VA Drone Competition (JROTC)

Welcome to the 2nd Annual King and Queen Regional Drone Competition!

We are thrilled to invite you to this year's Regional Qualifying event, bringing together talented pilots for a day of high-flying competition and STEM excellence.

Event Details & Location

Date: Saturday, November 14, 2026

Location: 17024 The Trail, King and Queen Court House, VA 23085

Parking: Free parking is available behind the school building.

Tournament Format: Blended competition open to both JROTC and traditional High School teams.

Registration & Capacity

Team Limit: Capped at 25 teams total (maximum of 3 teams per school or organization).

Registration Fee: $50 per team.

Payment Deadline: Friday, October 30, 2026. Note: Unpaid registrations by this date will be moved to the waitlist.

Important Deadlines & Schedule

Team Notebooks: All Engineering Notebooks must be submitted digitally by midnight on Friday, October 30, 2026. Early submissions allow our judges to review materials thoroughly prior to competition day. No physical notebooks will be accepted on-site.

Event Day Agenda: Doors open at 8:00 AM for team check-in and mandatory drone safety inspections. Please refer to the Agenda Tab on the event page for the full schedule of events.
Team check-in
Pit area set up
Inspection
Event Meeting (Opening Ceremony)
Qualifying Teamwork matches
Judging: Competition Logbooks and Interviews
Skills matches: Piloting and Autonomous
Alliance selection
Elimination matches
Awards ceremony (Closing Ceremony)

ADC AGENDA:

8:00 am: Team check-in and drone check-in

9:00 am: Skills field open for both Pilot and Autonomous Missions

10:00 am: Teamwork Alliance field open for round-robin matches

12:00 pm: Pilot Missions closed

Noon: lunch

1:00 pm: Autonomous Mission and Teamwork Alliance field open

1:30 pm: Autonomous Mission closed

2:30 pm: Teamwork Alliance selection and Final Rounds begin

4:00 pm: Award Ceremony

4:30 pm: Closing

The judging process for the 2nd King and Queen Aerial Drone Competition evaluates student teams through a combination of written documentation, in-person interviews, and active flight observation. Prior to or upon arrival at the event, teams submit a written Competition Logbook detailing their flight logs, equipment maintenance, code revisions, safety protocols, and strategic planning throughout the season. Judges review these logbooks using standardized rubrics to assess technical organization, problem-solving iterations, and clarity of documentation.

On competition day, face-to-face team interviews take place directly in the pits. Panels of judges conduct 10-minute interviews with student members to evaluate their technical knowledge, game strategy, safety awareness, and teamwork. These live conversations—combined with observations of flight performance, airmanship, and sportsmanship on the field—ensure that judged awards recognize student-driven effort and authentic technical achievement

SGM Ronald E Howard
804-785-6110
224-627-6482

Full Refund Deadline: Full refunds ($50 per team) are available for requests submitted in writing on or before Saturday, October 30, 2026 (two weeks prior to the competition).

Late Cancellations: Due to venue bookings, schedule finalizing, and operational expenses, refund requests made after October 30, 2026, cannot be granted.

Waitlisted Teams: Teams placed on the waitlist that are ultimately not assigned a spot in the competition will receive a 100% refund of any prepaid fees.

Event Cancellation & Weather: If the competition is canceled or rescheduled due to severe weather, safety hazards, or unforeseen emergency circumstances, all registered teams will receive a full refund.

Submission Process: All refund requests must be emailed directly to the Event Coordinator by the team’s primary advisor or school sponsor.