The 2026 Canadian International Rover Challenge (CIRC Summer 2026) will commence on August 7, 2026, at the Badlands Community Facility in Drumheller, Alberta.
Task sites are not all located at CIRC Central (Badlands Community Facility). As such teams are responsible for having vehicles to transport themselves and their rover between CIRC Central and the task sites located in and around Drumheller.
Teams should arrive and register with competition organizers between 11:00 and 17:00 MDT.
The first competition tasks will begin at approximately 21:00. CIRC Summer 2026 will conclude during the evening of August 10, 2026.
One task occurs during nighttime, so all teams and participants should be appropriately prepared.
A safety report, detailed in section 6 of the Rover Rules is due to organizers for review on June 19, 2026.
All teams must have their equipment and rovers cleared from the building before the start of the celebration barbeque.
Rescheduling of teams due to circumstances outside of the control of volunteers or event organizers will not be accommodated (i.e. inclement weather, car troubles, broken rovers, or shipping delays).
Special requests to alter the timing of an individual team’s tasks because of preferences or travel requirements will not be accommodated.
A sample high-level schedule and sample task schedule (based on an anonymized version of the 2025 schedule) is seen at the end of this section. All times are local to Drumheller, AB. Depending on the number of teams, start/end times for tasks will be adjusted closer to the event.
INVITATION
Entry into CIRC Summer 2026 is limited and subject to the approval of the organizing committee.
Interested teams should submit a formal expression of interest using a form available on the CIRC website (circ.cstag.ca) to be considered by November 1, 2025.
Invited teams may not take more than 25 members to CIRC Summer 2026. For questions or clarifications regarding the participant cap, please contact the CIRC organization team at [email protected].
The registration payment for invited teams is structured as follows:
All teams must pay a non-refundable registration fee of $600 CAD to confirm entry into the competition.
Teams taking more than 16 members to the event must pay an additional non-refundable fee of $150 CAD. Teams may pay this added charge at a later date following payment of the initial $600 CAD registration fee in situations where their competition rosters have not been finalized.
Teams may consist of more than 16 members. This fee only applies to the number of team members attending the event in person.
Both students and non-student advisors are counted towards the total number of members brought by a team.
VISAS AND CUSTOMS
International teams are responsible for ensuring that all team members and rover components are admissible into Canada.
If in doubt, teams should contact CBSA in advance or plan on purchasing parts in Canada before the event begins.
TEAM ELIGIBILITY
Competition teams consist of secondary or post-secondary students optionally accompanied by non-student advisors who may not directly participate in rover design, construction, or operation.
Teams not composed of secondary, or post-secondary students are invited to reach out to the organizers ([email protected]) to discuss options for participation.
Teams who feel their rovers are not ready are encouraged to attend and participate to test their rovers on-site and learn from other participants!
At the task judge’s discretion, teams at the event can participate in tasks even if their rover does not comply with all rules to test and debug their rover at a task site. For instance, a team could be allowed to operate using a tethered communications link. Points earned may not count towards the final rankings.
All participants and rovers may be photographed or recorded for use in art, promotional materials, or other purposes by the Canadian International Rover Challenge (CIRC), its organizing group: the Canadian Space Technology Advancement Group (CSTAG), or any of its sponsors.
By participating in the event, you provide the above parties with approval to capture and utilize imagery. Exceptions will not be accommodated.
AIRCRAFT
No aircraft may communicate with the rover or rover operators, or be used to aid completion of rover tasks.
Pilots must remain outside of the base station during competition tasks.
Any person operating an aircraft must understand and comply with all Canadian aviation regulations and local laws.
CIRC takes no responsibility for teams’ aircraft use. The Government of Canada provides an informational guideline for flying aircraft safely and legally that teams must adhere to.
Drones are not permitted at all task locations. Please consult with CIRC organizers if you wish to use a UAV to capture imagery.
LOGISTICS
Refer to the logistics guidelines for more information on preparing for your trip to CIRC.