IR
Events & Timeline

Our Journey

From our inaugural season to upcoming competitions — explore every milestone of the Inspire Robotics Challenge.

5
Events Held
2
Upcoming
128+
Total Teams
3
Cities

Happening Now & Coming Up

Current Season

Season 2 Regional Qualifiers

April 26, 2025Multiple venues across Ethiopia32 teams

The current season's regional qualifiers are underway, with events hosted simultaneously in Addis Ababa, Hawassa, and Bahir Dar. Teams are competing for spots in the upcoming National Championship.

•First multi-city simultaneous qualifier events
•Live scoring dashboard available online
•Expanded volunteer mentor network
Upcoming

Season 2 National Championship

July 12, 2025Millennium Hall, Addis Ababa

The Season 2 National Championship will bring together the top teams from across Ethiopia for the biggest Inspire Robotics Challenge event yet. New awards categories and expanded scholarship prizes.

•Expected 2,000+ attendees
•International observer teams invited
•New "Community Impact" award category
•Live broadcast partnership
Upcoming

Season 3 Kickoff

January 17, 2026TBA – Multiple cities

Season 3 will expand the Inspire Robotics Challenge to additional East African countries, with plans to host events in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania alongside Ethiopian competitions.

•Pan-East African expansion planned
•New AI & Machine Learning challenge track
•Industry partnership program launch

Past Events

A look back at our completed seasons and competitions.

Jan
2024 (day: 20)
Completed 24 teams

Season 1 Kickoff – Inspire Robotics Challenge

Addis Ababa Science & Technology University

The inaugural season kickoff brought together 24 teams from across Addis Ababa for the first-ever Inspire Robotics Challenge. Students were introduced to the competition framework, received starter kits, and began their engineering journey.

•First-ever Inspire Robotics Challenge event•24 teams from 12 schools participated•Starter kits distributed to all teams•Mentorship program launched
Apr
2024 (day: 13)
Completed 20 teams

Season 1 Regional Qualifier

Addis Ababa Exhibition Center

Regional qualifiers saw teams compete across all three tracks. The Explore track featured creative robot showcases, Innovators tackled agricultural automation, and Challengers competed in alliance-based matches.

Winners
RoboLions — Champion – ExploreTechTitans — Champion – InnovatorsCircuitBreakers — Champion – Challengers
•First competitive matches in Inspire history•Live-streamed to over 500 viewers•Guest judges from local tech industry
Jul
2024 (day: 6)
Completed 16 teams

Season 1 National Championship

Millennium Hall, Addis Ababa

The Season 1 National Championship was a landmark event for STEM education in East Africa. Top qualifying teams competed for national titles, with the event attracting significant media attention and industry partnerships.

Winners
RoboLions — National Champion – ExploreInnoMinds — National Champion – InnovatorsAlphaBot — National Champion – ChallengersTechTitans — Innovation AwardGearHeads — Judges' Award
•Over 1,000 attendees at Millennium Hall•Partnership with Ethiopian Ministry of Education announced•Media coverage from national outlets•Scholarship prizes awarded to top performers
Jan
2025 (day: 18)
Completed 36 teams

Season 2 Kickoff – "Building Tomorrow"

Addis Ababa Science & Technology University

Season 2 launched with the theme "Building Tomorrow," expanding to include teams from regional cities. New challenge missions focused on sustainable development and smart city solutions.

•Expanded to 36 teams from 18 schools•Teams from Hawassa and Bahir Dar joined•New sustainable development challenge theme•Advanced robotics kits introduced for Challengers

Be Part of the Next Chapter

Register your team or become a partner for upcoming Inspire Robotics Challenge events.

Register a Team Become a Partner