Updates and Changelog
- Updates to new RECF competition programs
- Revised document structure and Quick Reference Guide
- Remove maximum number of teams that can qualify from an Event Region to the 2027 RECF STEM World Championship
- Revised Conference and School Based Tournament rules and requirements
- RECF World Championship spot allocation moved to January 2027 to use current team data not historical
Introduction
The Robotics Education & Competition Foundation (RECF) Qualifying Criteria establishes the official standards for events within its competition programs. It defines the requirements events must meet to be recognized as qualifying toward championship opportunities. This document exists to ensure consistency and fairness across all events for the current competition season.
For purposes of this document, the following names and acronyms may be used:
- RECF ENGAGE Robotics Competition
- RECF ACHIEVE Robotics Competition
- RECF INSPIRE Robotics Competition
- RECF: Robotics Education & Competition Foundation
- RSM: Regional Support Manager
If you have any questions regarding the Qualifying Criteria, contact your Regional Support Manager (RSM). This document will have a scheduled update on or around January 15, 2027, and may have unscheduled updates during the season as needed.
Note: From time to time, the RECF or an RSM may modify or make an exception to any of the following criteria to better support a state/province/region/nation. For more information, please contact your RSM.
Qualifying Criteria Sections
Quick Reference Guide
Section 1: Qualifying Event
Section 2: Open Tournament
Section 3: School-Based Tournament
Section 4: Invitational Tournament
Section 5: JROTC Invitational Event
Section 6: RECF INSPIRE Robotics Competition
Section 7: League
Section 8: Skills Only Event
Section 9: Scrimmage
Section 10: Workshop
Section 11: Conference
Section 12: Signature Event
Section 13: Event Region Championship
Section 14: RECF STEM World Championship
Appendix A: RECF ENGAGE Robotics Competition Spot Allocation Chart
Appendix B: RECF ACHIEVE Robotics Competition Spot Allocation Chart
Appendix C: RECF INSPIRE Robotics Competition Spot Allocation Chart
Key Terms and Definitions
Event Regions - Teams are assigned into Event Regions based on geography and the density of teams in that area. An Event Region may be a geographic area, state, province, or an entire country.
Qualifying Event - A Qualifying Event gives teams the opportunity to compete and to qualify for a higher level event. Any event except for a Scrimmage, a Workshop, and the RECF STEM World Championship can be considered a Qualifying Event if it meets the proper requirements.
Open Tournaments - Open Tournaments are open to any team registered in that specific program, and consist of qualification and elimination matches for RECF ACHIEVE Robotics Competition/RECF INSPIRE Robotics Competition, and qualification and finals matches for RECF ENGAGE Robotics Competition. Open Tournaments may or may not include judging.
School-Based Tournaments - Only school based organizations (public/ private/charter) as indicated in RECFEvents.org can register for these events.
Conference Tournaments - Tournaments that only members of a specific Conference can participate in.
Invitational Tournaments - Invitational Tournaments are events in which the Event Partner can select who participates. Specific criteria, which are outlined in the "Qualifying Events" section must be met in order to host an Invitational Tournament.
JROTC Invitational Events - JROTC Invitational events that meet the qualifying criteria will qualify directly to the 2027 National Championship.
Leagues - Leagues are events that are scheduled over multiple sessions spread through several weeks. Leagues consist of Ranking Sessions during which teams play in qualifying matches, and then a League Finals Session to determine the League Champions.
Skills Only Events - Skills Only Events are categorized as Open, School-Based, or Conference Tournaments but do not have any qualifying matches, elimination matches, or finals matches.
Scrimmages - Scrimmages do not qualify for an Event Region Championship and do not upload results to RECFEvents.org .
Workshop - Workshops can serve a variety of functions including training sessions, regional meetings, camps, etc. These events are instructional in nature and are not considered Qualifying Events.
Conference Championship - Conference Tournament events qualify for a Conference Championship. Approved Conferences will qualify teams directly to the RECF STEM World Championship from a Conference Championship event.
