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Posted April 22, 2026

Dematic FIRST Scholarship applications open

Dematic announced it is accepting applications for qualifying high school seniors for two $5,000 scholarships and 10 $1,000 scholarships for post-secondary education. 


Since 2008, Dematic has partnered with For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a global nonprofit dedicated to advancing STEM education. In the last seven years, Dematic has invested nearly $500,000 in local FIRST teams, events, and student scholarships. As part of this continued partnership, Dematic is awarding this year's 12 scholarships.

Applications are due by May 31, 2026, and can be submitted online.

Students need to upload:

  • A high school transcript for graduation verification or expected graduation date.
  • A letter of recommendation from an adult mentor, FIRST team coach, teacher, or guidance counselor (recommended, not required).
  • An essay (max. 1,000 words) addressing the following topic:

REBUILT — Reimagining Solutions in Our Community

The 2026 FIRST Robotics Competition theme, REBUILT, challenges students to look at what already exists and imagine how it could be repurposed, improved, or rebuilt to solve real problems. Engineering is not only about creating new machines; it is about understanding systems, resources, and people and using STEM to create meaningful change.

Scholarship applicants are asked to identify a problem or challenge within their community. Community may be defined at any scale, including one’s school, neighborhood, town, state, or even the nation. This problem should be something that needs to be fixed, improved, or redesigned rather than completely replaced.

Applicant essays should explore how this challenge could be addressed by modernizing, rebuilding, or repurposing to extend the lifecycle of existing resources.

Who Can Apply

To be considered for this scholarship, students must meet the following criteria:

  • Participated in a FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) or a FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Team during high school.
  • Applied or admitted to a postsecondary institution (including trade schools) as a full- or part-time student. Applicants do not need to be admitted at the time of application.
  • Pursuing a post-secondary degree or certification at a North American academic institution. STEM degrees and certifications are preferred.
  • Must not be a previous Dematic FIRST Scholarship winner as they are ineligible to win again.

Open to all undergraduate students for fall 2026.

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