Farm Robotics Challenge 2027

The Farm Robotics Challenge 2027 is run by UC ANR Innovate, part of University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, together with the AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems (AIFS). It is for student teams, not companies: students at colleges, universities and trade or technical schools build and field-test robotics, AI or automation for real farm problems. More than US$200,000 in prizes and startup support will be awarded, and the project proposal is due on 13 November 2026.

This is a student competition. An Indian college or technical school can send a team, but a working founder with no student team cannot enter on their own. Students at institutions in, or directly affiliated with, China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates cannot take part, because of US export control rules. India is not on that list.

What the program offers

The challenge says more than US$200,000 in prizes and startup support will be awarded in 2027. The prizes page lists four tracks: a Championship track with first to third place in each division, an Amiga Innovation Award for teams that use the Amiga platform, a Specialty Crops Award for innovative solutions in specialty crops, and an opt-in Startup pathway for teams that want to commercialise. The prizes page does not break out amounts for each track. The launch announcement summarised in the listing says the top university team in Division I receives US$25,000 (about ₹23.75 lakh); that amount is on the listing and not on the pages we could read.

Winners also get chances to present their work at leading industry conferences. Awards, including cash prizes and travel stipends, go to the lead institution, which manages the team and its deliverables, not to individual students. The challenge gives no central funding for equipment, so teams must find and budget for their own project costs.

Who can apply

Teams of students at two-year or four-year colleges and universities and at trade or technical schools, anywhere in the world, can enter. Graduate students are welcome but may not make up more than half of a team. Teams can include students from up to three institutions, with one lead institution and up to two partners. US middle and high school students in grades 7 to 12 can enter Division III, and a limited number of international Division III places need an eligibility application.

Each team needs an academic advisor, who can be faculty, a graduate student, school staff, a teacher or a volunteer youth leader. A school may field several teams as long as each tackles a different problem, and technology can be shared across teams.

How to apply

Teams work with growers to choose a real farm problem during team formation and proposal research, from August to December 2026. Pre-registration opened on 3 August 2026 on the challenge website. The team then registers and submits its project proposal. The prizes page gives 13 November 2026 as the project proposal deadline, while the Participate page lists 13 December 2026 for registration and proposals; to be safe, plan for 13 November. A US$100 team registration fee applies.

After the proposal, teams build and test between December 2026 and April 2027, and then submit a refined prototype with a written report and a video showing the solution working. The final project video and report are due 2 May 2027.

How applications are judged and what happens next

An expert panel of judges reviews the submissions and selects winners. Winners are announced at a virtual awards ceremony in June 2027, so no travel is needed to receive the awards. A project may be resubmitted in a later year unless it has already won an award.

About UC ANR Innovate and AIFS

UC ANR Innovate is a programme of University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, and AIFS is a research institute focused on AI for food systems. The challenge is supported by the CA Jobs First Initiative. In its 2026 edition, the challenge drew nearly 100 teams from 13 countries, according to the listing.

Things to check before you apply

• Deadline conflict: the two official pages give 13 November and 13 December 2026. Confirm with the organisers and aim for the earlier date.
• Teams pay their own build costs; there is no equipment funding.
• Cash prizes go to the lead institution, so agree in advance how a prize would be shared.
• The source says the US$100 fee is invoiced when you register and submit your proposal.
• The Startup pathway is described only as an opt-in route for teams who want to commercialise. The prizes page does not give its terms, so read them before you opt in and check whether any investment comes with equity.
• A practical tip: begin talking to a grower early. The proposal is meant to start from a real farm problem.