National Robotics Competition 2026

NRC Preparation Course

Build, code, and compete at Singapore's largest school robotics competition

National Robotics Competition (NRC) Singapore Logo

Organised By

Science Centre Singapore Ministry of Education Singapore Global Robotics Games Developing Innovative Youth

What is the NRC?

The NRC is Singapore's largest school robotics competition, organised by Science Centre Singapore with MOE support since 1999 — attracting over 68,000 participants to date. Students design, build, and programme LEGO robots to complete missions on a themed playfield, developing problem-solving, creativity, and teamwork.

Competition Format (Regular Category)

  • Mission-based competition where teams build and programme LEGO robots to solve challenges on a playfield
  • Presentation Week: 17 Aug – 21 Aug 2026 at Science Centre Singapore
    Robot Run Week: 24 Aug – 28 Aug 2026 at Suntec Convention Centre
    Presentation Finals: 28 Aug 2026 at Suntec Convention Centre
    Participants will be notified of their scheduled date.
LEGO SPIKE Prime NRC competition robot with gear mechanism LEGO SPIKE Prime NRC robot with large wheels LEGO SPIKE Prime robot with cube carrier attachment

Competition Coaching

Our NRC Preparation Course equips students with the skills and hands-on experience needed to compete confidently. Here's what your child will gain:

Robot Building & Programming

Hands-on practice constructing competition-ready robots and writing programmes to complete missions accurately and efficiently.

Mission Strategy & Field Navigation

Learn to analyse missions, plan optimal routes across the playfield, and prioritise tasks for maximum scoring under time pressure.

Timed Match Simulations

Practise under real competition conditions with 2-minute timed runs, building confidence and refining speed and accuracy before the actual event.

Competition Day Mentoring

Our coaches accompany your child on competition day, providing guidance, moral support, and last-minute strategy adjustments at the venue.

Who Can Participate?
Lower Primary: 7 to 9 years old
Upper Primary: 10 to 12 years old
Secondary: 13 to 17 years old
(as of 31 December 2026)

Teams of 2 to 3 members
(Roboto Coding Academy will form the team for your child)
Preparation Course Location
Tampines (Opp Tampines Hub)
What's Included
  • 4 x 3h in-person Coaching Sessions
  • Registration Fees to Organiser
  • Loan of Competition Lego Robotics Kits during Coaching Sessions and the day of the competition
  • Access to the practice room for team practice on weekends
  • Mentoring and Chaperoning on the day of the competition
  • Competition Certificate from Organiser
  • Competition Attire from Roboto Coding Academy
  • Curriculum Revision to Competitive Robotics subjects as needed (for GCP students only, depending on students' experience)
Dates & Times
Registration Deadline: 1 June 2026

Coaching Session 1: Mon, 22 Jun 2026, 9am–12pm
Coaching Session 2: Tue, 23 Jun 2026, 9am–12pm
Coaching Session 3: Wed, 24 Jun 2026, 9am–12pm
Coaching Session 4: Thu, 25 Jun 2026, 9am–12pm
Early drop-off from 8am | Late pick-up by 1pm — available upon request

Make-up & Optional Revision:
Make-up Session 1: Fri, 26 Jun 2026, 9am–12pm
Make-up Session 2: Sat, 27 Jun 2026, 9am–12pm
Make-up Session 3: Sun, 28 Jun 2026, 9am–12pm

Presentation Week: 17 Aug – 21 Aug 2026
Science Centre Singapore — participants will be notified of their scheduled date.

Robot Run Week: 24 Aug – 28 Aug 2026
Suntec Convention Centre — participants will be notified of their scheduled date.

Presentation Finals: 28 Aug 2026
Suntec Convention Centre
Fees
Public Price: $585
GCP Student Price: $485
inclusive of registration fee
Register for Competition

Choose Your Category

Select your child's age group to see the relevant playfield, missions, and course details.

