2023 Championships
The championships for the NHRL 2023 season will be held on November 11th. This is going to be the 7th event in our 2023 season and consists entirely of invite-only brackets. In the first 6 events of our seasons, the top 4 bots in each bracket who did not already qualify for the championships get an invite.
Tournament Format
For November, we will run a special tournament format: a 3-round qualifier. The quick summary is: If you win 2 fights in the qualifier, you make it into the bracket. If you lose 2 fights, you are out.
In more detail, for each weight class, all bots will be seeded by rank and placed into a single group. In the first round, the highest seed will fight the lowest seed.
In the second round, all 1-0 bots will fight each other, and all 0-1 bots will fight each other. Any 1-0 bot that wins its fight will immediately qualify for the bracket with a high seed. Any 0-1 bot that loses its fight is eliminated.
In the third round, only 1-1 bots will remain. The winner qualifies for the bracket with a low seed, and the loser is eliminated.
Only 50% of bots will make the bracket. 2-0 bots will get the higher bracket seeds, ordered by original seeding. 2-1 bots will get the lower bracket seeds, again ordered by original seeding.
Brackets
Here are Round 1 Qualifier matchups for all weight classes.
Here are our brackets:
3lb: https://truefinals.com/tournament/nhrl_nov23_3lb/info
12lb: https://truefinals.com/tournament/nhrl_nov23_12lb/info
30lb: https://truefinals.com/tournament/nhrl_nov23_30lb/info
Freestyle: https://truefinals.com/tournament/nhrl_nov23_fs
We are using True Finals, our new bracket platform, to run this event. The bracket will start the day showing placeholders. We will start populating each bracket after that weight class' Boss round is complete, and it will periodically update.
In addition to showing the bracket, True Finals will let you see which bot is in which cage, and you will be able to see all fights, including qualifiers and grudges.
You can see all non-bracket fights in the "Exhibition" page. Despite the name, this is where Qualifier fights will show up.
The "Players" page shows a list of bots, plus the placeholders for the day. If a bot is listed as "not participating," that simply means it hasn't made the bracket yet. This will be updated during the Qualifier rounds.
Our predictions challenge will open soon!
Charity
We are excited to announce that NHRL will once again contribute over $1M toward STEM organizations as part of the 2023 World Championships! We are thrilled to continue to support organizations that share our commitment to supporting STEM education and workforce development.
The top three finishers in each weight class at the 2023 World Championships will be able to make a prize donation to a STEM charity of their choice:
- First place winners (3lb, 12lb and 30lb) will each award the STEM charity of their choice with a prize donation of $150,000
- Second place winners (3lb, 12lb and 30lb) will each award the STEM charity of their choice with a prize donation of $100,000
- Third place winners (3lb, 12lb and 30lb) will each award the STEM charity of their choice with a prize donation of $50,000
Additionally, we will once again give away 10 Sparky Awards at the 2023 World Championships to members of the community. These awards celebrate our builders and the spirit of NHRL—this year, everyone who wins a 2023 Sparky will also be eligible to donate $10,000 to the STEM charity of their choice. (Read more about the Sparky Awards here.)
Finally, each bot that competes at the 2023 World Championships tournament will be eligible to contribute $1,000 to one of five organizations selected by NHRL and members of the community, outlined below.
This is just the beginning of NHRL’s 2023 charitable giving initiatives. Stay tuned for an announcement taking place at World Championships about another $1M giving program, designed to empower the NHRL community to help grow the sport of robot combat.
If you have any questions about the program, please contact giving@nhrl.io.
Additional details and restrictions
Charitable Organization Eligibility & Use of Funds
- The primary goal of NHRL’s Giving Programs is to lower barriers to entry for individuals interested in the fields of robotics, engineering and manufacturing. While we appreciate the mission of STEAM charities that have missions primarily tied to the arts and conservation, they will not be eligible for this grant program.
- Any organization that received total donations of $100,000 or more from the NHRL November 2022 World Championships STEM Grants Program will be ineligible to receive a Top-Three Finisher prize donation from the 2023 World Championships Program. These organizations are, however, eligible to receive the $10k prize donation(s) from Sparky Award recipients.
- No individual school or educational institution can receive more than $25,000 in total, be it a high school, college, or similar organization. If more than $25,000 in prize donations is earmarked to any individual school-based program, NHRL will work with individual builders to reallocate funds to other eligible organizations.
- Grantees must be 501(c)(3) public charities or educational organizations in good standing with the IRS. Organizations not listed on sites like Charity Navigator and GuideStar will be subject to additional evaluation.
- All prize donation funds must be expended for charitable, scientific or educational purposes.
Qualifier Donations
- All World Championships qualifiers can choose one of six pre-selected recipient organizations for their $1,000 qualifier prize donation by submitting a form emailed to them. Captains should submit this form by November 8, 2023. If you do not submit the form by November 8, we will randomly assign your $1,000 donation to one of the selected organizations.
- The six organizations pre-selected for the qualifier donations are:
- Fab Foundation: Our mission is to provide access to the tools, the knowledge, and the financial means to educate, innovate and invent using technology and digital fabrication to allow anyone to make (almost) anything. We create opportunity.
- Engineers Without Borders USA: Builds a better world through engineering projects that empower communities to meet their basic human needs.
