---
title: Mark Your Calendars! It’s officially AVC Season 2017!
description: SparkFun’s 9th Annual Autonomous Vehicle Competition will challenge students with real-life applications of autonomous and robotic technology October 14-15 2017
image: https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/hubfs/EDU/BLOG%20Images/March%202017/avc-thumbnail.jpg
---

[![Sparkfun](https://www.sparkfuneducation.com/img/logo.png)](https://www.sparkfuneducation.com/index.html)

- [SparkFun Webstore](https://www.sparkfuneducation.com)
- [Higher Ed](https://sparkfuneducation.com/higher-ed/index.html)
- [Contact Us](https://www.sparkfuneducation.com/contact-us.html)
- [Follow Us](https://twitter.com/SparkFunEDU)

- [Home](https://www.sparkfuneducation.com)
- [Blog](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com)
- [Curriculum](https://www.sparkfuneducation.com/curriculum.html)
- [PD/Events](https://www.sparkfuneducation.com/professional-dev.html)
- [KITS/Materials](https://www.sparkfuneducation.com/materials.html)
- [Educator Stories](https://www.sparkfuneducation.com/educator-stories.html)
- [Activities](https://activities.sparkfuneducation.com)

[Blog Home](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/) / [Events](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/events) / Mark Your Calendars! It’s officially AVC Season 2017!

<https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/rss.xml>

# Mark Your Calendars! It’s officially AVC Season 2017!

BY [Megan Arnold](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/megan-arnold) 3/21/17 8:57 AM

[0](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/mark-your-calendars-its-officially-avc-season-2017#comments-listing)

[Events](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/events), [announcement](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/announcement), [AVC](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/avc)

![](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/hubfs/EDU/BLOG%20Images/March%202017/Shields%2c%20Megan.jpg)

For nine years, SparkFun has hosted its signature event, the Autonomous Vehicle Competition. What once started as a friendly bet between the company’s founder and our head of engineering has grown into a competition attracting over 300 competitors from all over the world.

![SparkFun Autonomous Vehicle Competition](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/EDU/BLOG%20Images/March%202017/29512293250_2f6b0d4d58_k.jpg?width=750&name=29512293250_2f6b0d4d58_k.jpg "SparkFun Autonomous Vehicle Competition")

Every year we look forward to hosting our student teams at the high school and undergraduate levels and this year, we’re making the competition opportunities bigger than ever for you and your students.

On October 14-15, SparkFun’s Ninth Annual Autonomous Vehicle Competition, including a return of combat bots, will challenge students with real-life applications of autonomous and robotic technology.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be announcing the course design and rules for competition, as well as a few other surprises in the works.

[![See recap of AVC 2016](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2224003/21aa8eda-9b17-4fc4-893e-63202168b8d0.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2224003/21aa8eda-9b17-4fc4-893e-63202168b8d0)

Team registration will open in early May, just in time to get your teams together before the end of the school year! Subscribe to the blog for updates, or follow us [@SparkFunEdu](https://twitter.com/sparkfunedu)!

- [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share)

### Subscribe to SparkFun Education Blog

### Topics

- [helpful information (79)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/helpful-information)
- [Maker Education (60)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/maker-education)
- [teaching tools (55)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/teaching-tools)
- [getting started (54)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/getting-started)
- [Guest Post (44)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/guest-post)
- [computer science (40)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/computer-science)
- [micro:bit (38)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/microbit)
- [student projects (37)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/student-projects)
- [STEM (36)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/stem)
- [programming (34)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/programming)
- [STEAM (31)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/steam)
- [Events (28)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/events)
- [Arduino (25)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/arduino)
- [robotics (20)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/robotics)
- [e-textiles (18)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/e-textiles)
- [Professional Development (17)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/professional-development)
- [basic circuits (17)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/basic-circuits)
- [What is a (16)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/what-is-a)
- [announcement (16)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/announcement)
- [makerspace (15)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/makerspace)
- [Community Partnership Program (14)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/community-partnership-program)
- [Training (13)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/training)
- [raspberry pi (13)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/raspberry-pi)
- [python (11)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/python)
- [AVC (10)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/avc)
- [paper circuits (10)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/paper-circuits)
- [Makey Makey (8)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/makey-makey)
- [SIK (8)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/sik)
- [Adventures in Science (7)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/adventures-in-science)
- [microcontroller (7)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/microcontroller)
- [Internet of Things (5)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/internet-of-things)
- [Processing (4)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/processing)
- [Javascript (3)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/javascript)
- [LilyPad (3)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/lilypad)
- [funding (3)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/funding)
- [weather (3)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/weather)
- [Insider (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/insider)
- [Johnny-five (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/topic/johnny-five)

