ST. KITTS--St. Maarten claimed an impressive second-place finish at the inaugural OECS Super Regional Robotics Challenge 2026, with Jacob Boxshall of Learning Unlimited and Akash Pillai of St. Maarten Academy delivering a standout performance against teams from across the Caribbean. They were greeted at the Princess Juliana International Airport on Saturday by Minister of Education Melissa Gumbs, parents and school representatives.
Their achievement was especially notable given that many of the competing teams had years of experience in robotics, while the St. Maarten team had only a few weeks to prepare. Despite that disadvantage, the pair demonstrated determination, resilience, and a strong commitment to excellence throughout the competition.
Their robot, the Soualiga Seaside Sweeper (SSS-37), was purpose-built to address real-world environmental challenges. The robot features a dual-motor drive system for mobility, an extendable arm, and a servo-powered intake mechanism, similar to a street sweeper, designed to efficiently collect debris. The system is powered by a central battery and operated via remote control.
With the guidance and support of their coaches, Mr. Julian Mason and Mr. Conlan King, the students rose above expectations and made St. Maarten proud on the regional stage.
The competition, held at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort from March 16 to 20, formed a major part of St. Maarten's Science Week 2026 organized by the St. Maarten Science Fair Foundation. St. Maarten’s participation in the inaugural OECSRA Super Regional Robotics Challenge, now under the banner of ECRIA, marked an important milestone for the island’s growing focus on science, technology, and innovation.
In preparation for the event, secondary schools across the island were invited to nominate students interested in robotics and innovation. Responses were received from five schools, and selected students met biweekly for training in robotics and coding.
Following a structured three-tier selection process consisting of peer nominations, coach nominations, and an online assessment, two students were chosen to represent St. Maarten: Jacob Boxshall of Learning Unlimited and Akash Pillai of St. Maarten Academy.
Two additional students were named as alternates: Edom Richardson of St. Maarten Academy and Dominic Peters of St. Maarten Academy Vocational Business Campus.
The delegation was facilitated by the St. Maarten Science Fair Foundation and included the two students along with coaches Mr. Julian Mason and Mr. Conlan King, whose guidance proved instrumental in preparing the team. As the event was inaugural, Foundation President Dr. Rolinda Carter also traveled with the delegation to establish the Foundation’s presence and strengthen regional collaboration.
The students’ participation in the challenge was made possible through the sponsorship of the Bureau Telecommunications and Post St. Maarten.
The five-day competition brought together teams from Antigua and Barbuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla, St. Eustatius, and Jamaica. The event was organized by the Eastern Caribbean Robotics and Innovation Association in collaboration with the St. Kitts and Nevis Robotics Association.
Centered on the theme “Innovating for a Sustainable Caribbean Future,” the challenge required teams to program robots to collect sargassum seaweed and debris from a simulated coastline and place it into designated bins. Additional points were awarded for navigating a ramp and depositing plastic bottles into recycling containers.
The sub-theme, “Robotics for a Cleaner Coastline and a Sustainable Caribbean,” placed the competition within the wider environmental concerns facing small island states in the region.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines won the competition, finishing with 1,336 points in the final against St. Maarten, which placed second with 128 points.
Antigua and Barbuda, represented by Micah Matthew and Michael Harvey and coached by teacher Tijah Myers, finished in third place. Antigua advanced through the preliminary rounds, recorded 36 points in its opening match against Team St. Eustatius, and went on to defeat St. Lucia in the third-place match after falling to St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the semi-finals.
At the close of the competition, Dr. Ricard O’Neill, recognized as a driving force behind the regional robotics movement, encouraged participants to see the event as the start of something bigger.
“This is not the end, this is the beginning,” he said, adding that planning for the 2027 edition of the Super Regional Challenge would begin shortly.
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