- TechBridge Girls: Techbridge Girls re-engineers the way BIPOC girls* from marginalized communities experience STEM by catalyzing out-of-school time (OST) STEM educators and STEM professionals into equity educators and advocates through training and curricula that promote access, belonging and persistence. *Techbridge Girls (TBG) serves Black, Indigenous, and all girls of color, which includes cis girls, trans youth, gender non-conforming, and/or non-binary youth who experience(d) girlhood and economic insecurity as a part of their journey.
- The Carver: Carver operates 50+ before-school, after-school, and summer programs in all K-12 public schools in Norwalk, CT and other Connecticut organizations like Side by Side Charter School, the Classical Studies Magnet Academy in Bridgeport, Naugatuck High School, Stamford High School, and the Carver Community Center.
- Revolution Robotics: Through a revolutionary open-sourced platform approach, the foundation strives to give every child early exposure to the exciting potential of a future career in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
- MakerspaceCT: MakerspaceCT is the largest makerspace in Connecticut and the 2nd largest in New England. We empower prospective inventors, manufacturers, entrepreneurs, hobbyists and students across the region with access to tools, technology, resources and learning opportunities.
Top-Three Finisher Donations
- Each Top-Three Finisher will be able to direct a prize donation to the charity of their choice. All charities must have a clear mission related to education or workforce development in science, technology, engineering, and/or mathematics.
- All World Championships qualifying captains can use the form linked above to submit their preferred Top-Three Finisher charity for review and pre-approval (deadline is November 8), although early submission is not required. Early submission and pre-approval allows NHRL to highlight your chosen organization(s) in interviews and on-screen graphics.
- The nine Top-Three Finishers must each pick a unique charity, subject to NHRL approval, to ensure the STEM Grant Program can impact as many organizations as possible. This means all nine bots that receive a Top-Three Finisher award each need to select a different organization.
- All nine Top-Three Finishers will be contacted by NHRL in the week following the World Championships tournament to confirm/approve your selected organization and facilitate the prize donations.
- Top-Three Finishers have the option to allocate up to $25,000 of their prize donation to a school district or college/university (like a robotics team, program or club). The remaining balance must be donated to an independent STEM charity or organization as outlined above.
- Top-Three Finisher prize donations cannot be divided between finalists (e.g. no “handshake deals” agreeing to split awards).
Sparky Award Prize Donations
- Each recipient of a Sparky Award will be able to direct a $10,000 prize donation to the charity of their choice. All charities must have a clear mission related to education or workforce development in science, technology, engineering, and/or mathematics.
- All 10 Sparky Award recipients will be contacted by NHRL in the week following the World Championships tournament to confirm/approve your selected organization and facilitate the prize donations.
- The dual winners of the “Fight of the Year” award will each be able to award $5,000.
- The Sparky Award Prize Donations can be directed in full to a program affiliated with a school or educational institution, subject to approval by NHRL.
- Sparky Awards do not need to each be directed to a unique organization.
If you have any questions about the program, please contact giving@nhrl.io.
Qualified Robots
The following robots qualified for the championships in 2023. Qualifying means finishing in the final 4 for your weight class of all bots that have not already qualified in any of the 6 regular season events. In the event of a tie or a duplicate both bots will be admitted. You cannot qualify more than once.
Any bots who are not coming will be noted like this.
3lb Weight Class
| Robot Name | Qualifying Event | Weight Class | Weapon Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Púca | January 28th 2023 | 3lb | Drum/Beater |
| Kickstart | January 28th 2023 | 3lb | Vertical Spinner |
| Wicked Twister | January 28th 2023 | 3lb | Horizontal Spinner |
| Off Beat | January 28th 2023 | 3lb | Horizontal Spinner |
| Chubby Unicorn | March 18th 2023 | 3lb | Vertical Spinner |
| Voxel v.1 | March 18th 2023 | 3lb | Drum/Beater |
| BeetleJuice | March 18th 2023 | 3lb | Horizontal Spinner |
| Clyde | March 18th 2023 | 3lb | Flamethrower |
| Droopy | May 6th 2023 | 3lb | Dual Horizontals |
| Caldera | May 6th 2023 | 3lb | Horizontal Spinner |
| Fully Defined | May 6th 2023 | 3lb | Vertical Spinner |
| Synthesis | May 6th 2023 | 3lb | Vertical Spinner |
| Silent Spring | June 24-25th 2023 | 3lb | Horizontal Spinner |
| Jet Lag | June 24-25th 2023 | 3lb | Drum/Beater |
| Hot Wings | June 24-25th 2023 | 3lb | Grabber |
| Blackbird | June 24-25th 2023 | 3lb | Vertical Spinner |
| Supreme Ruler | August 12th 2023 | 3lb | Lifter |
| Ratfish | August 12th 2023 | 3lb | Flipper/Lifter |
| Spartan | August 12th 2023 | 3lb | Horizontal Spinner |
| Silent X | August 12th 2023 | 3lb | Horizontal/Vertical Spinner |
| Booty Brigade | September 30th 2023 | 3lb | Vertical Spinner/Dual Horizontals |
| Monkfish | September 30th 2023 | 3lb | Horizontal Spinner |
| IDKWTFID | September 30th 2023 | 3lb | Vertical Spinner |
| War? Hard! | September 30th 2023 | 3lb | Vertical Spinner |
