Romanian students earn silver medal at FIRST Global Challenge 2026

Five Romanian high school students have made their country proud by winning a silver medal at the FIRST Global Challenge 2026, held from October 7 to 10 in Incheon, South Korea. This prestigious international robotics competition brought together teams from over 190 countries, showcasing the talent and innovation of young minds around the world.

Romania's achievement is particularly noteworthy as it secured second place in the category of the Albert Einstein Award for FIRST Global International Excellence, the most significant distinction awarded in the competition. This marks the best result for the Romanian team since 2019, highlighting the progress and dedication of these talented students.

The national team consisted of Laura Ionescu, Ada Comănescu, Ilinca Toloș, Tudor Dumitru, and Constantin Victor Coacă, all of whom were mentored by Alin Dincă. Their project was inspired by the theme "Igniting Innovation," which addressed challenges related to wildfires. The robots they designed were tasked with simulating fire suppression and isolation tasks, culminating in a final challenge where they had to work together to ascend a structure.

The award received by the Romanian team recognized their technical performance, teamwork, innovation, and international cooperation. Their preparations were supported by Smart::Bits, the robotics community at the Faculty of Computer Science within the West University of Timișoara. Răzvan Țînca, Alina Roșoga, and Matei Albu played crucial roles in helping the students design, build, and program their robot, while Robert Iridon, an engineer from MAHLE Romania, assisted with the robot’s design.

This collaboration is part of a partnership established in 2018 between the West University of Timișoara and the organization "Nație prin Educație." The university also had a representative on the international technical jury, Theodor Grumeza, who evaluated the solutions developed by the participating teams, ensuring that Romania's contributions were judged fairly on the global stage.

The FIRST Global Challenge is an annual competition that encourages high school students to find technical solutions and collaborate beyond their national borders, fostering innovation and teamwork among the leaders of tomorrow.