
Big Discoveries Start Small!
FIRST LEGO League Explore is more than LEGOs—it’s a chance for young people to solve problems, explore big ideas, work together, and discover what they can accomplish. Teams get started at a school by educators or in the community by parents, out of school organizations, and more!
Registration is a two-step process. All teams are required to register with FIRST Inspires AND register with VA-DC FIRST LEGO League. If both registrations are not complete, your team will not be eligible to participate in the 2026-2027 Festival. Registration for the 2026-2027 BIOGLOW season is now open!
Ready to get going? Start here!

What You’ll Need to Start a Team
👥 A Team: 2–6 youth participants and at least two adult coaches. Teams can have addition adult mentors and mentors can be under 18 years old.
🤖 A Robotics Set – LEGO Spike Essentials or WeDo 2.0 set; can be reused from year to year. Teams can also use other kits like the LEGO Spike Prime or EV3 Mindstorm, if looking for more challenge.
💻 A Computer or Tablet – For programming your robotic elements.
🌴 A BIOGLOW Explore Set – LEGO elements and season-specific materials they need to explore this year’s BIOGLOW challenge
Optional Items: Team t-shirts/ costumes, travel expenses to an event, presentation supplies, notebooks, poster board, team snacks, etc.
* LEGO SPIKE Essentials is no longer available for purchase through LEGO Education as of June 30, 2026. It will be supported by LEGO through 2030. New teams will need to look elsewhere for a kit or consider legacy kits listed above.
Register a Team with FIRST Inspires
Step 1 — Create a FIRST Account or Log Into your Existing FIRST Account
The adult coach creates the account—not the student.
Step 2 — Create Your Team
From My Teams, select Create a New Team → FIRST LEGO League. You can manage multiple teams from the same account.
Step 3 — Select Founders Edition
Follow the prompts and select the option using LEGO Education SPIKE Essential.
Step 4 — Complete Your Purchase
Use the new FIRST Storefront to purchase your $150 season registration. The Registration includes...
– Official FIRST LEGO League Challenge team number
– The BIOGLOW Explore Set, the LEGO elements and season-specific materials they need to explore this year’s BIOGLOW challenge
– Digital ONLY access to the Team Meeting Guide, Robot Game Rulebook, and student Engineering Notebook.
– Access to team roster to register coaches and participants
– Ability to register for a FIRST LEGO League Explore Festival
FIRST confirms that U.S. teams now register through the FIRST Dashboard and complete purchases through the new FIRST Storefront.
Using a Purchase Order or Tax-Exempt Purchase? Read this first!
FIRST has changed its purchasing process for 2026–27. Schools and organizations using purchase orders or sales-tax exemption certificates may need to complete additional steps before checkout. We recommend starting this process early. Learn more with these links.
Do I need to set up a Financial Guarantor?
How do I upload our Sales Tax Exemption Form?
Frequently Asked Questions – Sales Tax Exemption
Additionally, you can create a quote or performa invoice from the FIRST Storefront. Learn More
FIRST Youth Registration (Required – Consent & Release Forms)
FIRST requires all youth team members to register. Youth Team Members who have not registered will not be permitted to participate in FIRST competitions.
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
Register a Team with VA-DC FIRST LEGO League
Once a team is registered with FIRST, they can register to participate in a Virginia + DC FIRST LEGO League Explore Festival.
- Step 1 — Create or Log into your VA+DC FLL Team Manager Account
- Step 2 — Create Team Profile (multiple teams can be managed in the same account)
- Step 3 — Enter Team Member Data & Submit the $175 Tournament Fee
- Step 4 — Select Tournament Preferences **Only Available October 1st – 10th**
Each team will select 4 tournament preferences (see tournament schedule here). After the closing of registration, teams will be assigned to their tournament. Teams will be able to find their tournament assignment in their Team Manager account or our website after October 15th. Assignments are based on a “first come, first serve” basis.
Finding a Team
We are excited to have such a variety of community based organizations, homeschool groups, public/private school groups, and friends and family teams. Due to the varying degrees of team dynamics, FIRST and VA-DC FLL do not match youth to existing teams due to our privacy policy. Teams form in local communities and recruit as needed. We encourage those looking for a team to contact local schools, libraries, or youth organizations that may have a team in place or an interest in starting one. Please find additional suggestions below on how to find a team:
- Using the FIRST Team and Event Search tool on our website is a great way to look for teams in your area!
- Use the “Filter” section to narrow your search results by program
- The result may yield team number, name, location, and rookie year. Teams have the option of disclosing an email address publicly. We cannot provide contact information for teams that opt to not disclose that information;
- We recommend conducting a Google or other web search on the team’s name. Often a website or Facebook page will appear in the search results that may provide team contact information; as many teams form via schools, youth organizations, and community groups, we also recommend reaching out to these organizations in your area to inquire if any have a FIRST team and if so, if they are looking for additional members.
- The easiest way to get your child involved in a team is to start one! Scroll of the top of this page to learn more 😄
Finding Equipment
Looking for a SPIKE Prime Kit? LEGO Education SPIKE Prime (#45678) has been retired, but Founders Edition teams can still find new and used kits through the secondary market. We recommend checking Facebook Marketplace, eBay, BrickLink, local LEGO resale stores, and other schools or former FLL teams. When purchasing used equipment, make sure the kit includes a working SPIKE Prime Hub, battery, motors, and sensors—missing LEGO Technic pieces are generally much easier to replace!
Tip: Search for “LEGO Education SPIKE Prime 45678” rather than just “SPIKE Prime” to avoid accidentally purchasing an expansion set.
Sample Budget and Fundraising
Find a Sample Budget Here – Major expenses to consider…
- FIRST Inspires Registration (includes BIOGLOW Explore Set) – $150 and tax
- VA-DC FIRST LEGO League Festival Fee – $75
- LEGO Spike Essentials or Other LEGO Robotics Set – varies (see “Finding Equipment” section above)
What is a FIRST Classpack?
FIRST Class Pack is a flexible curricular option that brings the excitement of competition to a school or organization. Culminating Class Pack celebration events are run by the host school or organization once their participants have completed the program. To participate in a local FIRST event against other traditional teams, please register a FIRST traditional team in addition to your Class Pack. LEARN MORE
