General Info
General Info
Welcome to Sugar Rush VEX V5 Robotics Competition™ Signature Event at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, PA!
Get ready for the sweetest Signature Event of the season at Hershey, The Sweetest Place On Earth®! We will contact your team with additional details in mid-November.
Event 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 robotics alumni.
Hotel Information
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 link below to create reservations. For schools or organization, contact Hershey reservations if there are any issues or concerns. 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 site. The Hershey Lodge Reservation team accepts Credit Card or Check. Pricing is as shown below:
01/02/2027 - $255.00 per room plus 11% taxes = $283.05.
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: https://book.rguest.com/wbe/group/1294/Hersheylodge/auth?group=9396734
- Group ID: 9396734
- General Attendee Passcode: BRANDYWINE27
Important notes regarding the web link:
Guests may see a message of no availability - Please set search their specific dates of stay to see room availability.
Group numbers and passcodes are space and case-sensitive!
Guests who prefer to call to make reservations may call 855-729-3108 and ask for the room block for Brandywine Robotics at the Hershey Lodge. Our reservations team is available seven days a week from 8 AM - 8 PM to assist you.
If you have any questions, need assistance with reservations, or require further help, please contact Hershey Lodge Group Reservation Coordinator, Lorrie Good, at 717-520-5441 or [email protected]. Note: To recieve the discounted rate there is a 2 night minimum stay required.
Please be aware that the room block cut-off date is November 16th. After the cut-off date, rooms and/or group rate may no longer be available.
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.
Hotel Benefits
- Complimentary self parking
- Complimentary guest room internet access - for all overnight guests
- Complimentary admission to Hershey Gardens **featuring an $8 million dollar indoor butterfly atrium**
- Complimentary admission to the Hershey Story Museum (Savings of $30 per person) - for all overnight guests
- Complimentary access to Hershey's Water Works (30,000 sq. ft. indoor water complex), state of the art fitness center, tennis, basketball and 18-hole miniature golf (tennis, basketball and mini golf all weather permitting)
- Complimentary round-trip shuttle service to/from Hershey Park, Hershey's Chocolate World and the Hershey Gardens (Savings of $20 per vehicle)
- No resort fees
- Complimentary access to Hershey Lodge Recreation hosted daily events onsite at the Hershey Lodge (ex. chocolate bingo, family scavenger hunt, holiday theme craft activity, Hershey product character appearances, etc.) - each family will be provided with a daily listing of scheduled activities upon arrival in December
- Complimentary "Welcome to Hershey" chocolate bar upon arrival - 1 per person for all overnight guests.
Hershey Park Christmas Candylane & Chocolate World
Hershey Park Christmas Candylane will be open on January 1st-3rd prior to the event.
Chocolate World hours are not posted just yet, but it should be open prior and post to the event.
Heshey Lodge Convention Space
The main event will take place at the Great American Hall - 30,000+ square feet of space. https://www.hersheymeetings.com/properties/hershey-lodge/floor-plans/ Hershey Lodge will be providing free water and candy stations throughout the event space!
- 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
- 0
- 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
Please note all times are projected and are subject to change during the event.
Sunday, January 3rd, 2027
12:00 PM - Check In, Inspection, Practice Fields & Pits Open
1:30 PM - Opening Ceremony & Event Meeting
2:30 PM - Qualification Matches and Skills Open
5:30 PM - Sweets Division Dinner Break (Skills will remain open as available)
6:30PM - Sweets Division Qualification Matches resume
6:30 PM - Treats Division Dinner Break (Skills will remain open as available)
7:30PM - Treats Division Qualification Matches resume
9:30 PM - Qualification Matches End and Skills Close
9:40 PM - Practice Fields & Doors Close
Monday, January 4th, 2027
8:00 AM - Doors & Practice Fields Open
8:30 AM - Qualification Matches and Skills Open
11:15 AM - Qualification Matches End and Skills Close
11:30 AM - Alliance Selection
12:00 PM - Lunch Break
1:00 PM - Elimination Matches
3:45 PM - Awards
4:15 PM - Doors Close
Stream
https://www.youtube.com/@vexmenrobotics
Webcast 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
Date: 3-Jan-2027 - 4-Jan-2027 Hershey Lodge 325 University Drive Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033 United States 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 link below to create reservations. For schools or organization, contact Hershey reservations if there are any issues or concerns. 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 site. The Hershey Lodge Reservation team accepts Credit Card or Check. Pricing is as shown below: 01/02/2027 - $255.00 per room plus 11% taxes = $283.05. 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: https://book.rguest.com/wbe/group/1294/Hersheylodge/auth?group=9396734 • Group ID: 9396734 • General Attendee Passcode: BRANDYWINE27 Important notes regarding the web link: • Guests may see a message of no availability - Please set search their specific dates of stay to see room availability. • Group numbers and passcodes are space and case-sensitive! Guests who prefer to call to make reservations may call 855-729-3108 and ask for the room block for Brandywine Robotics at the Hershey Lodge . Our reservations team is available seven days a week from 8 AM - 8 PM to assist you. If you have any questions, need assistance with reservations, or require further help, please contact Hershey Lodge Group Reservation Coordinator, Lorrie Good, at 717-520-5441 or loagood@hersheypa.com. Note: To recieve the discounted rate there is a 2 night minimum stay required. Please be aware that the room block cut-off date is November 16th . After the cut-off date, rooms and/or group rate may no longer be available. 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
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
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
Emergency/Bad Weather Policy Teams will be notified 24 hours prior to the event if there is a weather concern for the event.
- Excellence Award (V5)
- Tournament Champions (V5)
- Robot Skills Champion (V5)
- Tournament Finalists (V5)
- Amaze Award (V5)
- Build Award (V5)
- Create Award (V5)
- Design Award (V5)
- Innovate Award (V5)
- Judges Award (V5)
- Sportsmanship Award (V5)
- Think Award (V5)