Participation
Scroll through the slides and the FAQ below to learn more about the Academy.
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The Academy welcomes teams from across California. If you’re located outside California and are interested in participating, we have a limited number of spots available for out-of-state teams. Please contact us to inquire about availability, we’d love to hear from you!
If you are ready to register your team/class have your team lead fill out and submit the registration form.
KEY DATES & DEADLINES
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration Opens | August 1, 2025 |
| Proposal Research Period | August - October |
| Project Proposals Due | October 30, 2025 |
| Development & Testing Period | November 2025 - April 2026 |
| Final Projects Due | May 3, 2026 |
| Awards Ceremony | May 20, 2026 |
Frequently Asked Questions
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The Academy is launching in August of 2025 to support secondary school aged students (grades 7-12) from California.
If you’re located outside California and are interested in participating, we have a limited number of spots available for out-of-state teams.
Teams can be comprised of students from one school, or a mix of students from different schools and youth serving institutions such as 4-H, FFA, or Grange.
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A team lead must be an adult that has credentials (background check) that allows them to lead and supervise youth activities.
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There is no fee to enter and participate in the Academy.
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We currently do not have central funding to provide teams with grants for equipment. It is up to each team to procure their own equipment and budget for project related expenses.
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You can view information on the Amiga robot via Bonsai Robotics.
You can also reach out to:
Linda McNair, VP of Marketing
linda.mcnair@bonsairobotics.com
You can also access technical information for the Amiga robot on our resources page.
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The competition follows the academic calendar year. Team formation and problem identification begin in the fall. During winter and spring, teams work on development, field testing and compile their final reports for submission towards the beginning of May. Exact dates listed above.
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We will host monthly webinars for the cohort of participating teams. During these webinars we will address topics relevant to the project stage.
The first webinars will feature info on problem identification and technology selection. As we progress throughout the year we’ll also bring on guest speakers to talk about career paths in ag tech. We will also thoroughly review project deliverables to clearly outline our expectations for the project submissions.
Don’t worry if you can’t attend the webinars live, all sessions will be recorded and posted to our YouTube Channel for on-demand viewing.
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Teams compete for prizes and special recognition at our collegiate level competition - the Farm Robotics Challenge . View our about page for more information on this year’s Academy.
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Yes, but up to a maximum of 2 teams per institution, so long as each team is working on a unique problem.
Choose the top projects that best represent your school or club.
Technology can also be shared across multiple teams.
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