Signature Event - RECF Signature Events give students the opportunity to play at a unique tournament that provides a special team experience. Signature Events have a level of technical expertise, production value, and overall event quality that is above and beyond that of a standard tournament.
Event Region Championship - Teams can qualify from qualifying events into their Event Region Championship. This event is sometimes referred to as a State, Regional, Provincial, or National Championship depending on the Event Region.
RECF STEM World Championship - The RECF STEM World Championship is the final event of the competition season. Teams that qualify get to compete with teams from all over the world. Student-led teams ranging from elementary to university-level showcase their strategy, teamwork, and desire to be crowned champions at this world-class global event.
Quick Reference Guide
Click here to see an abbreviated version of the RECF Qualifying Criteria. If there is a question about interpreting content in the Qualifying Criteria, the original version will always be the final and official version.
Section 1: Qualifying Event
QC1A: Qualifying Events must follow the rules and guidelines in the following documents.
- Current Game Manuals (RECF ENGAGE, ACHIEVE, INSPIRE)
- Current Game Q&A responses (RECF ENGAGE, ACHIEVE, INSPIRE)
- Guide to Judging
- Referee Guide (RECF ENGAGE, ACHIEVE, INSPIRE)
- Commitment to Event Excellence
- Code of Conduct
- Student-Centered Policy
- RECF Organization Policy
QC1B: A Qualifying Event must be listed as either an Open, School-Based, Conference, or Invitational Tournament or a League with online registration hosted on RECFEvents.org.
QC1C: The event must be visible for at least one week prior to opening for registration. An event release schedule for an Event Region will be determined by an RECF RSM.
QC1D: Teams registered for the event must be registered and paid on RECFEvents.org for the current season.
QC1E: The event must meet the minimum capacity requirements- 16 teams for RECF ENGAGE/RECF ACHIEVE.
QC1F: No one organization may have more than 33% of the registered teams. Organizations are defined by the RECF Organizational Policy.
QC1G: A Qualifying Event must have a Certified Head Referee and a Certified Judge Advisor
QC1H: Events may utilize the Waitlist if additional capacity is available and should follow the Waitlist guidelines set in the RECF Library.
QC1I: An RECF RSM has the authority to enable or disable Early Bird Registration at any time to meet the needs of an Event Region.
QC1J: Finalized event results must be uploaded/finalized within 48 hours of event completion.
QC1K: Team payments for the event must be completed before the event date.
- If teams pay the Event Partner directly or make trades for fields or volunteers in exchange for the event registration fees, the Event Partner must mark the team Paid on RECFEvents.org .
- In extreme cases, the Event Partner may work out alternative agreements with teams for payment.
- US-based Event Partners are not required to accept direct payments and can require all teams to pay through RECFEvents.org .
- The Event Partner is ultimately responsible for payment arrangements. If a team has not paid, and is allowed to compete, the RECF will not act on the Event Partner’s behalf to collect payment.
- The Event Partner is permitted to move a team marked “unpaid” to the Waitlist per a stated policy listed on the event page.
- Events outside of the United States must pay the Event Partner directly.
QC1L: All Qualifying Events must offer a maximum of three (3) Driving and three (3) Coding Solo Match attempts to each team.
- Solo Match scores for all Qualifying Events will be included in the World Solo Match Standings on RECFEvents.org
- Solo Match fields must open early in the event and remain open until the final qualification match has completed - or -
- If running an event where solo matches are offered in the morning and qualification matches take place in the afternoon, the Event Partner must schedule a block of time that will ensure all teams have the opportunity to complete their solo matches should the team choose to.
QC1M: Events that include judging must offer the Excellence Award, Design Award, Innovate Award, and Judges Award.
- Events that offer the Excellence Award must offer two Excellence Awards when the event is a blended event with at least ten teams from each grade level registered two weeks prior to the event.
QC1N: If judged awards are offered, all teams must be given the opportunity to be interviewed, regardless of their engineering notebook status, current qualifications to other events, or if they have won awards at previous events.
