Sugar Rush VEX V5 Robotics Competition™ Signature Event: High School

General Info

Venue

Hershey Lodge

Address

325 University Drive, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, United States

Dates

January 3 – 4, 2027

Grade Level

High School

Skills Challenge

Yes

Judging Format

Remote Engineering Notebooks

Registration & Logistics

Event Type

Open Tournament

Event Format

In-Person

Field Control

Smart Field Control

Capacity

112

Spots Open

112

Event Region

Pennsylvania - East

Max Registrations per Org

6

Priority Registration Opens

13-Sep-2026 12:00 EDT

Standard Registration Opens

27-Sep-2026 12:00 EDT

Registration Deadline

20-Dec-2026 12:00 EST

Payment Deadline

27-Sept-2026 17:00 EST

Price

$600.00

Agenda

Stream

https://www.youtube.com/@vexmenrobotics

There will be a live stream PER division PER day (4 in total). All ceremonies and final matches will be casted to both pages as able. We will be live streaming Sugar Rush 2027 on our youtube channel . The specific links will be posted on robotevents closer to the event. We will be having two independent streams (one per division). Day 1 Sweets Division: TBA Treats Division: TBA Day 2 Sweets Division: TBA Treats Division: TBA

Travel Info

Please review the hotel website for directions. https://www.hersheylodge.com/contact.php The closest airport in Harrisburg International Airport https://www.flyhia.com/ . It is approximately a 15 min drive to the venue. Hotel Reservations In Pennsylvania, students under 18 years of age cannot check into a room by themselves. For rooms reserved exclusively for students, the Hershey Lodge requires a list of all reservations associated with your school or organization. For example, if John Doe (a student) has a reservation under East High School, this reservation must be included on a list with others from East High School. To facilitate this process, the Hershey Lodge Reservation team has provided the google form below to create reservations. The lodge will group your reservations and send a confirmation within 7-10 days. They will pre-key and pre-package them according to the school or organization. They will also ensure that rooms are blocked near each other. At check-in, only the adult contacts for each school or organization will be allowed to pick up the packets and distribute the keys to their students. If the designated adult contact is not attending the event, you must notify the Hershey Lodge and provide the correct adult contact information. Regarding payments, please follow the instructions on the form. The Hershey Lodge Reservation team accepts Credit Card or Check. Pricing is as shown below: 01/02/2027 - $199.00 per room plus 11% taxes = $220.89. 01/03/2027 - $190.00 per room plus 11% taxes = $210.90. 01/04/2027 - $190.00 per room plus 11% taxes = $210.90. Booking Link: TBA If you have any questions, need assistance with reservations, or require further help, please contact Hershey Lodge Group Reservation Coordinator, Mackenzie Robertson, at 717-520-5433 or their reservation agents at 855-729-3108, and they will assist you. Note: To recieve the discounted rate there is a 2 night minimum stay required. Behavior Please remember that while VEX and GRSF rules apply to the competition itself, everyone must always follow federal, state, and local laws, as well as the policies of Hershey Lodge. For more information on Hershey Lodge's policies, visit: https://www.hersheyentertainmentandresorts.com/policies-and-guest-expectations .

Judging Format

Digital Engineering Notebook Submissions / In Person Team Interviews : Team interviews will be conducted in-person at the event. Engineering notebooks will be submitted digitally for evaluation via a link found within the "My Account" panel of the team contact on events.vex.com. The notebook submission deadline is Monday, December 21, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST.

Volunteer

Our Mission Statement The Sugar Rush Signature Event is a unique experience, driven by the guiding principle of being “By Students, For Students.” The most impactful events are created by individuals who have walked the same path and truly understand what it takes to make them exceptional. Sugar Rush was originally envisioned by a group of high school students, and this dream has been realized only through the dedication and hard work of r obotics alumni. Our Volunteer Plan Our General Volunteer form will be posted approximately 4-6 weeks prior to the event! See the link below. Our goal is to fill as many positions as possible with VEX Robotics Alumni, but anyone is welcome to register. This helps us drive home our mission statement listed above. If you or someone you know is interested in judging, please reach out to sugarrush@vexmen.com. Our goal is to fill the judging panel with individuals who are not directly affiliated with a team attending the event. This allows us to remove any chance of bias in the judging room.

Emergency/Bad-Weather Policy

Teams will be notified 24 hours prior to the event if there is a weather concern for the event.