UAE’s FIRST LEGO League 2024-25 National Winners Announced

The FIRST LEGO League (FLL) 2024-25 season, hosted by ATLAB, a subsidiary of Centena Group, in collaboration with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and LEGO Education, announced the national winners from across the UAE during the grand finale of the ‘CHALLENGE’ category on February 9, 2025. The event celebrated the creativity, problem-solving skills, and teamwork of young innovators from 42 teams, who excelled in robotics and STEM.

Team ‘ACE’ from the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences took home the Champion’s Winner Award, while Team ‘PELAGIC PIONEERS’ from DPS Sharjah earned first runner-up and Team ‘METAL MECH’ from Gems International School – Al Khail secured second runner-up. In the Robot Performance category, Team ‘SEATROTTERS’ from Gems Millennium School – Sharjah claimed victory, with Team ‘ACE’ as first runner-up and Team ‘MARINE X’ from Gems Millennium School Sharjah taking second runner-up. For Robot Design, the winner was Team ‘AQUA RAPTORZ’ from DPS – Sharjah, with ‘SEATROTTERS’ and ‘CODEBREAKERS 2.0’ from Emerging Stars Institute finishing as first and second runners-up. The Innovation Project award went to Team ‘MAWJ MYSTERY MASTERS (M CUBE)’ from DPS – Sharjah, with Team ‘HYDRATECH’ from Mayoor Pvt School and Team ‘NMS HYDROBOTS’ from Gems New Millennium School taking the runner-up positions. Team ‘AIS_TECHTITANS’ from Abu Dhabi International Pvt School won the Core Values award, with ‘ABYSSAL EXPLORERS’ from Abu Dhabi Indian School and ‘DIAEH TEAM 2’ from Dubai International Academy – Emirates Hill securing the first and second runner-up spots. Additionally, the Motivate Award was presented to Team ‘REEF RANGERS’ from Diyar Private Academy Early Years and Girl’s Campus Dibba, Fujairah, in recognition of their exceptional team spirit and commitment to the core values of the competition.

The winners in the ‘CHALLENGE’ category were assessed based on their robot design, performance, innovation projects, and core values. As the Champion’s Winner, Team ACE has qualified for the international competition at the World Festival in Houston, Texas. Selected teams will also compete in international competitions across the globe, including Greece, South Africa, Australia, and the USA.

Charbel Najjar, the coach of Team ACE, expressed, “This competition provided a dynamic platform to showcase our innovative ideas and gain valuable experience in problem-solving, teamwork, and STEM skills. We look forward to continuing our participation in similar competitions.”

Nilesh Korgaonkar, CEO of ATLAB, emphasized the importance of initiatives like FIRST LEGO League in inspiring real-world solutions. “These exceptional projects may inspire solutions that could be adopted at an international level. We’re proud of all the participants and winners who seized this opportunity.”

Esteemed professionals from various backgrounds, including institutions and universities across the UAE, served as judges for the competition. The grand finale was further enriched by the presence of Rasna Hussain, CCDI Teacher and Trainer at the UAE Ministry of Education, whose expertise spans robotics, STEM training, AI, and machine learning.

In alignment with the UAE’s vision to foster a knowledge-based economy and empower future generations, ATLAB’s continued support for STEM education through initiatives like FIRST LEGO League plays a vital role in nurturing young innovators and contributing to the nation’s aspirations for innovation and excellence in STEM fields.