QC1O: An Engineering Notebook and Judging interview is required to win any judged award.
- Exceptions: Judges Award, Sportsmanship Award, Inspire Award, Energy Award
QC1P: If no team at an event meets an award's criteria, that award should not be given out.
- Non-RECF STEM World Championship Qualifying Events:
- If the Design Award is not a qualifying award, it will replace the Excellence Award as the qualifying award.
- If the Design Award is a qualifying award, the next highest solo match score at that event will receive the spot.
- If the next team on the solo match rankings has already qualified for an Event Region Championship, the spot does not go to another team and is awarded at the end of the season (per QC13J).
- RECF STEM World Championship Qualifying Events
- If a RECF STEM World Championship qualifying award is not handed out at an Event Region Championship, the spot is given to the team with the next highest solo match score at the event that did not earn a qualifying spot.
QC1Q: Qualifying Events for the current season may begin on or after June 1, 2026.
QC1R: The deadline to host a Qualifying Event is two (2) weeks before an Event Region Championship.
QC1S: Qualifying events must be posted on RECFEvents.org by December 1, 2026, and be open for registration at least eight (8) weeks in advance of the event.
- An RECF RSM may waive this requirement if needed.
QC1T: The Spot Allocation is the number of qualifying spots an event has been assigned to qualify teams to an Event Region Championship. The RECF RSM will ultimately determine the allocation each qualifying event is assigned within an Event Region in accordance with the Spot Allocation Charts (see appendix). Spot Allocation is dependent on:
- Capacity of the Event Region Championship
- Number of qualifying events in an Event Region
- Size of each qualifying event
- Some Event Regions may require an event registration capacity to be greater than 16 teams to be made a qualifying event due to the limited number of championship spots. If an event has 16 teams and is considered "qualifying", but not at the qualifying event size minimum for the specified Event Region, then the solo match scores will be posted to the world solo match standings, and no teams will qualify directly to the Championship.
- Some events may be allocated more spots than others based on event capacity, growth/special initiatives, and grade level. If a Qualifying Event does not offer judging, only the two Teamwork Champions or two Tournament Champions will qualify to the Event Region Championship.
- An RECF RSM may choose to allow the Solo Match Champion to qualify for an Event Region Championship if necessary.
- If an award is to be given a spot, but that award is not offered, then the spot is lost and does not transfer to the next award.
QC1U: If a team double qualifies (wins multiple qualifying awards), the invitation will be awarded to the next highest team of the same grade level on the solo match rankings who did not win a qualifying award at that event.
- If every team on the solo match rankings at the event has won a qualifying award at the event, the spot will be saved and awarded at the end of the season to the next highest non-qualified team from the world solo match rankings in that Event Region.
- There are no lookbacks to previous events to see if a team has previously qualified.
QC1V: Teams competing at a Qualifying Event that are from outside that Event Region are eligible to receive any performance-based or judged awards offered at the event and should be treated identically to teams from within that Event Region.
- Any qualification spot to that Event Region Championship associated with an award that is given to an out-of-region team will go to the next highest non-qualified team from within that Event Region on the solo match rankings at that event.
Section 2: Open Tournament
OC2A: Open Tournaments are open to any registered and paid team and consist of qualification and elimination matches for RECF ACHIEVE/RECF INSPIRE, and qualification and finals matches for RECF ENGAGE. Open Tournaments may or may not include judging.
Section 3: School-Based Tournament
QC3A: Only school based organizations (public/ private/charter) as indicated in RECFEvents.org can register for these events.
QC3B School-Based Tournaments may or may not include judging.
QC3C: There is no requirement to host an Open Tournament before hosting a School-Based Tournament
QC3D: Be held within the same season as an Open Tournament with organizational or team percentage registration restrictions.
QC3E: Be in the same program (RECF ACHIEVE/RECF ENGAGE) and in the same age group
QC3F: No one organization may have more than 33% of the total number of registered teams.
