National Bible Bowl
National Bible Bowl is a 501(c) non-profit organization which is responsible for the administration of two nationwide Bible quizzing programs for youth in grades 3 to 12. There are hundreds of teams in United States who all study the same portion of Scripture during the competition season. Teams compete monthly from October to May on the local level, and at the end of the year, many of these teams travel to the National Bible Bowl Tournament. There are also many other summer and mid-year tournaments, usually held at Christian colleges. Top achievers are awarded trophies and scholarships to Christian and Bible colleges. Hundreds of churches and thousands of young people are involved in the program.
Mission statement
Bible Bowl creates an atmosphere that enhances knowledge of God's Word, Christian character, community, and discipleship.
History and affiliation
National Bible Bowl is affiliated with the Christian churches and churches of Christ, a branch of the Restoration Movement. From 1964 to 2001, the Bible Bowl program was administered by the North American Christian Convention. National Bible Bowl became an independent non-profit organization in 2001, and now administers both the Teen Bible Bowl program, and also the Beginner Bible Bowl program.
Age divisions
Bible Bowl is for youth in grades 6 to 12. The Beginner Bible Bowl program is for children in grades 3 to 5.
Study text
The Teen Bible Bowl study text is a portion of Scripture from either the Old or New Testament. The text for the coming year is announced on June 1, prior to the current National Tournament. Competition questions are not published in advance of the competitions, although practice questions are available.
The Beginner Bible Bowl study text is usually the same as (or a sub-set of) the Teen Bible Bowl study text (although some years it is completely different). The questions for Beginner Bible Bowl are published in advance, although the exact wording of the questions in competition is not published in advance. This mechanism prevents teams from simply memorizing the questions instead of focusing on the verse content. However, as of the 2014-2015 season, there are no longer pre-published questions.
Study texts for each year are published through the National Bible Bowl office. They also offer a variety of study materials to help students in learning the text. Materials are available for both Teen Bible Bowl and Beginner Bible Bowl.
Competition
Local Competition: The year of competition begins in October, when around 20 local "round robin" competitions are held in various locations nationwide. These local competitions continue through the school year, with one competition per month from October to May. These local competitions are administered by independent organizations on the local level.
Regional Competition: Various opportunities for regional competition exist throughout the year. Most competitions are held from January through June, with the vast majority of major regional tournaments being held in June, just prior to the National Tournament. Each regional tournament is an open invitational; that is, they are open to any team without requiring any prior "qualifying" in order to compete.
National Competition: The National Bible Bowl Tournament is a one-of-a-kind event held each year in late June or early July. Over 100 teams compete annually for the chance to be named National Bible Bowl Champion. The event is held in various locations, and is sometimes held in conjunction with the North American Christian Convention, although not always.
The National Tournament consists of an Individual Written Achievement Test, a Quote-Bee, Round Robin competition, and the main Double Elimination Tournament.
For Beginner Bible Bowl, the National Tournament consists of Round Robin competition and the main Double Elimination Tournament. However, 2014 was the last Nationals for Beginner Bowl.
Competition Questions: Up until 2001, each coach was required to write a "set" of questions for each competition. Now, all competition questions are produced by the National Bible Bowl Office. The National Bible Bowl Office is responsible for coordinating the writing, editing, and nationwide distribution (by internet) of over 10,000 competition questions annually.
The game
The quizzing method is modelled after the television show in the 1960s called G.E. College Bowl. Two teams sit behind a table, facing the audience and also facing the quizmaster, whose back is to the audience. Each player has an electronic signal block in front of him/her which is used to signal that he/she has the answer to the toss-up question. The team who first answers the toss-up correctly then receives a bonus question. The entire team can confer in answering the bonus question. The score is kept, and the team with the highest score at the end of the game wins.
Because the game was originally developed for television, they are fast-paced, exciting, and more audience friendly than other Bible quizzing games.
The toss-up question: All players have the opportunity to answer the toss-up question. The first player to buzz in with the correct answer is awarded 10 points for his team and the right to a bonus question. Only the player who buzzes in can answer the toss-up question; there can be no team consultation. A toss-up is always worth 10 points. There is no deduction of points for missed questions.
The bonus question: The first team to correctly answer the toss-up receives a bonus question. The bonus ranges in value from 20 to 40 points, with each answer being worth either 5 or 10 points, depending on difficulty. The team discusses the bonus question among themselves and the Captain acts as the spokesperson to give the Quizmaster the answers.
Time limit: The Game lasts until time runs out or until all questions prepared for the game have been read- whichever comes first. For double or single elimination games, this is 20 questions and two halves of 10 minutes each. For round robin games, this is 15 questions and 14 minutes. There is no half-time in round robin play. There is a timekeeper for each game to make sure the game does not go over the time limit.
Contentions: In Teen Bible Bowl players are allowed to contest questions or answers that they do not find to be correct. If a toss-up is contested, time is stopped and the player proves his contention at that time. If a bonus is contested, the contention is settled at half time or the end of the game. All contentions must be proven by the player to the quizmaster using the Bible Bowl text or another official Bible Bowl resource. Quizmasters may consult a judge or another quizmaster for difficult rulings. Contentions are not allowed in Beginner Bible Bowl.