What is Quiz Bowl?

Quiz bowl (sometimes spelled “quizbowl”) is a quiz game played between two teams, in which players are challenged to answer questions about a variety of academic subjects. It is played at middle school, high school, and collegiate levels. The game bears a passing resemblance to televised quiz shows like Jeopardy, but has several important differences.

Though the term “quiz bowl” sometimes refers to buzzer-based academic competitions in general, it usually denotes a specific tossup-bonus format with pyramidal questions.

Some coloradoans may be more familiar with Knowledge Bowl. While both quiz bowl and Knowledge Bowl are buzzer-based academic competitions, they are very different.

Subjects

The questions cover a wide variety of academic subjects, encouraging teams with diverse backgrounds and knowledge sets. Quiz bowl packets contain questions on:

  • Literature
  • Science
  • History
  • Art
  • Music
  • Philosophy
  • Mythology
  • Religions
  • Social science
  • Geography
  • Current events
  • Pop culture

Why play quiz bowl?

  • It’s fun!
  • It rewards intellectual curiosity and exposes students to new topics.
  • It encourages students to be well-informed citizens.
  • It promotes teamwork.
  • Starting a team is easy (and free). The only things you need are a few interested players and some packets.