Section 4: Invitational Tournament
QC4A: Each Event Partner is permitted to host exactly one (1) Invitational Tournament without organizational or team percentage registration restrictions after they host another Open Tournament of equal or greater size that follows all registration restrictions.
QC4B: Be held within the same season as an Open Tournament with organizational or team percentage registration restrictions.
QC4C: Be in the same program (RECF ACHIEVE/RECF ENGAGE) and in the same age group
QC4D: Must have qualification matches.
QC4E: Invitational Events are not bound to rule QC1E (no one organization may have more than 33% of the registered teams).
Section 5: JROTC Invitational Event
QC5A: In order for JROTC Invitational events to qualify directly to the National Championship, they must only have JROTC-affiliated teams competing at the event.
QC5B: JROTC Invitational events may also qualify teams to an Event Region Championship if they adhere to the guidelines in the Event Region Championship Qualification section.
Section 6: RECF INSPIRE Robotics Competition
QC6A: RECF INSPIRE tournaments cannot be Invitational.
QC6B: The minimum qualifying event size is 8 teams for RECF INSPIRE events
- The minimum event size may be waived by the RECF for smaller event regions.
QC6C: All events must be approved by the appropriate RECF RSM.
QC6D: RECF INSPIRE teams may run Solo Driving Matches and Solo Coding Matches at RECF ACHIEVE events according to these guidelines. Teams must coordinate with the Event Partner in advance for permission, which is granted at the Event Partner’s discretion.
QC6E: In the circumstance of an award not being given out, or a double qualifier within the event (i.e., Tournament Champions and Excellence Award going to the same team), the spot(s) will go to the next spot on the qualifying award chart.
QC6F: RECF INSPIRE teams may qualify directly to their respective World Championship events from any qualifying event they are eligible to attend, regardless of their or the event’s respective event region, with the exception of National Championships.
Note: The intention behind this policy is to not impede or discourage teams from playing at events that are outside of their event region. Some events may still be restricted on a case by case basis by the RECF RSM.
QC6G: World Championship spots allocated to Signature Events in a region may impact that region’s at-large World Championship spots.
QC6H: In no order of precedence, the following factors are considered when inviting RECF INSPIRE teams from the waitlist for the RECF STEM Robotics World Championship:
- Season performance, including world solo match rankings
- If a team is from an underrepresented region
- Random selection based on teams on the waitlist
QC6I: Teams must have competed in a qualifying event or have a score recorded in the world solo match standings to be invited to the RECF STEM World Championship.
- The top 5 unqualified teams in the RECF INSPIRE world solo match standings as of December 31, 2026, will be invited to the RECF STEM World Championship.
- A minimum of the top three unqualified teams in the world solo match standings will be invited after the RECF STEM World Championship qualifying event season concludes on March 15, 2027.
QC6J: All events will be set to open for registration immediately, and will close at least one week prior to the event date.
QC6K: Events will be allocated spots based on how many teams actually attend the event.
QC6L: Not all events may receive qualifying spots.
- Events that do not meet the minimum requirements may still have solo match scores count for the world solo match standings
- Events that are saturating a particular geographic region.
Section 7: League
QC7A: Leagues may or may not have judging.
QC7B: All Leagues can be invitational.
QC7C: Leagues can not be Solo Match Only events.
QC7D: Each ranking session may offer teams the opportunity to complete, at a maximum, three (3) driving and three (3) coding solo match attempts.
QC7E: Leagues are not bound to rule QC1E (no one organization may have more than 33% of the registered teams).
QC7F: Leagues must have a minimum of one (1) week between Ranking Sessions.
QC7G: A single ranking session may be split over multiple days within the week, but will still be considered one (1) ranking session.
QC7H: League ranking sessions may have fewer than 16 teams participating if the League has 16 registered teams.
Section 8: Solo Match Only Event
QC8A: Solo Match Only events are listed as Open, School-Based, or Conference Tournaments and must have “Solo Match Only” in the name of the event.
