February 19-24, 2026
Nathan Benderson Park | Sarasota, Florida, USA
RoboBoat 2026 was held in-person at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida, USA, with 37 teams representing 10 countries — Bangladesh, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Türkiye and the United States and Puerto Rico. Thirteen teams qualified for Semi-Finals, and six teams advanced to Finals! Kudos to ALL teams with special mention of, and encouragement to, teams that came to the competition, gave it their all, but didn’t qualify.
At the Sunday evening awards ceremony and reception, the teams celebrated their hard work and accomplishments with new friends and expressed determination to meet again at RoboBoat 2027. Sadly, this is Bill Porter’s last year as RoboBoat Technical Director. We want to thank Bill for his guidance, enthusiasm and dedication. He promises to stay connected with RoboNation as an advisor!
Congratulations to all RoboBoat 2026 teams! We look forward to seeing you in 2027!
Autonomy Challenge Awards
Last updated as of February 24, 2026
1st Place ($5,000): INSTITUT TEKNOLOGI SEPULUH NOPEMBER (Indonesia)
2nd Place ($2,500): NAVIER USN (Norway)
3rd Place ($1,750): QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY (Canada)
4th Place ($1,500): TURKISH NAVAL ACADEMY (Türkiye)
5th Place ($1,000): CORNELL UNIVERSITY (USA)
6th Place ($750): EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY (USA)
Design Documentation
1st Place Overall TIE ($750 & Banner): EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY (USA)
1st Place Overall TIE ($750 & Banner): INSTITUT TEKNOLOGI SEPULUH NOPEMBER (Indonesia)
3rd Place Overall ($500 & Banner): UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN (USA)
TOP Technical Design Report ($500): :INSTITUT TEKNOLOGI SEPULUH NOPEMBER (Indonesia)
TOP Design Strategy Presentation ($500): GDAŃSK UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (Poland)
TOP System Assessment ($500): GDAŃSK UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (Poland)
TOP Website ($500) TIE: ADVANCING SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY & ART (USA)
TOP Website ($500) TIE: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (USA)
TOP Team Introduction Video ($500): EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY (USA)
Special Awards
Team Engagement Award (Banner): LAKE SUPERIOR STATE UNIVERSITY (USA)
Excellence in Sportsmanship Award ($500): EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY (USA)
Innovation in Marine Systems Award ($500): AGH UNIVERSITY OF KRAKOW (Poland)
Data-Driven Engineering Award ($500): GDAŃSK UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (Poland)
Act Local & Global Award ($500 & SeaPerch Kit & SeaGlide Kit): ADVANCING SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY & ART (USA)
Inter-Vehicle Communication Breakthrough Award ($500):TURKISH NAVAL ACADEMY (Türkiye)
Sponsor Awards
Teams receive 2 Blue Robotics T200 Thrusters & 2 Basic ESCs
BENEDICT COLLEGE (USA)
MILITARY TECHNICAL COLLEGE (Egypt)
MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY OF NEWFOUNDLAND (Canada)
UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA AT LAFAYETTE (USA)
KYUSHU INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (Japan)
RoboBoat 2026 Detailed Scoresheet: Coming Soon
RoboBoat 2026 Awards Ceremony: Coming Soon
Last updated as of February 24, 2026