WLRC’s Top Teams & $5,000 STEM Grant Grand Prize Winners Announced!

Congratulations to all of the teams that participated in this year’s Wonder League Robotics Competition.  

We have been eagerly waiting for this day to announce the winners of this year’s Wonder League Robotics Competition! This is our fourth year hosting this competition, and each year we announce our top WLRC teams — five in each age category, plus our three overall grand prize winners who will be taking home the ultimate prize of a $5,000 STEM grant. Our top five teams from each age group will be awarded a robot of their choice, along with an Acer TravelMate Spin Notebook thanks to the generous support of Acer and Microsoft. 

Over the past seven months, we’ve had the honor of interacting with nearly 7,900 teams from 69 countries who have been teaching us a thing or two about our robots. That’s more than 35,000 kids from teams engaged in creative problem-solving challenges that encouraged design thinking, scientific inquiry, critical thinking, and creativity. Teams could be up to five members, ages 6-8, 9-11, and 12-14, tackling challenges that fostered strong teamwork skills, collaboration, and communication, not to mention grit and perseverance.

Teams from across the globe were invited to explore the mysterious and uncharted deep blue ocean as they looked to solve this year’s missions. These teams were challenged in many ways in their search for the obscure. Through navigating by the stars, encountering poisonous jumping jellyfish, working with powerful currents, and even completing an underwater rescue, these teams were definitely put to the test. And their journey didn’t stop there — the teams then helped to rescue a mysterious sea creature.

Many of them (511 research teams to be exact) then continued their adventure in the Invitational Round, as they endeavored to save the mysterious sea creature and its babies from the polar vortexes that seemed certain to destroy them.

What an adventure and what a fun journey it has been! We had so many teams that stood out and went far beyond what was required on their quest for the WLRC title. Without further ado, we will now announce our Top 5 teams in each age category plus our grand grant prize winners.  

6th PLACE (ages 12-14, 9-11, 6-8):

TEAM BRAMPTON NINJAS: This 6th place team comprised only one member, but he did a massive amount of work and got very creative by using only a few items for his attachment design. His goal-setting and time-management skills shined through, resulting in a great collection of work. Representing our neighbors up north from Brampton, Ontario, Team Brampton Ninjas deserves a big congrats on becoming a finalist.

TEAM CURIOSITY: Our 6th place finalist in the 9-11 age bracket goes to a team that clearly has a curiosity as to how things work. They impressed all of us by using a counterweight that cleverly helps their sea creature, Lisa, deliver her babies.  Their thoughtful presentation highlighting the effects of ocean pollution and their reflection in all of their decisions and planning took them to the next level. Team Curiosity, you keep us curious about what you will do next! See what I did there? Hah.

TEAM HORSE ROBOTS: Also in 6th place, from Renton, Washington, this team of one showed exemplary thinking and designing as she worked to complete the mission. Her playful story line brought a fun touch to her presentation and to this year’s challenge. A huge congratulations to Team Horse Robots!

5th PLACE (ages 12-14, 9-11, 6-8):

TEAM HAHN: In 5th place, this team had the mission on lockdown with their basket-like attachment that transported the babies with ease and efficiency. A two-sister team from Yangcheon, Korea, Team Hahn showed amazing teamwork, even though they were in different countries while working on the final mission!

TEAM INCREDIBLE: This team of one from Lanham, Maryland, designed a ramp to help the mysterious sea creature deliver its babies to their new home, and it all came together with his crawl-like attachment. Team Incredible knows how to put a presentation together, and for all his incredible work he will be taking home 5th place. Congrats!

TEAM VIBGYOR: Also in 5th place, although one of our youngest competitors, this team of one showed confidence and exhibited a maturity well beyond her years. Her final presentation showed hard work, lots of failed attempts, and lots of reflection. We felt as though we were with her each and every step through her detailed logbook and presentation, even if she was miles away in her hometown of Gurgaon, India. Congrats to Team Vibgyor!

4th PLACE (ages 12-14, 9-11, 6-8):

TEAM TECHSISTERS: Now for our 4th place finalist for ages 12-14 — this all-girls team from Canton, Michigan, serenaded us with their clever rapping skills. They also taught us a thing or two about the Northern Fur Seal and impressed us with their art and design talent. Their LEGO attachment took things to a whole new level. We are thrilled to have the TechSisters as a finalist. Congratulations!

TEAM SUBMARINE NO.1: 4th place for ages 9-11 went to a team of three from Taiwan.  This team did it all with a presentation that took us into their heads as they went through this experience.  After various tries with failed attachments, they used recycled plastic bottles to safely transport the babies.  Way to stick with it, Team Submarine No.1!

