Brownell Talbot School's Upper School robotics team, 1028A, has been crowned the 2026 VEX Robotics High School World Championship winner, the most prestigious title in competitive robotics for high school students. Competing against approximately 900 of the world's top teams from more than 40 countries, Team 1028A went undefeated across every match at the World Championship on Saturday, finishing the event with a 23-0 record.
The 2025-2026 VEX Robotics Competition season drew an estimated 7,000 high school teams worldwide, representing approximately 45,000 students. Earning a spot at Worlds placed a team in the top 13 percent of all participants globally.
At the World Championship in St. Louis, MO, 900 qualifying teams were organized into 10 divisions. Team 1028A competed in the Science Division, where they won all 12 qualification matches plus a practice match, finishing as the top seed heading into alliance selection. They partnered with 10B Exothermic Burnout of Washington state, the division's second seed, and the alliance went undefeated through the Science Division elimination bracket to claim the division championship.
Division champions then advanced to the VEX Worlds Finals, an event held in the main arena known among competitors as "The Dome," in front of thousands of live spectators and a global online audience. Team 1028A and their alliance continued their undefeated run through the Dome, ultimately claiming the 2026 VEX Robotics High School World Championship title.
In addition to the World Championship trophy, Team 1028A received the Science Division Think Award and the Science Division Champion trophy, recognition of both their technical achievement and the depth of their engineering design process.
"This is one of the most extraordinary achievements in Brownell Talbot's history," said Head of School Kristi N. Gibbs, Ed.D. "What Team 1028A accomplished on the world stage is a reflection of everything we aspire to at Brownell Talbot, students who are known, inspired, and challenged to grow beyond what they thought possible. To go undefeated against the best teams in the world takes not just skill, but integrity, resilience, and a deep sense of responsibility to each other. We are incredibly proud."
The path to the World Championship required more than 7,000 cumulative hours of preparation beyond the academic school day. That work encompassed robot design, building, and iteration; match analysis and video review; logbook documentation; community outreach; scouting; travel; and student-led social media. The team's approach reflects the same values that guide learning at Brownell Talbot: curiosity, rigor, and the pursuit of excellence.
About Brownell Talbot
Brownell Talbot has been recognized as the Best High School for STEM in Nebraska by Niche.com since 2021. BT is currently ranked in the top 9% of high school STEM programs nationwide.
Brownell Talbot is Omaha's only independent K-12 private day school, offering a challenging college-preparatory curriculum in an inclusive, student-centered environment. Founded in 1863, BT develops curious, confident, and compassionate students prepared to lead and contribute in a complex world. Learn more at brownell.edu.
About the VEX Robotics Competition
The VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) is organized by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation (RECF), which engaged more than 320,000 students across all 50 states and 125 countries during the 2024-2025 season. VRC challenges teams to design, build, and program robots to compete in a game-based engineering challenge, developing real-world STEM, teamwork, and leadership skills.