All Tags

### Recent Authors

- [Megan Hemmings (79)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/megan-hemmings)
- [Maya Kleinbort (22)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/maya-kleinbort)
- [Derek Runberg (21)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/derek-runberg)
- [Shane Diller (16)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/shane-diller)
- [Jeff Branson (15)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/jeff-branson)
- [Angela Sheehan (12)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/angela-sheehan)
- [Melissa Felderman (9)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/melissa-felderman)
- [Megan Arnold (8)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/megan-arnold)
- [Brian Huang (6)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/brian-huang)
- [Shawn Hymel (6)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/shawn-hymel)
- [Shelby Landsman (6)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/shelby-landsman)
- [Jahnell Pereira (5)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/jahnell-pereira)
- [Hailey Blessing (5)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/hailey-blessing)
- [Mike Grusin (3)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/mike-grusin)
- [Peter Hanson (3)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/peter-hanson)
- [Andrew Milne (3)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/andrew-milne)
- [Toni Klopfenstein (2)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/toni-klopfenstein)
- [Joanna Drusin (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/joanna-drusin)
- [Joe Romano (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/joe-romano)
- [Mrinali P. Kesavadas (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/mrinali-p-kesavadas)
- [Christa Flores (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/christa-flores)
- [Michelle Shorter (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/michelle-shorter)
- [Colleen Graves (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/colleen-graves)
- [Janelle Curtis (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/janelle-curtis)
- [Eric Bogatin (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/eric-bogatin)
- [Athena Zhang Baker (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/athena-zhang-baker)
- [Janice Levenhagen (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/janice-levenhagen)
- [Carol Hamilton (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/carol-hamilton)
- [Vanessa Lail (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/vanessa-lail)
- [Bobby Chan (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/bobby-chan)
- [Glenn Samala (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/glenn-samala)
- [Zack Weaver (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/zack-weaver)
- [Dr. Jean-Sébastien Blouin (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/dr-jean-sébastien-blouin)
- [Daphne Sipes (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/daphne-sipes)
- [Axel Reitzig (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/axel-reitzig)
- [Justin Weisz (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/justin-weisz)
- [Kylie Peppler (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/kylie-peppler)
- [Michael Megliola (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/michael-megliola)
- [Casey Kuhns (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/casey-kuhns)
- [Rebecca Grabman (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/rebecca-grabman)
- [Sylvia Martinez (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/sylvia-martinez)
- [Charles Randolph (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/charles-randolph)
- [Ira Sather-Olson (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/ira-sather-olson)
- [Kathy Strickland (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/kathy-strickland)
- [Pete Lewis (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/pete-lewis)
- [Jamie Roth (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/jamie-roth)
- [Mimi Tran Zambetti (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/mimi-tran-zambetti)
- [Ryan Jenkins (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/ryan-jenkins)
- [Kristen Deuschle (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/kristen-deuschle)
- [Erika Myers (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/erika-myers)
- [Sara Gonzalez (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/sara-gonzalez)
- [Celeste Moreno (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/celeste-moreno)
- [Samantha Nagle (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/samantha-nagle)
- [Pearce Melcher (1)](https://blog.sparkfuneducation.com/author/pearce-melcher)

All Authors

### Recent Posts

### Submit Your Idea

[![SparkFun Education](https://www.sparkfuneducation.com/img/logo.png)](http://www.sparkfuneducation.com/index.html)

#### Other Resources

- [Contact Us](http://www.sparkfuneducation.com/contact-us.html)
- [About SparkFun](http://www.sparkfun.com)
- [FAQs](https://www.sparkfun.com/static/faq)

- [Customer Service](https://www.sparkfun.com/support)
- [Shipping](https://www.sparkfun.com/support)
- [Terms and Conditions](https://www.sparkfun.com/terms)

#### Sign Up for Newsletter

© Copyright 2016. All Rights Reserved.