The **Midwestern Robotics Design Competition (MRDC)** is an annual robotics design and combat-style competition hosted by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), typically by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and student organizers. University student teams design, build, and program remote-controlled and autonomous robots to complete themed challenges and battle in an arena. MRDC is primarily a **college-level competition**, with the core participants being undergraduate and graduate teams from UIUC and other universities in the region. High school students generally participate only as spectators or as part of visiting school groups, rather than as competing teams. For high schoolers, the main benefits are exposure to advanced robotics design, engineering practices, and university-level engineering culture—making it an excellent event to observe if you’re interested in pursuing robotics or engineering in college. Because MRDC is not structured as a formal high school competition, prospective high school teams should contact organizers directly if they’re interested in involvement beyond spectating (such as exhibition robots, outreach events, or future eligibility).