Regional Finals of the First Lego League Challenge 2023-24 Masterpiece Season Celebrate Success

In exhilarating showcases of innovation and creativity, the regional finals of the First Lego League Challenge Masterpiece Season have crowned our three Welsh regional champions.

Our congratulations and best wishes go to St Julian’s Primary School, Newport, Dyffryn Aman School, Ammanford and Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, Wrexham as they begin their preparations for the National Finals later this month!

  

Teams from across South-East Wales, South-West Wales and North Wales regions gathered 6^th March at St Fagans National Museum of History, Cardiff, 8^th March at National Waterfront Museum, Swansea, and 13^th  March at Venue Cymru, Llandudno respectively to demonstrate their engineering prowess, problem-solving skills, and collaborative spirit.

The Masterpiece Season, the latest iteration of the renowned First Lego League Challenge, tasked participating teams with designing and constructing autonomous Lego robots to navigate intricate missions on a themed playing field. This year's theme, centred around celebrating art and its impact on society, inspired participants to explore the intersection of technology, creativity, and social awareness.

Throughout the competition, teams presented their meticulously crafted robots, which they programmed using the LEGO Spike Prime or Mindstorm EV3 platform, to complete a series of challenges related to the performing arts, media production, and audience engagement. Each robot's performance was a testament to months of hard work, experimentation, and dedication put forth by the young innovators.

However, First Lego League Challenge isn’t solely about robotics. Teams also delved into research projects addressing real-world issues within the realm of art, sport, hobbies, and culture. From developing innovative solutions to increase engagement with local history to creating educational programs promoting inclusivity and increased participation in sport, the depth of creativity showcased by the participants was truly remarkable.

As the competition unfolded, judges were impressed not only by the technical proficiency of the robots but also by the teams' ability to articulate their design processes, problem-solving strategies, and the societal impact of their projects. Collaboration, critical thinking, and effective communication were key scoring criteria.

After intense rounds of competition, the judges selected the regional champions and recognised other teams for their outstanding achievements in various categories such as Robot Design, Innovation Project, Core Values, and Robot Performance. However, every participant emerged as a winner, having gained invaluable experience, forged lasting friendships, and fostered a passion for STEAM disciplines. 

The success of the regional finals is a testament to the unwavering dedication of participants, mentors, volunteers from the Spectris Foundation, KLA, Vale, Veeqo, ISG and the Royal Mint who supported the event. Thanks also to the Institution of Engineering and Technology for their continued partnership funding.  Their collective efforts have not only elevated the First Lego League Challenge Masterpiece Season but have also inspired a new generation of innovators to harness the power of technology for positive change.

Full results:

Award	South-East Wales	South-West Wales	North Wales
Champions	St Julian’s Primary School, Newport	Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, Ammanford	Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, Wrexham
Robot Design	Malpas Court Primary School, Newport	Ebbw Fawr Learning Community, Ebbw Vale	Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen, Caernarfon
Core Vales	Barry Island Primary School, Barry	Oak Field Primary School, Barry	Ysgol Emmanuel, Rhyl
Innovation Project	St Teilo’s Church in Wales High School, Cardiff & Caldicoders Team 2, Caldicot School, Caldicot	Ysgol Gyfun Rhydywaun, Aberdare	Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, Wrexham
Robot Performance	Caldicoders Team 1, Caldicot School, Caldicot	Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, Ammanford	Ruthin School, Ruthin
Rising Stars	St Teilo’s Church in Wales High School, Cardiff	Block Busters, Home Education Group, Swindon	Ysgol Gyfun Amlwch, Amlwch
Breakthrough	Glyncoed Primary School, Cardiff	EYST Swansea	Denbigh High School, Denbigh
Motivate	Ysgol Glan Morfa, Cardiff	Ysgol Bro Preseli, Crymych	Blessed William Davies, Llandudno