Lower Primary Playfield: School Compound

The competition takes place on a large mat (approximately 2.4m x 1.2m) representing a School Compound. The field is divided into specialised zones including the Garden Area, Composting Area, Canteen, Pool, Stadium, and Donation Drive locations, with two Start Areas on either side.

NRC 2026 Lower Primary Playfield - School Compound with Garden, Canteen, Pool, and Stadium zones

Hardware

LEGO SPIKE Essential LEGO SPIKE Essential robotics kit with hub, motors, sensors and building elements

Missions Overview

Six missions challenge teams to navigate, sort, and transport resources across the school compound:

  1. 1
    Food Miles — Connect small purple cubes to a large pink cube in the Garden, highlighting the importance of reducing food travel distances.
  2. 2
    Lunchroom Leftovers — Identify and move red cubes ("leftovers") to the composting area, practising food waste sorting.
  3. 3
    Compost Crusaders — Deliver red cubes to compost and return green cubes (nutrients) to the Start Area, demonstrating the composting cycle.
  4. 4
    Sharing is Caring — Collect orange cubes from the canteen and deliver them to target circles around the field, addressing food distribution.
  5. 5
    Water for Our Plants — Remove small purple cubes from under a blue water cube without disturbing it, emphasising precision and water conservation.
  6. 6
    Healthy Snack Detectives — Transport pre-built stacks of "healthy food" to the Start Area without letting them topple, focusing on quality control.

Game Day: Each match lasts a maximum of 2 minutes (120 seconds). Robots can be remotely controlled after leaving the Start Area, except for missions designated as autonomous. This makes the competition accessible to teams who are newer to coding.

Upper Primary Playfield: Vertical Farm

The competition takes place on a large mat (approximately 2362mm x 1143mm) representing a high-tech Vertical Farm facility. The field features multiple zones for cube placement, circular target areas, and a Loading Zone that serves as the team's home base.

NRC 2026 Upper Primary Playfield - Vertical Farm with crop chambers and planting systems

Hardware

LEGO SPIKE Prime LEGO EV3
LEGO SPIKE Prime robotics kit with hub, motors, sensors and building elements LEGO Mindstorms EV3 robotics kit with intelligent brick, motors and sensors

Missions Overview

The Upper Primary challenge moves into the world of Vertical Farming. Teams oversee the integration of vital facility components to maintain the operations of an automated farm, built upon six pillars:

  1. 1
    Resource Management — Regulating the farm's environment, including temperature and airflow, to maintain optimal plant health.
  2. 2
    Planting — Using robotic precision to deploy seeds and seedlings for consistent crop growth.
  3. 3
    Nutrient Delivery — Automating irrigation systems to supply water with essential minerals and nutrients.
  4. 4
    Lighting Control — Managing specialised light spectrums essential for photosynthesis in indoor environments.
  5. 5
    Harvesting — Carefully removing mature produce to minimise damage and maximise efficiency.
  6. 6
    Monitoring and Data — Collecting critical sensor data to maintain a productive farm environment.

Technology Focus

This category encourages students to think like industrial engineers, with a particular focus on robotic arm design. Unlike simple mobile robots, robotic arms allow for vertical reach to access high-density planting racks, delicate handling of fragile produce, and high-speed precision to manage complex tasks.

Game Day: Each match lasts exactly 2 minutes (120 seconds). The Loading Zone is the designated home base where robots are inspected and students may safely interact with their equipment.

Secondary Playfield: Vertical Farm (Advanced)

The Secondary category shares the same Vertical Farm playfield and theme as Upper Primary, but with a higher level of complexity and expectations for autonomous programming and engineering sophistication.

