The American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS) proudly hosted Iraq’s first-ever National VEX Robotics Competition for the 2025–2026 season—an important milestone for STEM education and youth innovation in the country. Held on November 30, 2025, the event brought together talented young students from across Iraq to compete, collaborate, and showcase their engineering, problem-solving, and teamwork skills.

Supported by Korek and Taurus, this national competition served as the official qualifying round to determine the team that will represent Iraq at the VEX World Robotics Championship in the United States.

This inaugural event welcomed exceptional participation from schools and institutions across the country, including:

* Science Camp from Basrah
* The International School of Choueifat (Erbil and Sulaimani)
* British International School of Kurdistan
* AI Incubator from Mustaqbal University
* ROOK for AI from Salahaddin
* SAVA Private Schools
* Cedars International Schools (Erbil and Sulaimani)

From 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, the AUIS campus came alive with fast-paced matches, creative robot designs, and spirited teamwork across VEX GO, VEX IQ, and VEX V5 categories. Each division challenged students to engineer thoughtful solutions, strategize effectively, and perform under pressure.

Award Winners

AUIS proudly recognizes the outstanding achievements of the following teams:

* Judges Award: Future Motion Group from The International School of Choueifat in Erbil
* Energy Award: Alpha from Cedars International School in Erbil
* Sportsmanship Award: SAVA from Sava Private School
* Build Award: Panther I from The International School of Choueifat in Sulaimaniyah
* Think Award: Rook from Rook for AI
* Innovative Award: Basra Vextrons from Science Camp
* Design Award: Robo+ from Cedars International School in Erbil

VEX IQ Category

* Excellence Award: Suli+ from Cedars International School in Sulaimaniyah

VEX V5 Category

* Excellence Award: Ishtaar Group from AI Incubator from Mustaqbal University

VEX GO Category

* Excellence Award: SAVA Star from Sava Private School
* Coding Award: SAVA Lions from Sava Private School
* Team Dynamics Award: AI Incubator – Mustaqbal University

These achievements highlight the dedication, creativity, and growing robotics talent within Iraq’s youth.

By bringing this global-standard competition to Iraq for the very first time, AUIS reinforces its commitment to innovation, emerging technologies, and hands-on learning opportunities for young minds. The event reflects the University’s mission to inspire future leaders, promote critical thinking, and empower students to see themselves as creators and problem-solvers.

AUIS congratulates all participating teams and celebrates the national winners who will proudly represent Iraq on the global stage at the VEX World Robotics Championship in the USA.