding, Robotics, and the STEM Challenge (eLearning). There is no need to pay separately for each event.

Both school and individual registrations are processed through Stripe (credit/debit card) directly on the website. After selecting the number of students and completing the form, you will be redirected to a secure Stripe checkout page.

For schools requiring a purchase order or invoice payment, please contact us and we can arrange alternative payment methods.

Yes. A payment confirmation is sent automatically after checkout. If you need a formal tax invoice, please email [email protected] with your payment details.

Yes! All registered students automatically receive access to the STEM eLearning platform (elearning.mrtrobotics.com), which includes the Maths curriculum, Coding exercises, and Robotics content appropriate for their year level. This is included in the registration fee at no extra cost.

After registration and payment, student accounts are automatically created on the eLearning platform. Login credentials (username and password) are sent to the parent/guardian email provided during registration.

Students can access the platform from anywhere with an internet connection — at school, home, or any device. Parents and teachers can reset student passwords from the Manager Dashboard at any time.

Yes! Teachers are automatically given a Teacher Portal account on the eLearning platform. They can access it at elearning.mrtrobotics.com/teacher-portal/ to monitor student progress across the STEM challenge curriculum.

Student accounts are generated automatically after payment is confirmed. If you haven’t received login details:

1. Check your spam/junk folder for the registration confirmation email
2. Ensure the parent email provided during registration is correct
3. Ask your teacher or parent to reset your password from the Manager Dashboard
4. Use Lost Password on the eLearning site

The 2026 theme is “Emergency Protocol”. Students must design projects that respond to emergency scenarios — rescue operations, safety systems, monitoring, logistics, or AI-driven response solutions.

Full theme details, examples, and requirements are available on the Competition Rules page.

The competition has three main events:

Students can participate in up to two project categories (one coding + one robotics) with a single registration.

The 2026 competition specifies Allowed Tools for each pathway:

• Path A (Junior): Scratch (scratch.mit.edu) — free, browser-based
• Path B (Creative Coding): Scratch or MRT AI Studio
• Path C (AI Pose): MRT AI Studio (available through the eLearning platform)

MRT AI Studio is available for download from the eLearning platform after registration.

No. You are free to use any brand of robot kit — LEGO Spike/EV3, MRT, VEX, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, or any other. The competition evaluates ideas, creativity, and problem-solving, not the specific hardware used.

Submissions are made through the Manager Dashboard on the RCC website:

1. Log in to your account at roboticscodingchallenge.org/manager-dashboard/
2. Go to the “Project Submissions” tab
3. Record a brief video (approx. 3 minutes) demonstrating your project and explaining your design in the student’s own voice
4. Upload the video to YouTube (as Unlisted) and paste the URL into the submission form
5. Optionally provide a GitHub link or shared code link
6. Click “Finalize & Submit” — once submitted, the entry is locked and sent to the judges

The exact deadline will be announced on the website and via email. Please check the Competition Rules page for the latest dates. The competition runs from Term 2 through end of Term 3, 2026.

Extensions may be considered on a case-by-case basis for health or other extenuating circumstances. Please email [email protected] as early as possible to discuss.

Projects are evaluated across five dimensions:

• Creativity & Originality: Fresh, bold interpretation of the theme
• Technical Implementation: Quality of code logic, structure, and functionality
• Presentation Quality: Clear, confident video explanation by the student
• Theme Connection: Meaningful link to the “Emergency Protocol” theme
• Innovation Bonus: Extra credit for AI, sensor integration, or novel approaches

A simple project explained brilliantly can score higher than a complex project the student doesn’t understand.

• 🏆 Trophy (Legendary Coder): Top awardees inducted into the official UNSW Hall of Fame with a physical trophy
• 🥇🥈🥉 Gold, Silver, Bronze: Medals and certificates
• 📜 Certificate of Participation: All participating students receive a certificate

The Manager Dashboard provides teachers with comprehensive tools:

• 📤 CSV bulk upload — register 100+ students at once with classrooms and teacher assignments
• 👨‍🏫 Classroom management — view students grouped by classroom
• 👥 Team management — create teams and assign students
• 📝 Project submissions — submit and finalize student projects
• 🔗 eLearning quick access — direct links to the Teacher Portal and Student Login

The UNSW Robotics & Coding Challenge is jointly operated by UNSW Sydney (School of Built Environment) and MRT Robotics. Academic advisor: Prof. Riza Yosia Sunindijo.

Email: [email protected]
Website: roboticscodingchallenge.org

We aim to respond to all enquiries within 1–2 business days.