NRC 2026 Secondary Playfield - Advanced Vertical Farm with automated systems

Hardware

LEGO SPIKE Prime LEGO EV3
LEGO SPIKE Prime robotics kit with hub, motors, sensors and building elements LEGO Mindstorms EV3 robotics kit with intelligent brick, motors and sensors

Missions Overview

Secondary teams face the same Vertical Farming pillars as Upper Primary (Resource Management, Planting, Nutrient Delivery, Lighting Control, Harvesting, Monitoring and Data), but the missions demand more sophisticated solutions. Participants must demonstrate advanced building skills to create stable, functioning units and utilise complex coding to adapt their programming to the farm's full spectrum of operational needs.

Technology Focus

Secondary students are expected to apply high-level engineering and programming, with a strong emphasis on robotic arm design for vertical reach, delicate handling, and high-speed automation. The challenge requires participants to think like industrial engineers managing a real automated farm facility.

Game Day: Each match lasts exactly 2 minutes (120 seconds). The Loading Zone is the designated home base. Higher expectations for autonomous operation and coding sophistication compared to Upper Primary.

Why Participate?

Exposure to competitive robotics at a national level

Develops problem-solving, creative thinking, and teamwork skills

Great portfolio builder for DSA (Direct School Admission) to top secondary schools

Recognition through certificates and awards from NRC organisers

Hands-on experience with LEGO robotics, autonomous programming, and robotic arm design

Singapore's largest school robotics competition, supported by MOE since 1999

Why Prepare With Us?

Gives your child the best chance to perform well. Our structured preparation programme lets your child walk in confident and ready on competition day, through expert coaching, targeted practice, and familiarity with the competition format. Students will learn mission strategy, robot building techniques, and programming skills specific to their NRC category. Our coaches have deep experience with the NRC competition format and will guide your child through every step, from understanding the playfield to optimising their robot's performance under competition conditions.

F.A.Q

Frequently Asked Questions about the NRC preparation course

Your child must fall within one of three age groups: Lower Primary (aged 7 to 9), Upper Primary (aged 10 to 12), or Secondary (aged 13 to 17, inclusive of Secondary 5). Age eligibility for Lower Primary is determined as of 31 December 2026. Your child must be able to commit to both the training dates and competition dates.

All NRC Regular Category teams use LEGO-based robots. Lower Primary students use SPIKE Essential or WeDo 2.0. Upper Primary and Secondary students use SPIKE Prime, EV3, or Robot Inventor. All parts of the robot, including controller, motors, and sensors, must be official LEGO components.

Lower Primary teams compete on a School Compound playfield with six food sustainability missions using simpler LEGO kits. Robots can be remotely controlled after leaving the Start Area, making it accessible for younger learners. Upper Primary and Secondary teams compete on a Vertical Farm playfield with more complex engineering challenges, including robotic arm design and advanced autonomous programming. Secondary teams face higher expectations for coding sophistication.

The NRC 2026 competition runs from August to September 2026, with exact dates to be confirmed by Science Centre Singapore. It is estimated to take place over two Saturdays between 15 August and 5 September 2026. Check the official NRC page for the latest schedule.

The NRC 2026 theme is "Mission Meals," inspired by UN Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger. Lower Primary students tackle food sustainability within a school compound setting, while Upper Primary and Secondary students manage a high-tech vertical farm. All categories use the new GRG Game Elements Set, which features magnetic cubes that snap together for more creative robot carrier designs.

Prior experience with LEGO robotics is helpful but not required for Lower Primary. For Upper Primary and Secondary, some familiarity with LEGO robotics and block-based coding is recommended. Our preparation course covers robot building, programming fundamentals, and mission strategy. Students who have completed Roboto's robotics modules will have a strong foundation.

NRC registration is typically done through schools. However, Roboto Coding Academy will help to form a private team and register on behalf of your child for the NRC 2026 competition.

No — Roboto will provide competition LEGO robotics kits for use during the Coaching Sessions and on the day of the competition. Your child does not need to bring their own set.

Roboto Coding Academy – Tampines Learning Centre
856E Tampines St 82, Singapore 525856

Ready for Competition?

Start your journey now. Only available to current and ex Genius Coder Programme students.

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