Scholar's Bowl

Collaborative Writing

Speak with the power of your pen (or pencil!) You’ll be given six prompts, from each of the six subject areas, ranging from creative scenarios to explore to persuasive arguments to make. Two easy rules to remember: as a team you only need to write three of the six, and each of you needs to answer a different prompt. You’ll first have 25 minutes to prepare together, then 45 minutes by yourself to write the most compelling piece possible, then 15 minutes to review one another's work at the end. Whether you craft a poem or compose a five-paragraph essay, make sure your work excites and challenges you, because that means it'll excite and challenge your reader too.
*No electronic devices can be used throughout the event.

Team Debate

Each team debates three times, on motions across all the subjects, from policy to poetry. You may be arguing whether parents should have access to surveillance cameras at schools—or whether women make better superheroes. Debate is your chance to apply all that you’ve learned to make the most persuasive case you can. And, win or not, after each debate, you’ll give the other team feedback on how to improve.

Each of you will speak up to 4 minutes. But first, you’ll have 15 minutes to research your argument, with full access to the Internet. Use your time—and choose your sources—wisely!

Two-thirds of our students have never debated before; over half are EFL learners. The rest sign up because they’re debaters. For new debaters, it’s a great introduction; for experienced debaters, it’s a challenging new style.

Scholar's Challenge

It’s multiple choice, so make multiple choices. The Challenge looks like any other test, but with an alpaca-powered twist: you can mark more than one answer per question. The fewer you mark, the more points you can earn if you’re right. (Yes, that means you can finally guess C and D... and also A, B, and E.) Apply your knowledge of the six subjects successfully and you can win medals in one, two, or all of them.

You’ll soon discover what all World Scholars do: that even if you think you’re an expert in science, you might win a medal in the arts, and that the best way to prepare for a test that touches on everything is to talk through it all with your team, day by day.

Play your cards right, and you could earn enough medals to warrant a neck brace.