ENJOY AI 2026 Americas Open Comes to Markham This July

The Canadian National Robotic Society (CNRS) is set to welcome a new generation of inventors, programmers and problem-solvers to Markham, Ontario, this summer. From July 18 to 20, 2026, the Markham Pan Am Centre will host the ENJOY AI 2026 Americas Open, a three-day youth competition that places artificial intelligence and robotics directly into the hands of students. The event lands during a landmark stretch for Canadian robotics, unfolding in the same city and the same window as the FIRA RoboWorld Cup 2026, and signalling Canada's growing influence in the global robotics community.

What ENJOY AI is, and who can compete

ENJOY AI is a global youth competition built around artificial intelligence and robotics. Rather than treating AI as an abstract subject, it asks young people to design, build and program robots that solve concrete challenges, learning automation, computer vision and strategic thinking through hands-on play. The Americas Open is the regional edition that brings this international platform to the Americas. It is remarkably inclusive, serving youth from ages 3 to 22 across ten age divisions spanning preschool through high school. Each team is made up of two student competitors and one coach, and both students must be enrolled in school until June 2026 to take part.

The challenges

Four competition categories give participants a range of ways to shine. Inventions Trail, organized into Elementary, Middle School and High School divisions, rewards creative engineering. Battle of Stars pits Red and Blue teams in head-to-head matches that demand real-time strategy adjustment. Skyline Adventures is a drone-based contest combining visual recognition with programming challenges, while Ancient Civilizations sends robots on a quest to collect civilization fragments. The competition runs over three days with cumulative scoring across all rounds, so consistency and resilience matter as much as a single standout performance.

Why it matters for STEM in Canada

For CNRS, a non-profit headquartered in Vancouver whose mission is to advance the positive impact of robotics and foster international collaboration, hosting an event of this scale is more than a logistical milestone. It places Canadian students alongside international peers, raises public awareness of robotics and strengthens the pipeline of talent that the country's robotics industry will draw on for years to come. Holding the Americas Open in the same city and week as the FIRA RoboWorld Cup 2026 amplifies that effect, turning Markham into a hub where the youngest competitors and the world's leading researchers share the same energy.

Key dates and registration

Teams must submit their qualification materials by March 12, 2026, with notifications to follow by March 21, 2026. The registration payment window runs from May 30 to June 15, 2026, with tiered pricing of 450 USD for Early Bird, 500 USD for Regular and 600 USD for Late entries, while parent and chaperone registration is available between 150 and 300 USD. Payment is accepted by PayPal or wire transfer, and the venue offers airport shuttle service from Toronto Pearson International Airport. Prospective teams can reach the organizers at global@enjoyai.org for full registration details.