For the 26th year, Purdue University Fort Wayne will host the FIRST LEGO League Northern Indiana Semistate Tournament on December 13, 2025.
Purdue Fort Wayne news release:
Purdue Fort Wayne to host 26th FIRST LEGO League semistate on Saturday
Fort Wayne, Indiana (December 8, 2025) — For the 26th year, Purdue University Fort Wayne will host the FIRST LEGO League Northern Indiana Semistate Tournament on Saturday in the Lutheran Health Fieldhouse. There will be 49 teams of students ages 9-14 competing for a chance to advance to the Jan. 10 state finals in Indianapolis.
Including judges, referees, and more than 100 volunteers, the event will include approximately 2,000 participants and guests throughout the day, from the opening ceremonies at 8:30 a.m. until the awards ceremony beginning at 6 p.m.
Created through a partnership between FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and the LEGO Group, the FIRST LEGO League has grown to include over 29,000 teams in 80 countries. The program aims to inspire young minds in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, while fostering valuable life and career skills.
The first Indiana state championship was hosted by PFW’s College of Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science in December 2000.
The 2025-26 FIRST LEGO League season is themed “Unearthed,” which focuses on archaeology and how we understand the past to shape the future. Teams will explore what’s beneath the surface, from ancient artifacts to modern infrastructure, and must identify and propose solutions to real-world problems. The challenge emphasizes the human element in archaeology, focusing on how people lived in the past.
Teams are guided by volunteer coaches, typically educators, engineers, or tech professionals. More than 60 volunteer professionals from PFW and the Fort Wayne community, as well as 80 ETCS students, will assist in the event.
Spectator admission is free, though some events are limited to judges and participants. The robot games are open to the public and start at 10 a.m.
About Purdue University Fort Wayne
Purdue University Fort Wayne is the largest university in northeast Indiana and is part of the Purdue University system. Purdue Fort Wayne is uniquely positioned to serve the region as a crossroads of intellectual, social, economic, and cultural advancement. Rigorous academics are combined with a focus on student success across prestigious degree programs taught by more than 300 full-time faculty. More than 7,400 students of diverse ages, ethnicities, and nationalities pursue their education on the nearly 600-acre campus. A majority of the Mastodon Alumni Community’s 55,000+ living members reside and work in Indiana, which contributes significantly to the state’s economy, vitality, and intellectual strength. The university is a member of the Horizon League athletics conference, and fields 14 NCAA Division I sports teams. For more information, visit pfw.edu.
Related Images:
