Competition
The 2026 season: Byte to Bite
Farm-to-table food automation: design, build and program a robot from scratch using only the provided kit of parts. A BEST season runs from kickoff in the fall through a hub competition and, for top teams, a state championship.
We compete in the Hill Country BEST hub, and this year's hub competition is held at Dripping Springs High School.
- Sept 5, 2026
Kickoff
The "Byte to Bite" game was revealed and kits were distributed at 8:00 a.m. at NYOS Charter School. The eight-week build clock started.
- Sept - Oct
Design & build
Brainstorm, prototype, build and iterate on the robot and its practice field.
- Late Oct
Driver training & notebook
Driver training, notebook submission, and presentation rehearsal.
- Oct 31, 2026
Practice Day
Teams show off and test their robots at 8:00 a.m. at NYOS Charter School, ahead of hub game day.
- Nov 14, 2026
Regional hub competition
The Hill Country BEST hub competition is held at Dripping Springs High School. Game rounds, judging, and awards; top teams advance.
- Dec 9-12, 2026
Texas BEST Championship
Winning hub teams compete at Fair Park Coliseum and Briscoe Carpenter Livestock Center, Dallas, TX.
How teams are judged
Robot performance (game rounds)
Engineering notebook
Marketing presentation
Professional poster
Spirit & sportsmanship
Web design
Video design
2026 achievements
Kickoff was Sept 5 and the build is underway. Awards from the hub competition on Nov 14 will be posted here.