UNA Pressroom

UNA Announces South’s BEST Robotics Competition Award Winners

Dec. 20, 2023



Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@xfmlsp.com, 256.765.4392

FLORENCE, AL – After three days of competition at the University of North Alabama as part of the South’s BEST Robotics Competition, the award winners have been announced. They are:

  • First place, from the Northwest Alabama BEST Team 1558, Creekside Academy.
  • Second place, from the Music City BEST Team 1042, Stewarts Creek Robotics.
  • Third Place, from the Emerald Coast BEST Team 1128, WP Davidson High School. 

“It was thrilling to watch all of the teams compete for the top awards,” said Julie Taylor, event coordinator and UNA’s Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management. “Teams were able to enjoy UNA’s facilities, our hospitality, and vie for top spots as part of the three-day event at UNA. We are proud to be part of their journey as well as a choice for them to continue their education in one of our many STEM-related academic programs.” 

This was the first year for UNA to host the South’s BEST Robotics Competition that brought hundreds of high school students, coaches, and families to the Shoals in early December, with an estimated economic impact close to $1 million. Sponsored by TVA and the UNA Foundation, BEST, or Boosting Science Engineering and Technology, establishes the middle and high school curricula and competition standards used by robotics programs in the U.S. in order to compete in the annual competition. The mission of BEST is to engage and excite students about engineering, science, and technology as well as to inspire them to pursue careers in these fields.

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: xfmlsp.com and xfmlsp.com/unaworks/.