Students from across the country put their STEM skills to the test at the annual FIRST LEGO League Regional Tournament, hosted by NSCG's Newcastle College.

The college welcomed 21 teams from seven different counties, with some travelling from as far as West Yorkshire, to take part in this year's challenge on Tuesday 10 February.

The 2026 competition featured the theme 'Unearthed', which required teams to design, build and programme a LEGO robot inspired by archaeological adventures.

The robots were presented to a judging panel before being put to the test in a series of timed missions and tasks, with referees awarding scores for project innovation, robot design and demonstration of the competition's core values.

Megan Clayton LEGO Education Innovation Studio and Schools Liaison Officer at Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG), said: "The tournament has become a key date in the NSCG calendar and one we look forward to each year. Students consistently exceed expectations, showcasing incredible imagination, creativity and understanding.

"The FIRST programme provides a fantastic introduction to STEM subjects, often inspiring young people to engage with science, technology, engineering and maths for the very first time."

In addition to building the robots, students were challenged to identify a real-world issue faced by archaeologists and present an innovative solution to the judging panel on the day.

The Champions Award went to End_Tec, Endon High School (image via NSCG)

advertisement

2026 FIRST LEGO League Award Winners:

• Coach/Mentor Winner: Chris Dunn, Saint John Fisher Catholic College
• Judges Unity Award Winners: Space Katz, Saint Mary's College
• Judges Exemplary Award Winners: Mech Masters, Malbank School
• Robot Game Award: Incredilegos, Bradford Grammar School
• Core Values Award: Emerald Warriors, Home Educated Group
• Robot Design Award: Excavators, Christ Church Academy
• Innovation Project Award: Code Breakers, Saint John Fisher Catholic College
• Champions Award: End_Tec, Endon High School

LEGO Education Innovation Studio sessions are available to book for primary and secondary school students, at both Newcastle College and Stafford College campuses.

To book a session, which are available during time-term only, contact Megan Clayton by emailing [email protected]

This is a sponsored article. If it wasn't for sponsors like NSCG, our news site would not be possible - thank you.

If you own a local business and would like to sponsor us, get in touch at [email protected].