QC8B: An RECF RSM will ultimately decide if a Solo Match Only Event becomes a Qualifying Event and qualifies teams to an Event Region Championship.
QC8C: A Solo Match Only event must be held in-person.
QC8D: Solo Match Only events can not be run as Leagues or Invitational Tournaments.
QC8E: Live Remote Solo Match (LRS) events are permitted only by special arrangement with the RSM, and only as an accommodation for teams who, due to geographical or other extenuating circumstances, are unable to easily travel to an in-person event.
- LRS events are subject to requirements and conditions that will be communicated to the Event Partner by the RSM during the event planning process.
- LRS events are considered a Scrimmage unless an arrangement was made with an RECF manager.
QC8F: At a Solo Match Only event, no one organization may have more than 33% of the registered teams. Organizations are defined by the RECF Organizational Policy.
QC8G: The deadline to host a Solo Match Only event where results upload to the World Solo Match Standings is February 31, 2027.
Section 9: Scrimmage
QC9A: Scrimmages do not qualify for a higher level event and do not upload results to RECFEvents.org .
QC9B: If an event does not meet the criteria for a Qualifying Event, Tournament (Open, School-Based, Invitational, JROTC), League, or Signature Event, the event will be considered a Scrimmage.
Section 10: Workshop
QC10A: Workshops can not qualify for a higher level event and do not upload results to RECFEvents.org .
QC10B: Workshops over $500 require additional RECF approval.
Section 11: Conference
QC11A: A Conference will be considered a separate Event Region.
QC11B: A Conference team can only compete in Conference events and their own Conference Championship event.
- A Conference team can not qualify to or compete in an Event Region Championship.
- A Conference team may compete in Signature and World Championship events.
QC11C: Participation in a Conference Tournament is limited to teams from the hosting Conference.
QC11D: Conferences may run an unlimited number of Conference Tournaments.
QC11E: Leagues within a Conference can qualify for a Conference Championship.
QC11F: Conferences must complete an application to be considered and approved as a Conference.
- The RECF will review and select approved Conferences for the 2026-2027 competition season.
QC11G: Conference qualification structure, rules, and/or bylaws must be approved by the RECF before Conference events begin.
QC11H: Conferences are open to RECF High School, Middle School, and Elementary School teams
QC11I: An approved Conference may include teams from multiple event regions.
QC11J: A team may only belong to one Conference.
QC11K: All teams from an organization must belong to the same Conference, or no Conference.
QC11L: A Conference may add new teams/organizations with approval from the Conference Advisory Board.
QC11M: Removing a team or organization from a Conference must be approved by the RECF and the Conference Advisory Board.
Section 12: Signature Event
QC12A: RECF Signature Event spot allocations to the RECF STEM World Championship are independent from any Event Region.
QC12B: An RECF Signature Event is awarded three spots to the RECF STEM World Championship if it meets all of the capacity and competition requirements outlined in Signature Event Guide for Event Partners. RECF INSPIRE Robotics Competition Signature Events are awarded two spots if all criteria are met.
- If the event does not meet the minimum requirements at least 14 days prior to the event, RECF STEM World Championships spots will be adjusted to one or zero.
- RECF Signature Events will be awarded their spot allocations when it is determined the requirements have been met. If an event is on the edge of meeting the requirements to get a specific allocation, the Regional Support Manager may choose to award the spots after the event to ensure the requirements are met.
- No RECF ACHIEVE Robotics Competition or RECF ENGAGE Robotics Competition Signature Event may be awarded spots if the number of registered and participating teams is less than 16 teams and less than 8 teams for RECF INSPIRE Robotics Competition.
QC12C: Signature Events held before August 1, 2026 and after February 28, 2027, are not given any spots to the RECF STEM World Championship.
QC12D: If a team who has previously qualified for the RECF STEM World Championship wins a qualifying award at a RECF Signature Event or a team wins multiple spots at a RECF Signature Event, those spots will be filled by the team(s) with the highest solo match score at that RECF Signature Event who have not already qualified.
