GEARS, Inc. from Montgomery, Alabama’s Eastwood Presbyterian Church School earned top honors at the 12th annual Northern Gulf Coast Regional MATE ROV Competition at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab hosted by Discovery Hall Programs (DHP). The competition is part of the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) network, which comprises 48 regional competitions held across the U.S. and worldwide.

“Several teams faced some major challenges at the pool on Saturday - from shroud issues to power issues, to waterproofing,” stated competition coordinator Rachel McDonald. “But what amazed me the most was the drive we saw in the teams as they faced those challenges head-on and persevered to find a solution. It was incredible! I don’t think we saw one team accept their challenge as a failure. Each team adapted their robot or problem-solved to find an innovative and working solution to keep them competing.”

Sixteen teams from four states competed with their custom-built remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) in pool mission courses, showcasing their engineering and communication skills through oral presentations and marketing posters.

Each year, MATE creates a scenario to inspire and challenge the students to apply science, technology, engineering, and math to solve real-world problems. The competition, with its focus on education, serves as a platform for students to develop their critical thinking, collaboration, entrepreneurship, and innovation skills, thereby significantly contributing to STEM education.

“Every year teams face technical challenges, but this year one team faced a problem that could not be fixed in time to compete. The Trojan Triremes stepped up and lent the team their ROV so they could complete the mission. At the Awards ceremony, the Triremes received a standing ovation from the other teams for their sportsmanship. This captures the true spirit of the Sea Lab’s competition where the focus is on learning and shared interests." DHP Chair Dr. Tina Miller-Way shared.

For the 2025 competition, teams competed in mission tasks focusing on shipwrecks, marine renewable energy, and vertical profiling floats. These tasks reflect the theme for this year’s competition, United Nations Decade of the Ocean, MATE Year of the Great Lakes: Monitoring and Mitigating the Impacts of Climate Change on our Water World.

The winners in the Scout Challenge Class are:

The winners in the Navigator Challenge Class are:

The winners in the Ranger Challenge Class are:

Each year, specialty awards are presented by the judges and volunteers. Pensacola Catholic High School’s Crubotics NAV received the Buoyancy Award for providing positive support to one another during pool demos and the competition, constantly buoying each other up. The Trojan Triremes team from Carrollton, Georgia, earned the Tethered Together Award, as they not only demonstrated great teamwork within their own team but also extended their definition of teamwork to helping other teams. Sacred Heart Cathedral School from Pensacola, Florida, received the Rookie of the Year award. Tidal Tech from Fairview High School was awarded the Best Poster Award in the SCOUT category.

GEARS from Montgomery, Alabama, earned the opportunity to represent the Northern Gulf Coast Region in the MATE World Championship in Alpena, Michigan this June.

The MATE Regional ROV Competition is part of Discovery Hall’s K-12 STEM Programs. The 13th annual Northern Gulf Coast Regional is set for April 24-26, 2026.

For more information on the competition, please visit the MATE Competition website at https://materovcompetition.org.