Hello. We are The Empire, a fully student set up VEX Robotics team based at St Mary Redcliffe Sixth Form in Bristol.

So what is VEX?

VEX Robotics is an international competition where teams design, build, and program robots to compete in a yearly challenge. Matches are played 2v2 and last 2 minutes, including an autonomous period where the robot runs on its own code. This season’s game is Push Back, where teams score points by placing blocks into goals and competing for control of key areas on the field.

Teams compete at regional events to qualify for the UK National Championship. From there, the best teams qualify for the VEX Robotics World Championship in St Louis, USA, where hundreds of the top teams in the world compete.

Who are we?

We are a team of two Year 12 students who set this project up ourselves from scratch. No coaches, no dedicated workshop, no long established programme. Just hundreds of hours of hard work.

We started in November, which meant we were 6 months behind other teams. However, in just four months, we won 9 regional competitions around the UK. In late February, we won the Amaze Award and became 1st Place at the Uk National Championship, which has qualified us to represent the UK at the World Championship.

We are also the only state school team in the UK to reach this level.

Our fundraising goal

We are raising money to cover the costs of attending and competing at the VEX World Championship in St Louis, USA. This includes travel, accommodation, registration, and improving our robot so we can compete at the highest level.

Any support makes a difference and helps us continue this journey.