Academic Bowl

There are four regional competitions across the United States: South, West, Midwest, and East. All registered teams will take a Screening Test to qualify for the regional competition. Up to 16 teams will compete in each regional competition. The top four teams from each region are automatically invited to the National competition. The 16 National-bound teams will take a Ranking Test to determine their seeding for the National competition. The winners of the National Semifinal matches advance to the National Championship match shown live via Gallaudet University’s Youth Programs’ Facebook page. 

An Academic Bowl match will have three rounds. Round One will consist of 12 team discussion questions and 12 bonus questions. The team will have 30 seconds to discuss the answer. If the team gets the discussion question right, a bonus question is awarded. 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 tournament bracket matches, starting in the Quarterfinals, the number of questions in Round One and Round Two increases 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 of the Championship match also goes up to 15.

More details about the match format are shared in the Rules and Guidelines manual.

A maximum of 64 teams may participate in the Academic Bowl competition, with 16 teams in each of the four regions. A waiting list will be established for teams that do not make the cut in the Screening Test. If 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.

Schools and programs that participate in the Regional Academic Bowl competitions are expected to make their travel arrangements and cover their travel expenses. All participating teams will charge a non-refundable fee of $400 to help offset Academic Bowl operation costs. 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 arrival time and departure from the airport closest to the Regional competition sites. The 16 teams that compete at the National Academic Bowl competition will have all of their expenses covered, including travel, lodging, and meals.