QC11E: The above mentioned criteria applies to RECF Signature Events created and held during the 2026-2027 season only. RECF Signature Event requirements for the 2027-2028 season will be updated and released on November 1, 2026.
Section 13: Event Region Championship
QC13A: An RECF RSM will determine if an event qualifies for an Event Region Championship and the corresponding spot allocation.
QC13B: A team is permitted to register for only one Event Region Championship in their assigned Event Region leading up to the RECF STEM World Championship. Note: This does not include Signature Events or Conference Championships.
QC13C: A team must have posted a solo match score -OR- have competed in a qualifying event in the current season to be eligible for an Event Region Championship invitation.
QC13D: Event Region Championship events have no team minimum. Capacity is determined by the RECF RSM in consultation with Event Partners in the Event Region.
QC13E: Event Region Championships with at least 16 teams must hand out a 2nd Judges Award and the Sportsmanship Award.
QC13F: An Event Region Championship must follow the spot hierarchy in the Spot Allocation Charts.
QC13G: Must offer judged awards and give all teams the opportunity to be interviewed.
QC13H: Must offer the solo match challenge to all teams.
QC13I: An Event Region Championship must be single grade level only (not blended).
- Exception: If both grade levels within a program in an Event Region have only one (1) RECF STEM World Championship spot allocated for each, the Event Region may choose to either hold a blended Event Region Championship or split Event Region Championships (one per grade level).
- An Event Region that may not have enough teams to fill a separate event may choose to conduct a Hybrid Event Region Championship. This should be discussed with and approved by your RSM.
QC13J: There are three ways for teams to qualify to an Event Region Championship:
- Qualifying Award - Winning a qualifying award at a qualifying event in the team’s Event Region.
- Solo Match Ranking - If the Event Region Championship in an Event Region is not filled to capacity through qualifying awards, teams may qualify through the world solo match standings sorted for the Event Region and by grade level. Teams invited through the world solo match standings are invited in ranked order after the results of the last qualifying event in the Event Region have been posted. Scores earned after this date will not be used to qualify teams to their Championship.
- Waitlist - If there is remaining capacity due to teams not accepting a formal invitation, the Event Region Championship capacity may be lowered or teams may be invited from the Waitlist. This will be decided by the RECF RSM.
QC13K: The Spot Level charts found in the appendices are used to specify which awards at an Event Region Championship will qualify for the 2027 RECF STEM World Championship. Spots are allocated to an Event Region based on the following criteria.
- Having at least one team that has registered and paid on RECFEvents.org by January 1, 2027.
- Program and grade level counts compared across all Event Regions
- Example: Region X has a count of 50 for RECF ACHIEVE - HS. This count is compared to all other RECF ACHIEVE - HS Event Regions
- Example: Region X has a count of 50 for RECF ACHIEVE - HS. This count has no influence on the number of spots Region X is awarded for RECF ACHIEVE - MS.
- When an Event Region is hosting an Event Region Championship, all of the spots must be awarded from that event if possible. An Event Region must have no more than one Event Region Championship
- If there is a percentage of teams from the Event Region that are unable to attend the Event Region Championship through no fault of their own (e.g., health/safety restrictions, day-of-the-event weather, and/or travel restrictions), the RECF RSM will assess the number of spots to be withheld from the Event Region Championship and those withheld spots will be given out using the world solo match standings.
- Event Region Championship spots that have not been awarded may not be lost. These remaining spots will be awarded using the following process.
- The RECF RSM will assess how many spots are remaining in each program and grade level after the conclusion of the Event Region Championship(s).
- If a RECF STEM World Championship qualifying award is not handed out at an Event Region Championship, the spot is given to the team with the next highest solo match score at the event that did not earn a qualifying spot.
QC13L: Event Region Championship events will follow specific dates and deadlines.
- The deadline to host an Event Region Championship outside of the United States is February 27, 2027. (Note: this is to allow teams qualifying to the RECF STEM World Championship sufficient time to apply for any necessary visas).