TEAM SHARKIES: This team of four challenged themselves with new ideas and even new tools. They went the distance by creating an attachment that made us think that they could be ready for a job here at Wonder Workshop. They will be taking home some bragging rights to their hometown of Richfield, Wisconsin. In 4th place for ages 6-8, congrats to the Sharkies team!

3rd PLACE (ages 12-14, 9-11, 6-8):

TEAM CARDINALS: 3rd place for ages 12-14 went to a team from Chadron, Nebraska, that tracked the Blue Whale with a logbook focused on goal setting, planning, and reflections that would make any scientist proud.  Their teamwork came shining through in everything they did, from using JavaScript and tinker CAD to creating pizza & watermelon food sources. Way to go Team Cardinals!

TEAM WINTERPOCKALYPSE: Chesterfield, Virginia, better keep their eye on this team of two girls who continue to wow us with their creativity and storytelling, not to mention their crazy skills in claymation and rigorous logbooks. Their Dewy Darwin’s Daring Rescue tale took us all on quite the adventure. Taking home 3rd place in the 9-11 age group is Team Winterpockalypse. Congrats, girls!

TEAM BABY BLUE WHALES: 3rd place for ages 6-8 went to a team from across the globe in China.  This team of four stole our hearts and wowed us with their coding and engineering skills. Their sense of fun and humor played through in all that they shared with us. Let’s hear it for Team Baby Blue Whales!

2nd PLACE (ages 12-14, 9-11, 6-8):

TEAM K-2: And for our first runner-up in the ages 12-14 category, it must be said that this team knocked it out of the park and persevered through many challenges along the way.  This Ukrainian team and their mysterious sea creature, Kraken, captured our attention, and their attachment creation inspired us. Congrats to Team K-2!

TEAM 116th: And for our first runner-up for ages 9-11, this team of one has a clear eye for design and engineering and gave the winning team a run for their money. His smart flipping attachment was clean and elegant in every sense of the word. His thorough logbook and presentation took him all the way to the end, and we enjoyed getting to share this journey with 116th Team from Canon City, Colorado! 

TEAM PT DISCOVERIES: And our first runner-up for ages 6-8 is a team all the way from Penamacor, Portugal, a sister duo that loves the mountains and winter sports almost as much as they love robotics. They left no rock unturned in their quest for success in this year’s competition. Hard work and a number of different attachment designs finally led them to solving the mission. Their unique mat design was brilliant and left us wanting more. A huge congrats to Team PT Discoveries!

GRAND PRIZE WINNERS (ages 12-14, 9-11, 6-8):

TEAM CADENZA: The grand prize winner for the 12-14 age group is a team of one who led us through an insightful, engaging, and thought-provoking story of the mysterious sea creature that she discovered. This team from Bakersfield, California, clearly has a future in the production business in addition to her engineering skills. This individual took her viewers along with her every step of the way, making us feel like a part of her team. And although she didn’t relocate all three babies with her final attachment, she excelled at everything else.  We are excited to congratulate Ali from Team Cadenza!

TEAM PROBLEM SOLVERS: The ages 9-11 grand prize winner goes to an all-girls team from Dubuque, Iowa. Not only could these girls take home an Oscar for their improv skills, but their clever storytelling kept us in stitches. Their strong code, skilled use of every type of tape under the sun and methodical documentation earns them this year’s grand prize in their age category. Congrats to Hadyn and Greta of Problem Solvers! 

TEAM DONG YUAN: This team of two boys from Hsinchu, Taiwan, had some amazing planning and production skills.  We can see their teamwork through their challenges, their ideas, and their successes. Inspired by a favorite dessert, their ice cream scooper-like attachment was well thought out and worked incredibly smoothly. They composed their own soundtrack to go along with a compelling presentation and story line. This well-earned grand prize in the ages 6-8 category goes to Carby and Alex from Team Dong Yuan! 

We have been so impressed by all the great examples of creative problem-solving, design thinking, teamwork and perseverance with coding and robotics. We couldn’t have gone on this journey without you all. We thank all of our WRLC teams, their support teams, and of course their wonderful and dedicated coaches.  And a huge thank you to our wonderful sponsors at Acer and Microsoft.   

Please be sure to join us for year 5 as we have quite the surprise for our Wonder Leaguers. Registration and pre-season starts in June, so get ready! Check out announcements on our site at www.makewonder.com/classroom.robotics-competition. Congratulations to all our teams and see you next season!