Other name(s) | Quizbowl, scholastic bowl, academic bowl, etc. |
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Years active | c. 1953–present |
Genre(s) | Quiz |
Players | 2–10 |
Age range | School-aged and up |
Playing time | ~30 minutes (can vary) |
Skill(s) required | Knowledge, learning, recall |
Material(s) required | Lockout buzzer system, questions |
Quiz bowl (quizbowl,scholar bowl, scholastic bowl, academic bowl, academic team, etc.) is a quiz game that tests 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 the United States, Germany, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
The game is typically played with a lockout buzzer system between at least two teams, usually consisting of four or five players each. Players are read questions and 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.
Most forms of modern quiz bowls are modeled after game shows.College Bowl, which was created by Don Reid as a USO activity for US service men during World War II, was an influential early quiz bowl program. Also known as "The College Quiz Bowl," it started on radio in 1953 and then aired on national television from 1959 to 1970.
In the first half of the 20th century, many other quiz bowl-like competitions were also created. Delco Hi-Q began in 1948 as a radio quiz competition sponsored by the Scott Paper Company for high school students in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It claims to be the oldest continuously running student quiz contest in the United States. The It's Academic televised student quiz show program has been run for high school teams in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area since 1961 and is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running quiz program in television history.It's Academic has been spun off in many other US media markets and has inspired many other televised high school competitions.