1. State History Bowls (some states will have 0, some will have more than 1 tournament at different locations within the state) will be held throughout the USA from November 2010 – March 2011. Any high school with students in grades 9-12 can compete, whether public, private, parochial, magnet, or otherwise. Homeschool Associations may also compete.
  2. For junior high schools and other schools containing a 9th grade or 10th grade, but not higher grades, competition is permitted, but only 9th graders and above can compete. If 9th and 10th graders would prefer to compete on the team of the public senior high school that students who attend the junior high would normally attend, this is permitted as well, but once a student has played for one school within their school district, he or she cannot then switch registration to another school within said district for the remainder of the academic year.
  3. There is no middle school or division for the 2010-2011 year, although this will quite likely change in the future. However, for the 2010-2011 season, a “Junior Varsity” competition will be offered at the State level. This will allow any team composed entirely of 9th and/or 10th graders to compete in a separate division at state tournaments. Junior Varsity teams will play only Junior Varsity teams provided at least 4 such teams sign up for a tournament (We expect this to be this case in all or nearly all instances.).
  4. Varsity teams who finish in the top 8-16 teams (depending on enrollment, see below for a full explanation) in the preliminary rounds at the State History Bowls (as determined first by Won-Loss record, and then total points.) will qualify for both the playoff rounds and the National Championship. The number of JV teams who make the playoffs will depend on how many such teams compete (see below); the top third of all JV teams at each State Bowl will qualify for the JV Division at the National Championships.
  5. Any team that would otherwise qualify to play in the Junior Varsity Division may elect to play in the Varsity Division of the State History Bowls if they so choose. If they do not qualify for Nationals at the Varsity level, they are eligible to submit a Wild Card application for entry into the JV National Championships based on their performance. They can do this by emailing the Executive Director at: director@historybowl.com. JV teams that compete in the Varsity Division at the State Bowls and qualify for the Varsity National Championships, but who wish to compete in the JV Division at Nationals are permitted to do this.
  6. At tournaments with over 24 teams in a division, the top 1/3 inclusive of schools competing in the division will qualify for the National Championships regardless of whether they make the playoffs or not. Also, if any of the playoff teams have not registered by March 1 (for tournaments before February 15) or March 25 (for tournaments after February 15), then slots for Nationals will be opened up to teams ranked 9-16, in order of finish, as long as these teams won at least two games at the State Bowls.
  7. Schools are welcome to register as many teams as they would like at each State Bowl.
  8. Schools are required to bring at least one coach/parent/other adult in order to read and keep score or pay a $50 penalty fee. Schools bringing three or four teams must bring two readers/scorekeepers; schools bringing five or more teams must bring three readers/scorekeepers. Penalty fees are assessed by school, but vary by number of teams; i.e. a school with 3 teams and no reader pays $100 in penalty fees. Please do not make us have to enforce this rule!
  9. State Bowls will feature 5 preliminary rounds. At tournaments with 32 teams or fewer in the Varsity Division, 8 teams will make the playoffs. At tournaments with 33-48 teams in the Varsity Division, 12 teams will make the playoffs. At tournaments with over 48 teams in the Varsity Division, 16 teams will make the playoffs.
    For the JV Division, if there are 12 JV teams or fewer, then the top 2 JV teams will compete in a head to head final. For tournaments with 12-30 JV teams, the top 4 JV teams will compete in the JV playoffs. For tournaments with over 30 JV teams, the top 8 JV teams will make the JV playoffs.
  10. The National Championships will consist of 10 preliminary round matches, followed by a playoff, which will feature either 16 or 32 teams. Much more information on the National Championships will be posted in the coming weeks and months.
  11. Prizes awarded at the State Bowls and the National Championships will include book prizes, trophies, in-kind prizes from sponsors, discounts for registration at the National Championships, and scholarships. Prizes will vary from one State Bowl to another depending on sponsors. The amount and number of prizes at the National Championships have yet to be determined, but will certainly include scholarships for the top teams.