Science Bowl Team Information for Students & Coaches

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Any current public, private, or home school team is welcome to participate. Teams of home-schooled students will be considered to belong to a school as long as they are part of an official home school association.

• High School Science Bowl: grades 9 - 12. Maximum of 40 teams.

• Middle School Science Bowl: grades 6 - 8. Maximum of 24 teams

• No more than 3 teams from one school may compete in a regional event. See Team Selection below.

• Coaches must be approved by the schools their teams represent.

Four students must compete at all times during the tournament. A fifth student may be a team member and used as an alternate. Alternates must be listed on the registration materials submitted by the registration deadline. Students may not rotate or serve as alternates among or within different teams from the same school or group. In case of illness, contact the MN Academy of Science staff for approval of substitutions. Team rosters may not change after check-in on the day of the event.

• Form a team of 4 students or 5 students (with alternate).

• Find a coach. Coaches must be approved by the schools their teams represent.

• Encourage your coach to register the team for the Minnesota Science Bowl.

• Read the official rules.

• Study and practice answering the sample questions, using NSB’s helpful hints and strategies for success. See also MN Student-recommended Science Bowl study resources.

• Ask if your school has or could get lockout buzzer systems for you to practice with, like those used in the actual competition, or consider practicing with online buzzers (such as Cosmobuzz or BuzzIn Live).

• Get a good night's sleep and eat a hearty breakfast the day of the tournament.

• Have fun and enjoy the tournament. Make an effort to meet the scientists who volunteer.

• Thank your coach after the event.

• If your team wins, work with your coach to make sure all National Science Bowl forms are complete.

• Register your team for the Minnesota Science Bowl.

• Read the official rules and review them with your students.

• Work with your students to study, read the helpful hints and strategies for success, and practice answering the sample questions on the NSB website. See also MN Student-recommended Science Bowl study resources.

• Check if your school has or could get lockout buzzer systems for you to practice with, like those used in the actual competition, or consider practicing with online buzzers (such as Cosmobuzz or BuzzIn Live).

• Encourage your students to get a good night's sleep and eat a hearty breakfast the day of the tournament.

• Have fun and enjoy the tournament. Make an effort to meet the scientists who volunteer.

• If your team wins, make sure all of the forms required for participation in National Science Bowl are complete.

The goal of the MN Academy of Science is to maximize the number of schools participating. To reach this goal, the first 40 high schools and 24 middle schools with completed registrations by the deadline (Dec. 15 for high school, Jan. 15 for middle school) will have one team from their school accepted into the tournament. If there is space available after one team from each school has been accepted, schools’ second teams will be accepted. If there is space available after a second team from each school has been accepted, schools’ third teams will be accepted. It is likely that there will be room for all teams, but if necessary, second and third teams will be selected via a lottery system. Coaches will be notified shortly after the deadline as to the number of teams accepted from their school.

The Science Bowl is a popular competition and schools are encouraged to start the registration process early. 

The winning team from the Minnesota Science Bowl for High School Students and the winning team from the Minnesota Science Bowl for Middle School students each receive an all-expense paid trip to compete in the National Science Bowl near Washington, DC (provided the event is held in person). This includes the five team members and one coach. The National Science Bowl is a program of the U.S. Department of Energy. The in-person event includes several days of science activities, sightseeing, and competitions. It's a mini-conference and valuable experience that includes cutting-edge science seminars and hands-on science activities. The teams who advance to the elimination rounds will earn a monetary prize for their school. Top teams also receive trophies and other awards, including science trips for the high school teams. Complete information will be sent to the winning team after the Minnesota Science Bowl.

The National Science Bowl for Middle School Students includes two types of competitions, an academic math and science competition and a Cyber Challenge. More information can be found on the National Science Bowl website.

Please contact Science Bowl Manager Kris Fowler.