Nearly 1,000 youth competed in the FIRST LEGO League and FIRST Tech Challenge state robotics championship on Feb. 11 at the ShoWare Center in Kent.

The competition allowed students ages 6 to 18 to exercise their minds, work as teams and problem solve.

Hazen High School, Renton Christian School, McKnight Middle School were among the 597 FIRST LEGO League teams throughout the state. The top 30 FIRST LEGO League teams took part last weekend in the Western Washington State championship in the season’s challenge, Animal Allies.

Thirty-six out of 152 FIRST Tech Challenge teams qualified to play in the season’s Velocity Vortex. FIRST TECH is for students age 12 to 18.

The top 10 finishers advanced to the West Super Regional, which includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The competition is set for March 10-12 at the Tacoma Convention Center.

Children in the FIRST LEGO League Jr., ages 6 to 9, also showcased their projects.