Academic Bowl

Overview

The Gallaudet University Academic Bowl was established to foster academic excellence, healthy competition, and sportsmanship among deaf and hard of hearing youth – all while making lifelong friends. Every year, Gallaudet University hosts regional competitions for teams of deaf and hard of hearing high school students.

2022 Regional Competition dates: (Regional websites coming soon!)

West @ Oregon School for the Deaf: February 9-12, 2023

Central @ Texas School for the Deaf: February 16-19, 2023

East @ Kentucky School for the Deaf: March 9-12, 2023

National Competition @ Gallaudet: April 20-24, 2023

Thanks to our main sponsor, Sorenson!

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Academic Bowl Rules and Guidelines

We are now hosting all of our Academic Bowl competitions online for the 2020-2021 school year due to the unpredictable nature of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to open the .pdf file for the 2021 Interim Academic Bowl Rules and Guidelines manual. Here is...

Academic Bowl Team Photo Guidelines

Gallaudet University Academic Bowl When you send us your photos via email, please make sure the photos are high-resolution. That means the resolution is either 300 dpi and/or they feature a large pixel dimension. Also, if you're familiar with photo editing software like Photoshop, you...

Academic Bowl Resources Center

Registration: September 7, 2022 at 6 pm EST to September 9, 2022 at 4 pm EST Team Information (registration information, team fee, etc) Due: December 9, 2022 Regionals Screening Test: October 31-November 9, 2022 Announce Regional Teams: November 11, 2022 West Regional @ Oregon School...

Academic Bowl Rules and Guidelines

Due to uncertainity of schools/programs’ out of state travels policies and the liability risk of hosting large scale events at host schools during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all regional competitions will be conducted virtually via Zoom. We are hoping to be able to host the...

2021 Regionals

East Regional (Virtual): February 8-12, 2021 Central Regional (Virtual): February 22-26, 2021 West Regional (Virtual): March 8-12, 2021

Academic Bowl Coaches’ Resources

CLICK HERE FOR THE ACADEMIC BOWL DO'S AND DON'TS VIDEO! CLICK HERE FOR THE HOW TO BE A CHAMP AB PLAYER VIDEO! Click here for a Coaching Academic Bowl cheat sheet (great for new coaches!) Click here for a Google Drive folder with practice matches...

2020-2021 Academic Bowl Ranking Test Resources

1) For a copy of this year's Nationals Ranking Test cheat sheet, click here. 2) To get an idea of what a Ranking Test look like, click here for the 2020 National Academic Bowl Ranking Test. Note: This is the old format with 20-20 questions...

Academic Bowl History

The National Academic Bowl for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing was established in 1996 under the guidance of Astrid Amann Goodstein, who was then the Executive Director of Enrollment Services at Gallaudet. That year, only six schools participated in what was considered a competition...

Regional Academic Bowl Competition History

Year Southeast/South Midwest West Northeast/East Mid-Atlantic/Southwest 1997 North Carolina SD Illinois SD CSD Riverside EDCO @ Newton North HS MSSD (from previous year) 1998 Alabama SD Missouri SD CSD Fremont EDCO @ Newton North HS Maryland SD 1999 Alabama SD Ohio SD CSD Fremont EDCO...

Stats on National Championships won by Academic Bowl teams

Teams with most National Championships School Times Years Maryland School for the Deaf 5 2005, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 Indiana School for the Deaf 5 2003, 2008, 2015, 2017, 2018 Model Secondary School for the Deaf 3 2000, 2001, 2014 California School for the Deaf,...

Academic Bowl Hall of Fame

Gianni Manganelli (2014) Gianni was a member of the University High School Academic Bowl from 2006 to 2009. During his freshman year, he won the Most Outstanding Player award at the West Regional held in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He went on to win a...

Academic Bowl Coaches’ Wall of Fame

We would like to recognize these dedicated coaches who have coached more than ten years of Academic Bowl: 20 years or more: Chuck Daube, Indiana SD Mary Kovatch, Indiana SD Diane Hewitt, Mountain Lakes HS Kitty Love, Mississippi SD 10 years or more: Mitch Kurs,...

List of Regional Academic Bowl Hosts

East (Northeast prior to 2017) Midwest South (Southeast prior to 2017) West Mid Atlantic (1998-2010) and Southwest (2013- 2016) 1997 American School for the Deaf 1997 Johnson Community College (KS) 1997 North Carolina School for the Deaf 1997 Phoenix Day School for the Deaf (AZ)...

2016 Academic Bowl Northeast Playoffs and Awards

Playoffs 6:00 PM 3rd / 4th Place Match Score Auditorium ROCHESTER SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF 22 NEW YORK SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF 20 7:15 PM Championship Match Score Auditorium MARIE PHILIP SCHOOL 36 MONROE #1 BOCES 63 Northeast Academic Bowl Rankings First Place MONROE #1...

FAQs

Opportunities Questions

Who do I contact for more information about the Academic Bowl?

Please contact us for more information.

When and why was it established?

Gallaudet University established its first National Academic Bowl in 1997 with the goals of promoting academic competition among school teams and fostering academic excellence and achievement among deaf and hard of hearing students across the country.

What is the format of the Academic Bowl competition?

