US Academic Bee and Bowl
| US Academic Bee and Bowl | |
|---|---|
| File:US Academic Bee and Bowl Logo.png | |
| Genre | Academic quiz competition |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location(s) | various |
| Inaugurated | 2016 |
| Website | www.usacademicbowl.com |
The US Academic Bee and Bowl (USABB) are all-subject, buzzer-based quiz competitions for elementary and middle school students.[1] The US Academic Bee is for individuals, while the US Academic Bowl—similar to high school quiz bowl—is intended for teams, though individuals can opt to compete as a team of one. USABB was founded in the 2015–2016 season by David and Nolwenn Madden and is overseen by International Academic Competitions (IAC). These competitions are closely associated with other IAC tournaments at the middle and elementary level, particularly the National Science Bee and National Humanities Bee.[2]
US Academic Bee
Format and Rules
The US Academic Bee has four divisions: 8th Grade, 7th Grade, 6th Grade, and Elementary. For 8th and 7th grade competitors, there are 30 questions per round; for 6th graders and below, there are 25 questions per round. Each question in the bee is pyramidal, meaning the question begins with obscure facts and ends with more common knowledge. A student leaves the round once they reach 6 points; additional bonus points are added to their final score depending on when they exit the round.
For any question, there can be up to three answer attempts. If a student is the third person to interrupt the reader with an incorrect answer, they lose a point. The first two incorrect interrupts and any response after the moderator has finished reading have no penalty. With the exception of the question number, these rules are nearly identical to those of other IAC tournaments.[3]
Students who finish in the top 50% of competitors at Regionals are eligible for the National Championships.[4]
Question Distribution
The distribution of the 30 questions per round is as follows:[5]
| Category | Number of Questions |
|---|---|
| Literature | 6 |
| History | 6 |
| Science | 6 |
| Math | 2 |
| Fine Arts | 3 |
| Religion & Mythology | 3 |
| Social Studies | 4 |
US Academic Bee National Champions[6]
Middle School Champions
| Year | Champion | Division | School | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | William Wang | Middle School | Longfellow Middle School |  Virginia
|
| 2017 | Shiva Oswal | Middle School | Team Pi-oneers |  California
|
| 2018 | Robert Muniz | Middle School | Midtown Classical Homeschool |  Florida
|
| 2019 | Aadit Juneja | 8th Grade | Aptakisic Junior High School |  Illinois
|
| 2019 | Rohan Ganeshan | 7th Grade | Quest Academy | Illinois
|
| 2019 | Arin Parsa[7] | 6th Grade | Challenger Almaden | California
|
| 2020 | Anurag Sodhi | 8th Grade | Burleigh Manor Middle School |  Maryland
|
| 2020 | Rohan Ramachandran | 7th Grade | University School of Nashville |  Tennessee
|
| 2020 | Neil “Jumlord” Kathuria | 6th Grade | Monroe Township Middle School |  New Jersey
|
| 2021 | Arin Parsa | 8th Grade | Stanford Online School | California
|
| 2021 | Maximilian Lin | 7th Grade | Eastchester Middle School |  New York
|
| 2021 | Neha Pandya | 6th Grade | Challenger School-Strawberry Park | California
|
| 2022 | Samanyu Ganesh | 8th Grade | Westminster Schools |  Georgia
|
| 2022 | Neha Pandya | 7th Grade | Challenger School-Strawberry Park | California
|
| 2022 | Sahil Prasad | 6th Grade | Burleigh Manor Middle School | Maryland
|
Elementary School Champions
| Year | Champion | School | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Shiva Oswal | Team Pi-oneers | California
|
| 2017 | Anurag Sodhi | Centennial Lane Elementary School | Maryland
|
| 2018 | Rohan Ganeshan | Homeschool | Illinois
|
| 2019 | Shounak Bhindwale | Henry P. Mohr Elementary School | California
|
| 2020 | Bhaskar Moorthy | Buchanan Elementary School |  Louisiana
|
| 2021 | Satvik Jain | Centennial Lane Elementary School | Maryland
|
| 2022 | Omar Ron | Homeschool | California
|
US Academic Bowl
Format and Rules
The US Academic Bowl has two divisions: Middle School and Elementary School. Middle school division teams are permitted to have students in 6th grade and younger compete, but elementary school division teams must consist entirely of players in 6th grade and below.[8]
In a round of the Bowl, two teams of up to 4 players compete head-to-head. Each half of the match consists of 8 tossups, each with 3 bonus questions. Each correct response earns a team 10 points. However, an early enough buzz on a tossup—before the so-called power mark (*)—will earn a team 20 points. No points are deducted for incorrect responses. If a team correctly answers a tossup, that team receives the opportunity to answer the bonuses. Any bonuses they miss are read to the opposing team, who can earn "bounceback" points for correct responses.
