Haileybury Almaty Hosts Kazakhstan’s First Robotics for Good Youth Challenge 2025
Last week, on 22–23 November, Haileybury Almaty proudly hosted Kazakhstan’s first-ever Robotics for Good Youth Challenge (RFGYC) — an international UN-supported educational robotics competition that encourages young people to design autonomous robots that solve real global problems. With more than 7,500 participants worldwide and over 1,200 teams each season, the RFGYC stands as one of the leading platforms for youth innovation in STEM.
The 2025–2026 season focuses on one of humanity’s most urgent challenges: food security. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), modern agriculture must meet growing global demands while preserving land, water, and biodiversity. This year’s challenge invited students to explore how robotics can support sustainable agriculture and improve food systems worldwide — from planting and irrigation to crop health and harvesting.
A Two-Day Celebration of Engineering, Creativity, and Problem-Solving
Over two days, teams from across Kazakhstan gathered at Haileybury Almaty to compete in autonomous robot missions based on real agricultural processes. Working in groups of 2 to 8 students, each aged 15–18, teams designed, built, and programmed robots capable of performing tasks such as:
- Selective cultivation and irrigation — sowing seeds of different sizes and colours into marked plots, then watering only the correctly planted sections.
- Fruit harvesting and sorting — identifying ripe (red), diseased (black), and unripe (green) fruits and transporting them to the appropriate zones, without human contact or intervention.
These missions mirror real agricultural challenges such as minimising waste, optimising irrigation, and reducing the use of pesticides while maintaining healthy crops .
Each round lasted two minutes, with robots required to operate fully autonomously once activated. Teams were evaluated on precision, strategy, problem-solving, and how effectively their robots met mission criteria.
What Made This Competition Unique
Throughout the challenge, students demonstrated not only technical skill but also the values that the Robotics for Good programme promotes globally:
- Creativity in engineering
- Team collaboration
- Open-source innovation
- Ethical and sustainable thinking
The competition rules specifically encourage the use of open-source hardware and software, as well as recycled or sustainable materials — reinforcing the philosophy that robotics and AI can be tools for social good and environmental responsibility .
Special Awards
During the closing ceremony, several special recognitions were presented to teams and individuals who made an outstanding impact:
- Innovative Solution Award — XLNC Nemeziz
- Digital Influence Award — PEAK
- Impact for Good Award (individual recognition) — Anastassiya Tsoy (NIS KYRAN)
These awards highlight exceptional creativity, influence, and meaningful contribution to the event’s mission.
Top Three Teams of RFGYC Kazakhstan 2025
The first-ever national winners were announced at the end of Day 2:
🥇 1st Place — John Pablo
🥈 2nd Place — Qazaq Agro Team
🥉 3rd Place — FiftyOne Team (Semey)
The first-place team also earned a qualification quota for the international final, which will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, in July 2026 .
A Milestone for STEM Education in Kazakhstan
Hosting the Robotics for Good Youth Challenge marks an important step in Haileybury Almaty’s mission to champion STEM education and provide students with platforms to explore engineering, innovation, and real-world problem-solving.
We are grateful to all participants, mentors, judges, and volunteers who contributed to the success of this historic event. The creativity and determination shown by the teams reflect the bright future of robotics and technology in Kazakhstan.