There are four regional competitions across the United States: South, West, Midwest, and East. For the 2020-2021 school year, all of our competitions will be online. Up to 20 teams will compete in each regional competition, and teams take a ranking test to determine their seeding for the playoff bracket. The top four teams from each region are automatically invited to the virtual National competition in April 2021. The Consolation bracket finalists will then take the wild card test. The top four scoring wild card teams out of the 8 teams that take the wild card test will then be invited to the virtual National competition. The 20 Nationals teams will take a ranking test to determine their seeding for the National competition bracket. The winners of the National semifinal matches advance to the National Championship match shown live via Gallaudet’s Facebook page. The losers of the semifinal matches play in the Third Place match which is also shown live via Gallaudet’s Facebook page.

What will an Academic Bowl match look like?

The Preliminary matches will have three rounds. Round One will consist of 12 toss-up questions and 12 bonus questions. The first player on either team to buzz in gets to answer. If that player is wrong, the first player from the opposing team gets a chance to answer. If a player gets a toss-up question right, a bonus question is awarded and the entire team can discuss the answer. Round Two will also consist of 12 questions. Players will take turns answering the questions with no communication amongst teams allowed. The Final Round consists of 10 questions relating to one category and usually one topic. Teams are given two minutes to discuss and record their answers. During the National Playoff matches (starting in the Quarterfinals round), the number of questions in Round One and Round Two goes up from 12 to 16. During the Championship match, the number of questions in Rounds One and Two goes up to 20. The number of questions in the Final Round for the Championship match also goes up to 15. **The match format is different for the 2020-2021 school year. More details are shared in the Rules and Guidelines manual.**

Who can participate?

The Academic Bowl is open to teams of high school students currently enrolled in recognized schools or programs for deaf and hard of hearing students. Schools or programs may be residential schools, day schools, mainstream programs, or any other type of educational program. The number of players allowed on a team is (4) four. All players must be in grades 9-12. If a school or program does not have enough students to field a team, one may be formed by combining students from another school or program and submitting a request to the Youth Programs office. When a single school or program does not have enough students to field its own Academic Bowl team, teams may be assembled by combining students from two or more schools or programs within a 25-mile radius of each other. In some cases, as in a school in a rural area, the school may petition in writing for special consideration, which may include a larger radius. Other options are for a mainstreamed or home-schooled student to join the team of a local school or program for the deaf. All written petitions for special consideration will be considered by the Youth Programs office.

How many teams are allowed to participate in the Academic Bowl competition?

A maximum of 80 teams may participate in the Academic Bowl competition with 20 teams in each of the four regions. A waiting list will be established for teams that do not make the cut in the ranking test. In the event a team is forced to withdraw from the competition, the first team on the waiting list will be offered the opportunity to participate in the competition. If a region is full, then teams on the waiting list for that region may be invited to another region if there are spots available in that region.

Is there any expense for participating in the Academic Bowl competition?

Schools and programs that participate in the Regional Academic Bowl competitions are expected to make their own travel arrangements and cover their own travel expenses. A non-refundable fee of $400, to help offset Academic Bowl operation costs, will be charged to all participating teams. This $400 fee is waived for all Regional host schools. Schools may apply for a registration fee waiver if they already need to fundraise a large amount of money for travel expenses to the Regional competition. All requests for registration fee waivers must be made to the National Academic Bowl office. There is an additional $100 fee if schools fail to pay their registration fee on time. All team registration fees are non-refundable. Accommodations and meals will be covered by Gallaudet University during the Regional competitions. Schools and programs will be expected to inform travel arrangements, including time of arrival at and departure from the airport closest to the Regional competition sites. The 20 teams that compete at the National Academic Bowl competition will have all of their expenses covered, including travel, lodging, and meals. ***For the 2020-2021 school year, there is no fee to participate in the Academic Bowl as we are fully virtual for this year.***

When will the competition(s) be held?

The Regional Academic Bowl locations and dates and the National competition dates can be found at: Academic Bowl

What if my school needs to withdraw from the competition after I have submitted an application and fee?

If your team needs to withdraw from the competition, please inform the Youth Programs office immediately, so a team on the waiting list can be invited to participate. The team entry fee is non-refundable.

Can families and visitors watch the competition?

Families and visitors are more than welcome. The competition schedule will be posted on our website. There is no charge to attend. A hospitality room for families is available at both the Regional and National competitions. Families are not allowed to join their children at the social outing, meals, and farewell party.

What is the best way to prepare my team for the competition?

Each coach varies with the type of preparation they use with their team. Some teams practice after school, weekends, or in the evenings. Some teams hold practice competitions with neighboring public schools, or with parents and their school community. Some schools even schedule matches via video conferencing with other schools. More information can be found in the Rules and Guidelines manual and at our AB Resources Center

What is the Academic Bowl?

Quiz tournaments, in which teams of high school students compete against each other in local, regional, and national events, is popular among high schools and colleges throughout the country. The Gallaudet University Academic Bowl competition consists of a question and answer game of general knowledge and quick recall. Questions are drawn from the following categories: Arts and Entertainment; Current Events; Language and Literature; Mathematics; Pop Culture, Leisure, and Sports; Potpourri; and Science and Technology.

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