Teams from around the world compete in annual ag tech contest organized by UC ANR Innovate, partners
The fourth annual Farm Robotics Challenge will announce its winners during a live awards ceremony on Thursday, May 21, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. PDT at Plug and Play Tech Center in Sunnyvale. The event will also be livestreamed on YouTube for audiences worldwide.
Organized by UC ANR Innovate, the innovation arm of University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, alongside the AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems, the Farm Robotics Challenge is the only student design competition focused exclusively on real-world, on-farm solutions in robotics, artificial intelligence and automation.
This year’s competition brought together student teams from across the United States and around the world, competing in three divisions: Division I for four-year universities, Division II for two-year colleges, and the Farm Robotics Academy for secondary students in grades 7–12.
This is the first time middle school and high school students have participated in the Farm Robotics Challenge. The introduction of the Division II and Academy tracks marks a significant expansion of the program, funded through the state’s Regional Investment Initiative – the flagship program within its California Jobs First portfolio – as part of the workforce development efforts of the California AgTech Alliance.
“What makes this challenge unique is its focus on practical solutions developed in partnership with actual growers,” said Kelly Scott, Farm Robotics Challenge director. “These students spent months in the field identifying real problems and building technological solutions. The work we will celebrate on May 21 represents the next generation of agricultural innovators.”
The teams studied a host of pressing challenges in modern agriculture, from labor shortages and pest management to crop monitoring and sustainable production, and then designed, prototyped and field-tested robotic and AI-driven solutions to address them.
More than $100K in prizes awarded across six categories, including $50K grand prize from Reservoir
The 2026 Challenge drew its most diverse field yet, with 96 teams competing. Division I attracted 58 four-year university teams representing 13 countries, including UC Davis, Cornell, and institutions in Australia, Brazil and India. Eight community college teams competed in Division II, and 30 middle and high school teams competed through the Farm Robotics Academy, representing FFA chapters, 4-H clubs and Career Technical Education (CTE) programs.
Winners will be recognized across multiple award categories at all competition levels, with prizes totaling more than $100,000. The centerpiece is a $50,000 Grand Prize awarded by Reservoir – an agricultural robotics incubator and early-stage venture capital fund – for the team demonstrating the most market-ready, investor-ready solution.
“The Farm Robotics Challenge continues to inspire the next generation of agricultural innovators into the field, and at Reservoir, we’re proud to partner with the academic and community partners to help create a pathway from breakthrough ideas to real-world impact,” said Danny Bernstein, CEO of Reservoir. “While the Grand Prize is worthy of celebration, the Challenge overall is about identifying and supporting teams that are ready to translate bold thinking into deployable solutions for growers. We’re excited to see what this next wave of founders will build.”
Additional prize categories include:
Amiga Innovation Award - Presented by Technology Partner, Bonsai Robotics
Bonsai challenges teams to leverage its commercially available Amiga robotic platform to develop innovative tools and real-world use cases that address critical challenges in agricultural operations. The Challenge also serves as a talent pipeline, connecting top participants with internship and career opportunities at the company.
“The key to driving innovation in agriculture is working directly with growers, understanding their workflows and building solutions they trust,” said Brendan Dowdle, Chief Business Officer at Bonsai Robotics. “With more than 300 robots deployed in the field, the Amiga platform gives students the opportunity to develop and test solutions on technology that growers already know and use in real farming operations. We are proud to support the Farm Robotics Challenge since the beginning, helping bridge the gap between emerging talent and practical innovation that can make an immediate impact in agriculture.”
Excellence in Specialty Crops - Sponsored by Western Growers
Excellence in Drone Applications
Excellence in Regenerative Agriculture
Select winning teams will also receive travel stipends to attend FIRA USA, North America’s leading agricultural robotics conference, and an exclusive invitation to pitch live at a future Plug and Play Tech Center event, a global innovation platform that connects startups with leading corporations and investors and runs world-renowned accelerator programs.
Watch Live
The awards ceremony will be held at Plug and Play Tech Center in Sunnyvale and will be simultaneously livestreamed on YouTube beginning at 1:30 p.m. PDT on May 21. All are welcome to tune in online.
View the Awards Ceremony livestream: https://www.youtube.com/live/9_cYslQjpcM.
For more information about the ceremony, finalists and competition results, visit farmroboticschallenge.ai.
About the Farm Robotics Challenge
The Farm Robotics Challenge is a student design competition focused exclusively on real-world, on-farm solutions in robotics, artificial intelligence and automation. Open to secondary students (grades 7–12) and students at two-year colleges and four-year universities, the program challenges teams to work directly with farmers, identify pressing agricultural problems, and design, build and field-test solutions. Organized by UC ANR Innovate and the AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems, the competition is supported by a coalition of industry, academic and ag sector partners committed to building the next generation of agricultural innovators. For more information, visit farmroboticschallenge.ai.
About UC ANR Innovate
UC ANR Innovate is the innovation arm of University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. It connects people, ideas and resources to move agricultural innovation from research to adoption, bringing together startups, researchers, farmers and policymakers to tackle real world challenges in agriculture, food and biotechnology. Learn more at ucanr.edu/site/innovate.
About the AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems
The AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems (AIFS) is a USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture-funded research institute leveraging artificial intelligence to solve the world’s biggest challenges to crop and food production: ensuring a sustainable, nutritious, efficient and safe food supply while mitigating the impacts of changing conditions. For more information, visit aifs.ucdavis.edu.
About Reservoir
Reservoir is a startup incubator and venture capital fund focused on helping ag tech startups succeed where agriculture happens, in the field. Reservoir Farms is the world’s first on-farm robotics incubator, starting in the Salinas Valley and expanding to other key regions, including the Central Valley. Reservoir Ventures backs startups solving real problems in high-value crops. By combining R&D space, hands-on grower input and early-stage capital, Reservoir helps turn promising ideas into tools for the growers who feed the world. Learn more at reservoir.co.
About Plug and Play Tech Center
Plug and Play Tech Center is one of the world’s leading innovation platforms, connecting startups, corporations, venture capital firms and government agencies to accelerate technology development and commercialization. For more information, visit plugandplaytechcenter.com.
About Bonsai Robotics
Bonsai Robotics is reimagining the agricultural industry with its AI-first platform that makes autonomous farming affordable, easy to use and deployable across all farm equipment – whether retrofitted onto existing machines or built into next-generation solutions. Its 2025 acquisition of farm-ng combines leading vision-based autonomy software with modular, electric robotics to deliver machines adaptable for a wide range of crops, tasks and environments. Learn more at bonsairobotics.ai.