Optimum Announces Winners of its Seventh Annual Innovator Awards
As a proud partner of the FIRST® robotics community, Optimum continues to support and inspire the next generation of innovators through its annual award grants
Optimum, the leading provider of fiber internet, mobile, and TV services, is thrilled to announce the winners of the seventh annual Optimum Innovator Awards. This year, Optimum is distributing nearly $25,000 worth of grants to five winners, five runners-up, and 14 honorable mentions to FIRST Robotics Competition teams for their innovation and efforts in areas such as community engagement, technology, inspiration, diversity, and sustainability.
With the 2026 FIRST competitions completed, the Optimum Innovator Awards recognizes the drive and hard work that teams have displayed throughout the season – from volunteering with Ohio River Islands Wildlife refuge to build part of a retaining wall around a swampland to partnering with a local center to adapt robotics lessons for people with developmental disabilities. As FIRST students prepare for the next competition season, the Optimum Innovator Awards further supports their efforts to find new and innovative ways to design and engineer their robots as well as inspires them to create a positive change in the world.
As a long-time supporter of FIRST, an organization that provides students with mentor-based programs to build science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills, Optimum is committed to deepening its community presence as well as championing local programs that help inspire and educate the next generation of innovators. Optimum’s continued partnership with FIRST is a concrete example of the company’s dedication to celebrating what makes each of its local communities unique and making a positive impact for the residents, businesses, and organizations that call these places home.
This year, Optimum demonstrated its unwavering commitment to FIRST by sponsoring over 70 teams and six regional competitions within its footprint. These efforts helped provide essential resources and tools for FIRST teams to build and program their robots and prepare for competitions. Furthermore, Optimum employees actively participated by volunteering at regional competitions and mentoring FIRST students. The company also awarded $1,000 grants to 15 of their sponsored teams that qualified to compete in the prestigious FIRST Championship, a four-day international event that marks the culmination of the robotics competition season.
Optimum Innovator Award winners will receive grants of $2,000; runners-up will receive $1,500; and honorable mentions will receive $500. To continue celebrating the winners' accomplishments, Optimum will host recognition events with local officials and key community partners also joining to show their support.
2026 Optimum Innovator Award Winners
Community Impact Award
- Winner: Dark Side Robotics (Williamstown, WV)
- Runner-up: Texas Torque (Woodlands, TX)
Excellence in Technology Award
- Winner: NEMESIS (Robbinsville, NJ)
- Runner-up: Bionic Panthers (Liberty Hill, TX)
Inclusion Award
- Winner: Mechanical Bulls (Smithtown, NY)
- Runner-up: Bomb Squad (Mountain Home, AR)
Inspiration Award
- Winner: Regal Eagles (Bethpage, NY)
- Runner-up: Spark City (Bridgeport, CT)
Sustainability Award
- Winner: Full Metal Jackets (Rockwall, TX)
- Runner-up: O-Bots (Ossining, NY)
Honorable Mentions
- Black Hawk Robotics (Rockwall, TX)
- Brooklyn Blacksmiths (Brooklyn, NY)
- Cybears (Norwalk, CT)
- CyberCats (Old Westbury, NY)
- Hicksville J-Birds (Hicksville, NY)
- Infernobotix (Center Moriches, NY)
- Lady Talons (Prosper, TX)
- Mojo (Milford, CT)
- Panther Robotics (Paola, KS)
- PARTS (Winfield, WV)
- PSIcotics (Lindenhurst, NY)
- Rebel Robotics (Great Neck, NY)
- RoboLion (Longwood, NY)
- Warhawks (Edison, NY)
Click here to learn more about Optimum’s long-standing partnership with FIRST and the Optimum Innovator Awards.