Every summer, Satosho Town holds a contest in which junior high and high school students compete with robots they have designed and built. The contest began in 1993 as a way to honor the achievements of physicist Dr. Nishina Yoshio, who was born in Satosho Town and is known as the “father of modern physics and atomic physics in Japan.” 2026 marks the 34th contest.
Using everyday materials, participants take on a theme that changes each year.
This year’s theme is “A Lovely Table Setting.” They arrange items representing candles, frying pans, plates, meat, bread, and more on a table.
Along with a look at the event held on August 30, we spoke with Tanushi Yuichiro, director and secretary-general of the Nishina Foundation for the Promotion of Science (Nishina Kaikan), the public interest incorporated foundation that organizes the contest, about what the contest means to him.
The information presented was current when this article was published in September 2026. Please note that it may differ from current information.
The 34th Robot Contest
The Grand Prize went to a work by Kato Ayano of Takahashi Jonan High School.
The “Robot Contest” began in 1993 as one of the commemorative projects honoring the achievements of Dr. Nishina Yoshio, who was born in Satosho Town. Participants are junior high and high school students from across Okayama Prefecture, including Satosho Town, Kasaoka City, Kurashiki City, Okayama City, Soja City, and as far away as Maniwa City. It reportedly began with an idea from a schoolteacher who thought, “It would be great if we could hold a contest like this.”
At first, the contest was held at Nishina Kaikan in Satosho Town, a memorial and exhibition facility dedicated to Dr. Nishina. As the number of participants grew, the venue was moved to Satosho Junior High School. In some years, more than 120 robots have taken part; in recent years, the number has been around 60.
This year (2026), the gymnasium at Satosho Junior High School was unavailable due to renovations, so the contest was held at the gymnasium of Satosho East Elementary School. Because the venue was a little smaller, the number of entries was capped, and 46 robots took part—about 10 fewer than usual.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the contest was canceled in some years, while in others it continued with video judging because participants could not gather in person. The theme is announced every year on April 1, and construction begins from then in preparation for the contest.
How the contest works and its awards
All teams compete for points in the preliminary round, and the top teams advance to the knockout finals. The top 12 teams in the junior high division and the top 6 in the high school division advance to the finals.
In addition to rankings determined by points, awards include the Nishina Originality Award, Idea Award, and Challenge Award. These may also be given to robots with outstanding ideas, even if they do not work well during the contest.
The 2026 theme: “A Lovely Table Setting”
The theme of “Robocon 2026” is “A Lovely Table Setting.”
Participants imagine inviting close friends to their home for a meal at the end of summer, and use their robots to carry and arrange the utensils and food that decorate the table.
The time limit is three minutes.
The themes in 2024 and 2025 were “Harvest.”
Building on that, this year’s theme is about preparing harvested agricultural products and other ingredients, then arranging the dishes on the table to welcome guests.
Difficult maneuvers earn bonus points. For example, if a robot places a triangular item on top of a stack of items to complete a “candle,” it receives bonus points. For the cooking set, a plate representing a frying pan must be placed on top of the stacked items, then a sponge representing an ingredient must be placed on top of that.
The high school division also has a barricade in front of the goal, so robots must lift the items to set them down, making it more difficult than the junior high division.
The day of Robocon 2026
I had heard, “The atmosphere is electric,” and it was even more exciting than I had imagined.
The competition began with the preliminary round. Teams had three minutes to carry and arrange as many items as possible. The tension was palpable.
Some teams had a tire come off just after the start, or struggled to get their robots moving and saw the three minutes fly by. Others began scoring points one after another right from the start.
Many teams continued to troubleshoot and experiment during the competition. Mishaps kept happening, such as the arm used to carry items suddenly coming loose. Teams carried on while adjusting their robots on the spot.
Some robots moved quickly, some steadily racked up points, and others relied on brute force. They also varied in size. Some powered their way through, while others gently picked up and arranged items one at a time—each team had its own distinctive approach.
As they operated their robots, the students called out to one another within their teams: “A little more to the right, up,” “Let’s carry it from this side,” and “How much time is left?”
“We were doing well in practice,” and “Our summer vacation practice time went to waste,” some lamented. After the competition, others discussed what they could have done better. The robots were running at full tilt, and the sound of motors filled the air.
Students also watched robots from other schools and analyzed what was different from their own. Even with less than 10 seconds left, they didn’t give up, determined to carry as many items as possible. The words of one student, “I guess theory alone isn’t enough,” left a strong impression.
Satosho Junior High School wins the junior high division, and Okayama Sanyo High School wins the high school division
After the preliminary and second-round qualifying matches, there were separate knockout tournaments for the junior high and high school divisions.
In the junior high division final, Satosho Junior High School teams “Taker” and “EGOIST” faced off. After the preliminaries, I’d heard that “Taker” and “EGOIST” were impressive, so I was looking forward to the final.
And the winner was “Taker.”
“EGOIST” came in second. “Taker” won by a narrow margin, but “EGOIST” was just as skillful.
The winning “Taker” team said that even on the tense stage of the final, they kept the competition rules firmly in mind and checked them with one another as a team.
Both teams brought “beautiful table settings” to life, arranging the items elegantly. They were truly impressive.
In the high school division, the winner was “Sanyo Mechanical Engineering No. 1” from Okayama Sanyo High School.
It showed tenacious, steady movement. The runner-up was “Sanyo Mechanical Engineering No. 2” from Okayama Sanyo High School.
The winning “Sanyo Mechanical Engineering No. 1” team said that when they first formed, members had different ideas about which direction to take, but through repeated practice and competition, they came together as one. The high school division is challenging because there is a barricade between the robots and the table, but both teams moved smoothly and seemed to have built powerful robots that could score points reliably.
34th Robot Contest 2026 Information
| Name | 34th Robot Contest 2026 |
|---|---|
| Date | Sunday, August 30, 2026 From 9:00 a.m. |
| Location | 6610 Satomi, Satosho Town, Asakuchi District, Okayama Prefecture |
| Admission | Free |
| Website | Robocon |
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