Quiz bowl
Quiz bowl (quizbowl, scholars' bowl, scholastic bowl, academic bowl, academic team, etc.) is a family of quiz-based competitions that test players on a wide variety of academic subjects. Standardized quiz bowl formats are played by lower school, middle school, high school, and university students throughout North America, Asia, Europe, Australia, and Africa.
A quiz bowl team at the Harvard Certamen, with buzzers | |
| Other names | Quizbowl, scholastic bowl, academic bowl, etc. |
|---|---|
| Years active | c. 1953–present |
| Genres | Quiz |
| Players | 2–8 |
| Playing time | ~20 minutes (can vary) |
| Age range | School-aged and up |
| Skills | recall, knowledge, memory, reflex |
| Materials required | Lockout buzzer system, questions |
Quiz bowl competitions are typically played with a lockout buzzer system between at least two teams, usually consisting of four players each. A moderator reads questions to the players, who try to score points for their team by buzzing first and responding with the correct answer.
Quiz bowl is most commonly played in a toss-up/bonus format, which consists of a series of two different types of questions. Other formats, particularly in local competitions, may deviate from the above rules, with additions like lightning rounds or category choice.