Show Us How You GLOW!
It’s time for your young innovators to take center stage! At a BIOGLOW Explore Festival, teams get to share their model, talk about their discoveries, meet other teams, and celebrate all the creativity and teamwork that made their season shine.
Before registering for an official Virginia+DC FIRST® LEGO® League Explore Festival, make sure your team has registered with FIRST. Then, teams register for a VA-DC FLL Explore Festival. In Virginia + DC, teams begin working in late summer/ fall and attend a Festival in winter/ spring.
VA-DC FLL Explore Festival Registration
Festivals celebrate the work of our Virginia – D.C. FIRST LEGO League Explore teams! Teams can register for one Festival. If your team would like to attend more than one Festival, reach out to us after submitting your initial registration and we will do our best to accommodate. Our goal is to ensure that every team can attend one Festival!
BIOGLOW 2026-2027 Festival Schedule
We are working to finalize our BIOGLOW 2026-2027 VA-DC FLL Explore Festival schedule. Please check back as we plan to have it posted by September 30th, 2026. Shortly after the schedule is posted, event registration will open. Once teams have registered for an event, they will be sent directions about how to submit the $75 Festival fee to VA-DC FLL.
VA-DC FLL Explore Festival Guidelines
Each event will look different depending on the host site, but teams can expect the following…
- Teams should plan attend the event for approximately 2 to 3 hours (depending on the event format). Festivals will have between 6 and 18 teams (with a few exceptions).
- Teams should have no more than 6 participants. Every participant should have completed the FIRST Consent & Release form (details below).
- Teams will display their BIOGLOW Team Model and Team Poster. Table space will vary at each event, but teams can plan for at least 2 by 4 ft of surface. Team models should be on the BIOGLOW mat included in their FLL Explore Set.
- Reviewers will meet with each team for 10-15 minutes (5 minutes for the team to present their work and up to 10 minutes for questions). See this Reviewing Flowchart
- We encourage teams to talk and learn from other teams during the event! When teams aren’t sharing with other teams and reviewers, there will also be activities or demonstrations to participate in!
- At the end of the event, each participant will get to take home their official VA-DC FIRST LEGO League medal and each team will receive at least one award. This is a non-competitive program as we work to celebrate each team; therefore teams will not be ranked.
How to Prepare your Team
- Have the team create a Team Poster, showcasing their season journey. Learn more about the Team Poster/ Team Model guidelines
- Take a look at the Reviewing Documents, Reviewing Sample Questions, and Reviewing Flowchart
- Have your team practice introducing themselves and sharing their work with family/friends at a practice meeting! It will help them feel more comfortable during the review session. You can even try some of the “Reviewer Questions” with them (found in previous bullet point).
Additional Event Resources
FIRST Consent & Release
FIRST requires all youth team members to register. Youth Team Members who have not registered will not be permitted to participate in FIRST events.
EXPRESS ENROLLMENT
Instructions for Coaches
Instructions for Parents/ Guardians
Frequently Asked Questions
Contact questions@va-dcfll.org, if you have…
A need a Spanish version of the form
Parents/ guardians that cannot electronically register their child
Other Helpful Links
- Coaches Chats
- Explore Event Overview
- Suggested Festival Packing List *Coming Soon*
- Participation Certificate *Coming Soon*