The AgRobotics Ontario Challenge is a new educational robotics competition designed to engage high school students in solving real-world problems facing modern agriculture. Developed in partnership between the Ontario Council for Technology Education (OCTE) and the Western Fair Association (WFA), this initiative highlights the dynamic intersection of agriculture, automation, and innovation.

Unlike traditional robotics competitions, this event emphasizes open-ended design, authentic problem-solving, and community engagement. Each participating team will identify a real agricultural issue in collaboration with a local community partner and use it as inspiration for their robot design. While some teams may directly attempt to solve the identified problem, others may choose to incorporate key elements, such as sensors, data collection, or mechanical processes, into a functional demonstration robot. Teams will clearly articulate the connection between their community partner’s challenge and their solution in their final presentation, demonstrating both relevance and innovation.

The competition is intentionally designed to be flexible and inclusive. Teams are encouraged to play to their strengths, whether in coding, mechanical fabrication, electronics, or data collection, while still incorporating all core elements of robot design. This model allows schools with diverse skill sets, facilities, and resources to engage meaningfully and competitively, without being limited by a rigid or prescriptive task.

The AgRobotics Ontario Challenge encourages creativity, technical skill, interdisciplinary thinking, and meaningful industry partnerships. It supports SHSM pathways, open-source development, and student-led learning, and is poised to become a flagship event showcasing Ontario’s emerging talent in agri-tech and skilled trades.

The AgRobotics Ontario Challenge was created with the following goals in mind:

• Promote Agriculture as a High-Tech Industry
  Highlight the increasing role of robotics, automation, and data in modern farming to shift student perceptions of agriculture as a cutting-edge and relevant career path.

• Provide Authentic, Real-World Engineering Experience
  Encourage students to engage with real agricultural problems by identifying a local community partner and developing functional solutions grounded in real-world constraints.

• Foster Student-Centered, Open-Ended Design
  Emphasize open-source development and student-led fabrication to create an accessible and flexible competition format that encourages creativity and learning.

• Encourage Interdisciplinary Learning
  Create opportunities for students to apply skills in robotics, programming, fabrication, environmental science, and communication, all within a meaningful context.

• Support Curriculum Integration and SHSM Pathways
  Align with existing Ontario curriculum expectations and SHSM programs to support teachers in delivering high-impact experiential learning opportunities.

• Showcase Student Innovation to the Public and Industry
  Provide a public venue at the Western Farm Expo for students to demonstrate their work, receive feedback from industry experts, and engage with the agricultural community.

• Value Diverse Strengths and Approaches
  Create a framework where teams can succeed through different avenues, whether they excel in software, mechanical design, control systems, or data collection ensuring the competition rewards a variety of skill sets equally and avoids creating roadblocks for any one type of team.

• Lay the Foundation for a Sustainable, Scalable Event
  Develop a competition model that is adaptable, cost-effective, and able to grow in scale and complexity over time while maintaining educational integrity and accessibility.

Competition Launches: September 22, 2025

Community Partner Problem Submission: Monday November 24th, 2025

Design & Build Phase: December 1, 2025 - February 27th, 2026 (Note some elements due Feb 17th, 2026)

Final Showcase & Competition: March 5th, 2026 at Western Fair District J-AAR Expo Centre, 845 Florence Street, London, ON (Competition will take place during the London Farm Show).

A base demonstration field (e.g., 12x8 ft, dirt-filled, with core agricultural textures and surfaces) will be available at the final event. A bare concrete 15x15 ft area will also be available to simulate farm yards, barns, or other “non-dirt” surfaces in the agricultural industry. 

During their demonstration time, each team may also bring and install custom field elements to simulate conditions or components relevant to their problem (e.g., rows of crops, gates, bins, fencing, etc.).

For the in-person component of the competition, the six selected schools will each receive a 10’ x 10’ pit space, with access to a 15 amp electrical connection.

There are NO FEES to be paid to Western Fair or OCTE to participate in this pilot AgRobotics Showcase program. The only costs you will incur are for building your solutions, transportation to and from the community partner, and if you choose to showcase your design at the March 2026 showcase you will have the costs to attend that day. *Lunch will be provided for staff and students who attend (max 10 representatives from each team)

Applications to participate can be completed in this FORM (ADD FORM LINK HERE). There is NO LIMIT to the number of schools/programs that want to use this framework as an ICE SPE for their program and help solve an agriculture-based challenge within their community.  Due to logistical constraints for the March 2026 showcase at Western Fair District in London, ON there will be a maximum of 6-10 groups selected for this Pilot Year. The hope is that this showcase will expand in future years.

The obvious fit would be within the agriculture SHSM sector but engaging students from business, energy, environment, forestry, horticulture and landscaping, information and communications technology, manufacturing, and/or transportation sectors as well would be beneficial. A mixed group of students across several sectors would great as well.

There is no specific minimum or maximum number of students who can participate in this program.  The only limitations may be the size of the group that the community partners would be able to accommodate for a tour/visit.  For the showcase day in March 2026 at Western Fair District in London, ON, you will need to consider the costs of transportation, the cost of OTs for field trips, and any other additional costs.

This competition can be used as a future recruitment tool for your programs, showing these students the many experiential learning opportunities that are available.