Updated 9/16/25 for 2025-26.

Regional Team Qualification for HARO

Announcement:

For 2025-26, we are testing a new model. HARO Teams are not required to provide their judge at the State competition, if their team has not advanced. However, if we are short of judges at the State competition, we must ask up to 10 such judges to serve as Community judges.

Qualifications

To be qualified for the on-site Houston Region Tournament, both competitive teams and primary teams must complete the following general steps:

  1. Purchase/Renew your annual Traditional membership online at the National website in September in order to obtain the full problems. (Deadline is November 1, 2025 for late starting teams).

  2. Register Online. Complete online TOURNAMENT registration. Registration opens in mid-October. Complete by December 15, 2025.
    Primary Teams: Effective 2023, only 2nd grader teams are invited to present at the Houston regional tournament. Younger teams can still participate in the program and present their solution at the school or family level.

  3. One Judge* per Team. Each Competitive Team provides a person to judge. This person must commit up to 2.5 days. The Judge requirement does NOT apply to Primary teams.

    • Judges training (half day on-site or online). Pre-requisites of general training will be communicated in due course. Details and dates will be posted in the calendar and on the HARO page.

    • The Region tournament (full day), February 21st, 2026 [tentative date pending confirmation], and

    • if the team has advanced, also judge at the State tournament (full day) - March 28th, 2026, in Houston, TX.

  4. One Untrained Volunteer per team:

    1. Each competitive team must provide one untrained person to volunteer for 2-3 hours for the Region tournament. Jobs can be pre-selected or assignments will be given the week before the tournament.

    2. Each primary team must provide two untrained persons to volunteer for a half-day on the Regional competition day (instead of one judge and one volunteer). Specific jobs can be pre-selected or assignments will be given the week before the tournament to ensure no conflict with the team scheduled performance.

    3. All untrained volunteers must check in at the volunteer check-in desk at the Region tournament for their team to obtain proper credit.

  5. Tournament Staff (TS): Tournament Staff are volunteers who help manage a team of volunteers on tournament day to ensure continuity between the shifts. Sometimes, they help with an event before tournament such as a workshop or Judges Training. For schools with four or more teams, including primary teams the following applies. For every four teams, provide a Tournament Staff (TS) person who will:

    1. Attend a 30-minute TS orientation meeting in January/February,

    2. Help run an event or manage volunteers at tournament.

      1-3 teams       0 Tournament Staff Required
      4-7 teams       1 Tournament Staff Required
      8-11 teams      2 Tournament Staff Required
      12-15 teams    3 Tournament Staff Required
      16-19 teams    4 Tournament Staff Required

  6. Payment. Region tournament payment must be received by the published deadline. See Tournament Fee Payment Information for details.

  7. All Team Rule for Multiple Memberships: Each MEMBERSHIP is required to fill every competitive problem per eligible division before purchasing a second membership from CCI. This is known as the “Full Membership Rule”. Before purchasing additional memberships, the Regional Director must be contacted.
    Primary teams do not count toward the five required competitive teams. A third membership may be purchased once the first two memberships are full, up to a maximum of fourth memberships for any given school.

    Schools with grades that cover more than one division can be required to meet the “Full Membership Rule” for each division. Contact the Regional Director.

    Schools yielding two or more teams in a problem may consider holding a school round to determine what teams will represent the school in their chosen problem at Regionals, subject to prior approval by Regional Directors. Schools that choose this option must do so within the timelines set for the Regional tournament registration and fee payment. They can register a team in the Fall and submit updated team information 4 weeks before tournament.

*Notes on judge volunteers:

  • Pick a judge that you would be happy to have judge your team.

  • Judges must be 18+ years of age on the day of Judge Training.

  • Judges may not judge in the problem of the team they represent.

  • Judges may not change their problem after they have been trained.

  • Judges can NOT get time off to watch performances in other venues.

  • When the State Tournament is hosted in the HARO area, judges are welcome to assist at the State tournament, if their team has not advanced.

  • Additional judges are always welcome.

  • All judges – new and experienced – MUST attend judge training each year. Coaches may not attend judge training.

  • Judges must register online. Registration opens late October.

All Training & Tournament dates and deadlines are published on the  TXOdyssey.org calendar for HARO. Visit the website at least monthly between October and December for updates. Check weekly in January-March.