Nov. 28 BPEX event to serve as domestic qualifier for 2027 Robofest World Championship

A promotional poster for the 2027 Robofest domestic qualifying competition [Busan Metropolitan Office of Education]
A promotional poster for the 2027 Robofest domestic qualifying competition [Busan Metropolitan Office of Education]

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education announced Tuesday it will host the "2027 Robofest Domestic Qualifying Competition" at the Busan Port International Exhibition and Convention Center (BPEX) on Nov. 28. The nationwide event is organized by the education office, which has spent the past decade running software and AI education programs — including a software education festival, a student hackathon, and a robot and coding camp.

The competition serves as South Korea's official qualifier for the 2027 Robofest World Championship, which will be held in the country for the first time next year. Any elementary, middle or high school student nationwide may enter free of charge, and the top-finishing team in each event will earn a berth at the world championship along with three or more rounds of customized coaching.

Robofest is an international youth robotics competition that began in 1999 at Lawrence Technological University in Michigan. Since then, more than 38,700 students from 39 countries have taken part. The world championship, set for May next year at Kwangwoon University in Seoul, will be the first edition held outside the United States.

Once a Robofest match begins, no one may touch a robot. The competition uses a fully autonomous format in which robots see, assess and move entirely on programs written in advance by the students themselves. Students are also responsible for designing, assembling and programming their robots, and neither teachers nor parents are permitted in the work zone on competition day. Tasks and conditions are revealed on-site the day of the event, demanding the ability to think and adapt on the spot rather than rely on memorized answers. There are no restrictions on components or programming languages — Lego, Arduino and others are all permitted.

Registration is open through Oct. 16 at the dedicated website (robofestbusan2026.com). The competition is divided into a junior division for students from fifth grade of elementary school through second year of middle school, and a senior division for students from third year of middle school through second year of high school. Participating teams will compete across eight events, including Game, Exhibition and the Unknown Mission Challenge (UMC).


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