Teams left with medals in a variety of categories at an international robotics competition in Washington that attracted teams of teenagers from more than 150 nations.

But the team that drew the most attention at the FIRST Global Challenge, which ended Tuesday, was a squad of girls from Afghanistan who were twice rejected for United States (US) visas before US President Donald Trump intervened.

The team won a silver medal for “courageous achievement.” The award recognised teams that exhibited a “can-do” attitude even under difficult circumstances or when things didn't go as planned.

The Europe team won a gold award for getting the most cumulative points over the course of the competition. Poland got silver and Armenia bronze. Finland won a gold award for winning the best win-loss record. Silver went to Singapore and bronze to India.