Separating the halves is a sixty-second round with three available categories: Literature, History & Geography, and Science. The trailing team is allowed to choose a category first and receives, as per the name of the round, 60 seconds to answer up to 6 questions. Any questions the team gets incorrect are then given to the other team.
Teammates are not allowed to confer on tossup questions but can do so on bonuses and during the 60-second round. Five preliminary rounds of the Bowl are played before determining the teams that advance to the playoffs.[9]
Teams who finish in the top half of participants; score at least a 0.500 winning percentage; or win at least one playoff game at any Regional Tournament are eligible for the National Championships.
Question Distribution
The distribution of the 16 tossups, 16 bonus questions, and 3 sixty-second rounds is as follows:[10]
| Category | Number of Tossups | Number of Bonuses | Number of 60-Second Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Literature | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| History | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Science | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Math | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Fine Arts | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Religion & Mythology | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Social Studies | 2 | 2 | 0 |
US Academic Bowl National Champions[11]
Middle School Division
| Year | Team | State |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Middlesex Middle School |  Connecticut
|
| 2017 | Team Pi-oneers[12] | California
|
| 2018 | Team Pi-oneers | California
|
| 2019 | Burleigh Manor Middle School | Maryland
|
| 2020 | Burleigh Manor Middle School | Maryland
|
| 2021 | Team Academic Scholars | California
|
| 2022 | Burleigh Manor Middle School | Maryland
|
Elementary School Division
| Year | Team | State |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Team Pi-oneers | California
|
| 2017 | Centennial Lane Elementary School | Maryland
|
| 2018 | Centennial Lane Elementary School A | Maryland
|
| 2019 | Challenger Almaden[13] | California
|
| 2020 | Centennial Lane Elementary School | Maryland
|
| 2021 | Challenger School Strawberry Park | California
|
| 2022 | Burleigh Manor Middle School | Maryland
|
See also
- National Science Bee
- United States Geography Championships
- International Academic Competitions
- National History Bee and Bowl
- International History Olympiad
- International Geography Bee
References
- ^ "US Academic Bee & Bowl". Institute of Competition Sciences.
- ^ "NHBB Launches New Competitions for Middle and Elementary School Students! Announcing the US Academic Bee and Bowl, National Science Bee & National Humanities Bee!". National History Bee & Bowl.
- ^ "US Academic Bee Rules Sheet" (PDF). US Academic Bee & Bowl.
- ^ "Qualification". US Academic Bee & Bowl.
- ^ "US Academic Bee Category Distribution" (PDF). US Academic Bee & Bowl.
- ^ "Past National Champions". US Academic Bee & Bowl.
- ^ "Young Mensans in the News: Arin Parsa". San Francisco Regional Mensa.
- ^ "Tournaments". Burleigh Manor It's Academic.
- ^ "US Academic Bowl Rules" (PDF). US Academic Bee & Bowl.
- ^ "US Academic Bowl Category Distribution" (PDF). US Academic Bee & Bowl.
- ^ "Past National Champions". US Academic Bee & Bowl.
- ^ "Whizzing to Top Honors". India Abroad.
- ^ "Middle Schooler Arin Parsa Wins 3 Regional Academic Competitions in San Francisco". India West.