Why It Matters: Theory Meets the Track
This competition is all about bridging the gap between textbook knowledge and real-world application. We're accelerating the pipeline for future-ready innovators by linking intensive theoretical instruction with hands-on, practical application in autonomous systems.
A Nationwide Challenge
This year, the excitement is huge! A2RL STEM Competition is bringing together 140 students from all seven Emirates in a nationwide racing showdown.
We’ve got a total of 22 teams—split between high school and university leagues—with each team rocking five to seven bright students. Their vehicle of choice? The 1/18th scale AWS DeepRacer autonomous racecars. That's right—they're learning robotics, AI, and autonomy by building and racing their own miniature machines!
From Code to Collision Avoidance
Throughout October, these students have been hitting the virtual books, tackling online courses and simulation training in everything from Cloud Foundations to Python and machine learning.
But the real fun begins in November! They'll gather in Abu Dhabi for hands-on training sessions, seeing their AWS DeepRacer cars in action for the very first time. It's the ultimate test of the knowledge and skills they've built over the preceding month.
The competition culminates on November 15th—the same day as the A2RL Grand Final! At ATRC’s Headquarters on Yas Island, the students will face a final series of high-stakes challenges: time trials, object avoidance runs, and intense head-to-bot showdowns. It’s the ultimate finale to a structured, high-tech learning journey.
