What's New for 2027

Looking Back at Power Flash

The 2025-2026 season continued to push STORM forward with the introduction of the new field, interactable FMS, and exciting new challenges like the Charging Pad. We are happy with the direction the competition is heading, and we are excited to build on this foundation for the 2027 season.

Congratulations to all the teams that built robots for the 2026 season, and a shoutout to the award winners:

• Oklahoma State University (Mercury): First Place and the Highest Score awards

• University of Oklahoma (Sooner Competitive Robotics): Second Place award

• University of Arkansas (RIOT): Best Design award

What We're Planning for STORM 2027

Welcoming Non-University Teams

When registration for STORM 2027 opens later this Fall, we will be experimenting with allowing non-university teams! We have had a lot of interest from non-university teams over the past few years, and we are excited to see what they can bring to the competition. All members of non-university teams will be required to be at least 18 years old, so no K-12 teams (we'll leave that to the abundance of other great K-12 robotics competitions out there).

An Updated Focus on Software

Recognizing the growing importance of systems integration in robotics, the 2027 STORM game will require interfacing with the field's backend server (referred to as the "FMS" in the 2026 rules). We will be revealing more details about the interface and documentation throughout the summer to give everyone plenty of time to prepare.

The 2027 Rulebook and Open-Source Demo Bot

Last year, we released the rules in mid-August, and it gave teams plenty of time to recruit, organize, brainstorm, and build. We are sticking to that for the 2027 season.

To make it easier for teams to get started, we will be releasing a fully open-source demonstration robot alongside the rules. This bot will be capable of scoring points in the STORM 2027 game, and we will be sharing its complete CAD files and code. The open-source code will feature direct examples showing exactly how to the robot can interface with the field's backend server.

Expanding the STORM Committee

We are looking to expand the STORM Committee to help with the increased workload of organizing a larger and more complex competition. If you're interested in helping out, we encourage you to apply! Applications for the 2026-2027 STORM Committee are now open, apply here.