This time Ignalina was the place where smart and creative students from schools in the Ežerų kraštas and Latgalė regions gathered to compete in the robotics competition “Robotics competitions Ignalina 2023”. Ignalinos Česlovo Kudabos gymnasium took on the challenge of turning their school premises into a battlefield where participants fought with robots they had constructed and programmed themselves. In the ten-hour intensive competition, students from Lithuanian and Latvian schools competed, including Ignalinos Česlovo Kudabos gymnasium, Visaginas “Atgimimo,” “Verdenės” gymnasium, and “Gerosios vilties” progimnazija, Dusetos Kazimiero Būgos gymnasium, Viļaka, Viduča, Balva, Rugāja, Ludza, Špoģi, Saskaņa, Līvāni, and Preiļi schools.

Out of the 61 participants, the following received awards for first, second, and third place in the respective categories:

LEGO Sumo up to 11 years old:
Tadas Žilėnas (1st place)
Dominykas Mačiulis (2nd place)

LEGO Sumo 3 kg up to 11 years old:
Adrians Kiričenko (1st place)
Raiens Vasiljevs (2nd place)
Artis Jerunāns (3rd place)

LEGO Line Following up to 11 years old:
Tadas Smagurauskas, Nikita Ostrouch, Matas Samoška (1st place team)
Inga Susojeva, Valerija Tiukša (2nd place team)
Alberts Gavars, Valters Ližbovskis, Kristaps Ozoliņš (3rd place team)

LEGO Sumo 12-16 years old:
Matvej Latyš, Roman Rešetko (1st place team)
Nazar Skydanenko, Daniil Pleninger (2nd place team)
Vladislava Janeviča, Daira Pudule (3rd place team)

LEGO Sumo 3 kg 12-18 years old:
Jānis Bērzinieks (1st place)
Gustavs Briška (2nd place)
Raivo Zelčs, Raivo Ločmelis (3rd place team)

LEGO Line Following 12-16 years old:
Andrejs Gžibovskis (1st place)
Andrejs Gžibovskis (2nd place)
Jānis Bērzinieks (3rd place)

LEGO Sumo 17-19 years old:
Oleg Gromov, Anton Jekateriničev (1st place team)
Imants Vancāns, Guntars Jermoļenko (2nd place team)
Martin Migal, Nikita Charlap (3rd place team)

LEGO Line Following 17-19 years old:
Danil Naidionov, Karina Šutiukaitė (1st place team)
Ralfs Kukulis, Lauris Timofejevs, Vitauts Bukšs (2nd place team)

For many representatives of robotics clubs in schools, these were only their first or second competitions, in which they tested their handmade robots. The first competition of the “IT programming and robotics competence development in the border regions of Latgale, Visaginas, and Ignalina schools” (RoboNet) project took place at Preili Gymnasium, while another one is awaiting soon on April 22 in Daugpilis.

We would like to thank:

the competition organizers’ team: Artūras Gaulia, Aušra Gustainienė, Greta Gustainytė, Eglė Savickaitė, Jorius Gedminas, Ieva Aukštikalnytė, Ustinė Kočiūnaitė, and other team members;
Valentina Čeponienė, Kornelijus Šerpyčius, Indriana Gudonė, and Ineta Luneckienė, the leaders of Ignalina Ceslovas Kudaba Gymnasium, for providing the space, adapting it for the event, and maintaining order during the competition;
the main partners of the project from the Latgale Regional Development Agency – Maris Bozovičs and Dana Belikova – for bringing such a large team of participants from Latvia;
teachers for preparing their students for the competition.
More information about the competition (program, categories, results) can be found at https://sites.google.com/view/robotikos-varzybos-visaginas