The Future of FIRST LEGO League in Virginia and Washington, D.C.

January 16, 2026

After an outstanding VA-DC FIRST LEGO League Challenge season consisting of nineteen qualifying tournaments across the Commonwealth and Capitol and two AMAZING championship events at James Madison University this past weekend, we woke up on Monday to some big news from LEGO and FIRST.  If you haven’t had a chance to read more about it, I would encourage you to check out this post from FIRST as well as the FAQ page.

I first want to acknowledge the concerns and anxiousness.  We have all come to know and love the “Founders Edition” of the program that utilizes LEGO Spike Prime or EV3 Mindstorm kits. We have watched our own children and children in our schools and communities discover new STEM concepts and innovate solutions that have blown us away.  We have seen them work as a team to overcome challenges and make an impact on the world.  All of us give our time and energy because we believe deeply in the value and enrichment this program provides for the kiddos we serve.

Not only has our community invested time, but also the funds to purchase equipment needed to compete as a team and I know from the many conversations I have had this week – it is a real concern.  We want you to continue to use that equipment and take the time you need to learn more about the new LEGO Computer Science & AI set that will be released this Spring.  At this point, there is still much we do not know and there have been a lot of assumptions made based on the very short video that was released.  I acknowledge the anxiety and concerns around the changing cost and scope of the game, but I am asking our community to keep an open-mind as details become available.  I have been assured that there is much more “depth and breadth” that has not been shown yet.  And if there is anything I know about our amazing VA-DC FLL teams, we can take this to the next level!

During the 2026-2027 FIRST LEGO League Season; 

• VA-DC FLL will be running a “Founders Edition” competition season with the game we know and love and the robots you have already purchased.  We will host qualifiers across the VA-DC in November and December, advance teams on to a Championship event in January, and then on to World Festival and other national and international events. 
• We will also be hosting “Future Edition” competitions in the Spring for teams that do wish to transition over to the new program.  This will give us time to learn and grow together!

During the 2027-2028 FIRST LEGO League Season;

• VA-DC FLL will run both “Founders Edition” and “Future Edition” events.  At this time, we are unsure if the timing will remain the same (Fall vs. Spring) as we need to watch how registration unfolds.  So teams can still use Spike Prime/ EV3 sets for the Founders game or the CS & AI kit for the Future game.

In the meantime, let’s learn and problem-solve together, just like we ask the kids to do!  While there is much we do not know, there are actions we can start taking now to ensure a smooth transition.  Starting in February, we will be hosting a monthly call (one scheduled for the evening and one scheduled for the daytime to best fit people’s schedules).  These calls will address newly released information as well as your questions!  The calls will be recorded and posted to this page.  Because of two different timings, there will be a registration link for evening calls and a link for daytime calls.  I would expect that there will not be much difference between the evening and daytime calls each month but as we receive more information; each month we will have new details to share.

Register for Evening Sessions – Register for Daytime Sessions

• February Sessions: February 10th at 7pm or February 11th at 12pm
• March Sessions:  March 10th at 7pm or March 11th at 12pm
• April Sessions: April 14th at 7pm or April 8th at 12pm
• May Sessions:  May 12th at 7pm or May 13th at 12pm

Additionally, we are gathering your questions to review at these sessions. As I mentioned, there is a lot we do not know yet, but I will do my best to answer your questions and in some cases, even take your questions directly to FIRST.  We will work to collect all the questions and answers in a VA-DC FLL specific FAQ document.

Submit your Questions Here

I appreciate everything you do to make amazing STEM experiences happen for young people in your community. Remember (1) Let’s keep playing the game we have grown to love (2) Let’s stay open-minded, problem-solve, and learn together!

Keep Calm and LEGO On!

Kaitlin Ilnitzki
Program Delivery Partner
FIRST LEGO League in Virginia and Washington, DC