Arkansas SeaPerch program to send six teams to international competition
April 8, 2026
By Rebekah Hall
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts
- SeaPerch is engineering, robotics competition for students ages 8-19
- 55 teams, more than 190 youth from 12 Arkansas counties competed at state contest
- Six Arkansas teams to compete at International SeaPerch Challenge in May
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Download photos from Arkansas SeaPerch Challenge
BENTON, Ark. — Six Arkansas 4-H teams earned top marks at the 2026 Arkansas SeaPerch Challenge and will advance to the international robotics and engineering competition in May.
The state contest took place April 3 at the River Center in Benton. More than 190 youth from 55 teams in 12 Arkansas counties competed in the event, which is co-hosted by the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas and Arkansas 4-H, part of the Cooperative Extension Service.
Five of the six winning Arkansas teams are from the Grant County 4-H SeaPerch program, which has participated in SeaPerch since it began in Arkansas in 2016. Brad McGinley, Grant County extension agriculture agent for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, coaches the Grant County SeaPerch team along with his wife, Serena McGinley, a fifth grade teacher at Sheridan Intermediate School, and Tina Melton, a math teacher at Sheridan Middle School.
Brad McGinley said the county’s program brought 16 teams and 57 youth to compete at the state competition this year.
“This year was challenging because of the size of our program,” he said. “It was really stretching our limit on resources, time and energy, but we got it done, and we’re really glad we can provide our youth with this kind of experience.”
Building STEM skills for life
At the event, teams steered remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs, through underwater mission and challenge courses. Youth built their ROVs using pieces of pool noodles, PVC pipe, 3-D printed parts, small motors, and more. The theme for the mission course changes annually, and this year, the course was designed to mimic a large-scale response to storm damage, McGinley said. Students steered their ROVs to complete repairs to an underwater bridge and dam.
Michelle McVay, extension 4-H STEM instructor for the Division of Agriculture, said the SeaPerch Challenge teaches youth life skills that “extend far beyond the competition.”
“By designing and operating their own underwater robots, participants gain confidence, problem-solving abilities and teamwork experience that prepare them for future careers,” McVay said. “Programs like SeaPerch help develop capable, confident leaders while opening doors to new opportunities in science, engineering and beyond.”
“The SeaPerch program is much more than a robotics program,” said Rob Roedel, senior director of corporate communications for the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas. “It provides an excellent opportunity to ensure that children and adults alike can work together to construct, practice and compete with the underwater remote operating units. This program can be a pathway to inspire young people to pursue STEM-based careers.”
Teams were divided among four competition classes: junior stock for ages 8-10, intermediate stock for ages 11-13, senior stock for ages 14-19, and open class for ages 8-19.
The first- and second-place winners from intermediate stock, senior stock and open class are advancing to the international competition. Arkansas received six spots at the 2026 International SeaPerch Challenge, an increase from the four spots allotted last year. The event will be held May 30-31 in College Park, Maryland, at the University of Maryland.
McVay said SeaPerch recently updated its criteria for how they extend invitations. Because the Arkansas SeaPerch program is considered an “open” competition — being a 4-H event that allows teams outside of the organization to compete — and has more than 50 teams competing, the program received five spots. Arkansas SeaPerch received a sixth invitation because the program is open to all four competition classes defined by RoboNation, the nonprofit organization that coordinates the international SeaPerch program.
McVay said the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas will sponsor the competition registration fees for the first-place teams, and Arkansas 4-H STEM will sponsor the registration fees for the second-place teams.
Winning senior stock class teams and international qualifiers:
- First place: Deep Water Vanguard from Grant County — Gavin McGinley and Gracie McGinley
- Second place: Three Dudes and a Robot from Grant County — Ayden Barber, Hudson Billings and Jaxson Andrews
Winning intermediate stock class teams and international qualifiers:
- First place: HydroRappers from Grant County — Jackson Knight, Priyesh Laxmi and Abigail Martin
- Second place: Disco Dolphins from Grant County — Macy Ashcraft, Audrey Connell, Jolene Hooks and Eva McGinley
Winning open class teams and international qualifiers:
- First place: Aquanauts from Grant County — Garrett Key, Priyam Laxmi and Eli Watson
- Second place: Rolling Stokes from Madison County — Cache Stokes, Olive Stokes and Phalynn Stokes, coached by their parents Ryan and Amanda Stokes
Winning junior stock class teams:
- First place: Sea Squad from Saline County — Sy’Eir Cranford, Grayson Sadler and Nathaniel Schmid
- Second place: Team Eels from Saline County — David Canada, Cade Holland and Beau Robbins
Developing future engineers
Roedel said the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas has enjoyed its partnership with Arkansas 4-H over the past 10 years.
“I still love to see children learning through this experience,” he said. “My favorite memories involve watching the dedication of the sponsors, teachers and competitors as they participate in the competitions. I love the passion and commitment that the youngsters put into their efforts.”
McVay said the partnership between Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas and Arkansas 4-H is “why our SeaPerch program is as large and successful as it is.”
“Their support not only provides critical funding, volunteers and resources but also helps remove barriers so that more students can participate,” she said.
McGinley said that the goal of the SeaPerch program is to develop future engineers and to teach youth about the merit of learning from their mistakes.
“These kids build a lot of character,” he said. “What we learn is that failure is okay. In life, you’re going to run up against things that are not going to be easy, and you’re going to fail. Your ability to overcome that failure and to learn from that failure is going to make you a better person moving down the road.”
Visit the Arkansas 4-H website or contact your local county agent to learn more about the youth development organization, and visit the SeaPerch website to learn more about the program. Contact Michelle McVay at mmcvay@uada.edu for help starting a SeaPerch team in your county.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. To learn more about ag and food research in Arkansas, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station at aaes.uada.edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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Media Contact:
Rebekah Hall
rkhall@uada.edu
501-671-2061