- The deadline to host an Event Region Championship within the United States is March 14, 2027.
- Teams that qualify for an Event Region Championship, on or before, January 31, 2027, will have two weeks to register and pay by credit card, check or purchase order.
- Teams that qualify for an Event Region Championship on or after February 1, 2027, will have one week to register and pay by credit card, check or purchase order.
QC13M:If a RECF STEM World Championship qualifying award is not handed out at an Event Region Championship, the spot is given to the team with the next highest solo match score at the event that did not earn a qualifying spot.
QC13N: If an Event Region does not host an Event Region Championship, all spots from that region will be awarded to teams in that specific region from the world solo match standings by March 15, 2027, after all qualifying events up to and including those on March 15, 2027, have been finalized and posted. Teams that do not have a properly posted solo match score in the world solo match standings will not be eligible to receive one of these spots even if they are the only team from that Event Region.
QC13O: An Event Region Championship should strive to be a multi-day event. If alliance matches are not over two days, the event should allow teams to set up pit areas, complete the inspection process, and be allowed to attempt solo matches the day or evening before alliance matches begin.
Section 14: RECF STEM World Championship
QC14A: The following events qualify teams to the RECF STEM World Championship:
- RECF Event Regional Championships (Including State/Provincial and National Championships)
- RECF Conference Championships
- RECF Signature Events
- Note: these events must be posted on RECFEvents.org and be only open teams registered and paid with the RECF in order to receive spots to the RECF World Championship.
QC14B: On March 15, 2027, the top ten non-qualified teams on the world solo match standings for RECF ACHIEVE -High School will receive invitations to the 2027 RECF STEM World Championship.
- Solo match scores posted after March 14, 2027, will not be taken into consideration for a top ten solo match invitation.
QC14C: When a team qualifies for the RECF STEM World Championship, it is that specific team (team number and letter) and its members that will be invited.
- If students move up to the next grade level or program or if they join another team, they will not bring that qualification with them and will need to re-qualify their new team for the RECF STEM World Championship.
- The team can not transfer that spot to another team of their choosing.
- For RECF ACHIEVE AND RECF ENGAGE, invitations from regions with three or fewer spots to the RECF STEM World Championship in a specific program and grade level that are declined or expired will go to the team with the highest solo match score from that region's Event Region Championship when possible.
- Invitations from regions with four or more spots to the RECF STEM World Championship in a specific program and grade level that are declined or expired are lost and will be filled from the RECF STEM World Championship waitlist (if space is available).
QC14D: Teams will have one week from receiving their RECF STEM World Championship qualification invitation to register.
- RECF STEM World Championship event pages will be released on RECFEvents.org in the final quarter of 2026.
- Teams are encouraged to proactively seek approval from their educational institutions to make travel arrangements easier upon qualification.
- Upon qualification, teams are encouraged to register and select “pay later” to indicate their intent to participate.
- Teams being invited from the waitlist will have 48 hours or less from the time their invitation is sent by RECFEvents.org. Invites that expire may not be reissued.
QC14E: All teams must be marked “paid” (funds fully received) by March 31, 2027.
- In order to be "paid in full" by the deadline, complete payment of registration fees must be received by the RECF Accounting Department.
QC14F: RECF STEM World Championship registration cancellations must be received by 5 p.m. Central Time on April 4, 2027, in order to receive a full refund.
- All cancellations must be emailed to support@recf.org with the team number and the contact information for the team.
- Teams that cancel after 5 p.m. Central Time on April 4, 2027, will not receive a refund for their registration fee.
QC14G: The final day for international teams to be invited to the RECF STEM World Championship is March 1, 2027.
QC14H: To be selected from the RECF STEM World Championship waitlist:
- a team must have competed in an Event Region Championship or National Championship.
- by placing a team on the waitlist, the Primary Coach acknowledges that the team is deserving of an invitation if offered. Invitations cannot be transferred to other teams within the organization.
QC14I: Event Regions will not have a maximum number of spots allocated to the RECF STEM World Championship.