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Octobots Robotics Team members, Uma Vulliez (Vice Captain) and Alyssa Flores show off the team’s “Quality Award” at the FIRST Robotics District Qualifying Event. | Credit: Octobots Robotics 
Octobots Robotics Team celebrate winning the “Quality Award” at the FIRST Robotics District Qualifying Event. | Credit: Octobots Robotics 
Octobot Robotics Team at the FIRST Robotics District Qualifying Event. | Credit: Octobots Robotics
(April 1, 2026) Goleta, CA – Local Octobots Robotics Team, based out of Dos Pueblos High School, takes home the “Quality Award” for their robot’s “robustness in concept and fabrication” at the FIRST Robotics Competition District Qualifying Event held March 27 to 29, 2026 in Glendale, California.
The Quality Award recognizes the team for their ability to describe how their design ensures robustness throughout the competition and demonstrates the quality of that design on the field such that the robot can withstand the rigors of competition, contributing to the team’s success, according to the FIRST Robotics Competition.
The quality of the robot contributed to the team’s success last weekend in Glendale, where in addition to being recognized with the “Quality Award,” the Octobots were selected as a first round pick and made it to the fourth round of the semifinals. This was the second of two district competitions for Octobots Robotics this season, previously competing in Port Hueneme in early March, where they also made it to the semifinals.
In a post-game message to the team, volunteer lead mentor Michael Ramsey shared, “What you have done this weekend is no small thing. You did not just show up to a district event – you arrived. You built a machine from nothing but ideas, late nights, and sheer determination and then you drove it straight into the semifinals. Every person on this team poured something real into this robot – code, metal, strategy, heart. Making it to the semifinals is not the end of the story. It’s the moment right before the plot twist.”
The team hopes their success at the two district competitions earned them enough points to qualify for the FIRST Robotics Competition California Southern State Championship later this month. The team is waiting for the official word that they earned their spot, which they will find out at the end of next weekend when the final qualifying matches for the region end. If they qualify to compete at the state championships, the team will need financial support from the community to help fund modifications to their robot to make it more competitive and offset the cost of travel expenses.
“Competing in our state is particularly competitive as the top four teams in the world right now are from California.” says Ethan Best, Octobots Robotics team member.
Octobots is currently ranked in the top 6% (236 out of 3,702) of FIRST Robotics teams in the world, top 7% (195 out of 2,930) in the United States, and top 9% in California. Last year, Team Octobots was recognized by FIRST Robotics with the “Excellence in Engineering Award” and the “Rising All-Star Award.”
About Octobots Robotics Team 9084
Established by a small group of high school students and volunteer mentors in 2023 as the only FIRST Robotics team for grades 9 through 12 in the Goleta and Santa Barbara area, Octobots Robotics is an all-volunteer, all-inclusive team of 30 to 40 high school students based out of Dos Pueblos High School. The program is dedicated to inspiring students to become science and technology leaders and innovators by engaging in mentor-based programs and competitions that build engineering and technology skills. The team is further committed to promoting STEM education in the community, volunteering at local science nights, community fairs, and through a summer camp for students entering grades 5 through 9.
The team receives no regular funds from the school or other sources and must raise operating funds each season to cover 100% of the cost to build the robot, travel fees, and competition fees. Sponsors include Arthrex, Bodenhamer Family, Karl Storz, Santa Barbara Venture Partners, Teledyne FLIR, Teledyne Lecroy, and Waters-Wyatt Technology. Visit http://www.teamoctobots.org for more information.
About FIRST Robotics
FIRST Robotics is an international nonprofit organization that prepares young people for the future through a suite of life-changing youth robotics programs that build skills, confidence, and resilience. With new challenges each year, high school teams from around the world, compete to solve an engineering design problem in a high energy, intense game. This year’s competition focuses on designing, building, and programming a robot from concept to competition that will pick up kickball-sized game pieces from the ground, drive over an obstacle, launch the game pieces accurately into a 7-foot-tall target, and climb a ladder. Visit http://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc for more information.
