NAQT

@naqt

NAQT organizes the premier middle school, high school, community college, and college national quiz bowl championships in North America.

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NAQT@naqt· 8d

The Rising Freshmen List for 2026 is here! NAQT member Dwight Kidder collects information on quiz bowl players’ college plans to help college teams identify potential members. 📸: JM Sullivan #naqt #quizbowl #collegebowl #risingfreshman www.naqt.com/college/risi...

NAQT@naqt· 13d

Podcasts and videos for the 2026 HSNCT are now here for your listening and viewing pleasure! www.naqt.com/game-recordi... and www.youtube.com/@naqtqb/videos to listen or watch along! #naqt #quizbowl #hsnct 📸: @jm_sullivan

Podcasts and videos for the 2026 HSNCT are now here for your listening and viewing pleasure!

https://www.naqt.com/game-recordings/

and

https://www.youtube.com/@naqtqb/videos

to listen or watch along!

#naqt #quizbowl #hsnct

📸: @jm_sullivan

NAQT@naqt· 24d

Go up up down down left right your way to this month's You Gotta Know topic: Iconic Video Game Characters! naqt.com/go/ygk #naqt #quizbowl #YouGottaKnow

NAQT@naqt· Jul 23

Reminder: just a week left to become a question writer for NAQT for the 2026-2027 year! For more information, visit naqt.com/jobs #naqt #quizbowl #questionwriter #WritingJobs

NAQT@naqt· Jul 16

Goooooool!! Just in time for the championship final on Sunday, NAQT and Yu Oughta Know present World Cup Soccer, a Buzzword quiz game that will test your knowledge of World Cups past and present! The game is available to play now-July 21, and costs $4. naqt.com/buzzword #naqt #quizbowl #worldcup

NAQT@naqt· Jul 9

Podcasts and videos for the 2026 CCCT and IPNCT are now here for your viewing and listening pleasure! www.naqt.com/game-recordi... and www.youtube.com/@naqtqb/videos to listen or watch along! #naqt #quizbowl #ccct #ipnct 📸: Jon-Michael Sullivan Photography

Podcasts and videos for the 2026 CCCT and IPNCT are now here for your viewing and listening pleasure!

https://www.naqt.com/game-recordings/

and

https://www.youtube.com/@naqtqb/videos

to listen or watch along!

#naqt #quizbowl #ccct #ipnct

📸: Jon-Michael Sullivan Photography

Khang Le of Strake Jesuit Prep plays at a national championship.

NAQT@naqt· Jul 1

Hear ye, hear ye! July's You Gotta Know is about Pre-Lancastrian Kings of England! Find out more at naqt.com/go/ygk #naqt #quizbowl #YouGottaKnow

NAQT@naqt· Jun 3

Can't get enough quiz bowl in your life? Become a question writer for NAQT! To learn more, visit naqt.com/jobs #naqt #quizbowl #jobs

NAQT@naqt· Jun 1

In a way, Stevenson’s victory at HSNCT was not that much of a surprise. We went into all of the things that bring a team to the finals stage and put the 6'er in their hands. Visit our youtube page www.youtube.com/@naqtqb to watch the full video. #naqt #quizbowl #hsnct

The quiz bowl team from Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, IL holds the National Champions Placard.

NAQT@naqt· May 26

Photos from the 2026 NAQT HSNCT are here! We have more photos from the tournament than can be shared here. If we took a photo of you & you would like it, please contact social@naqt.com. 📸: Jon-Michael Sullivan, Sara Stawarz, Jon Vaysman www.facebook.com/share/p/1DK1... #naqt #quizbowl #hsnct

NAQT@naqt· May 25

Congratulations to the 2026 High School National Championship Tournament winner, Stevenson A! #naqt #hsnct #quizbowl Congratulations to the 2026 High School National Championship Tournament winner, Stevenson A! #naqt #hsnct #quizbowl

NAQT@naqt· May 25

Live stream up now! Watch at naqt.com/go/live #naqt #quizbowl #hsnct

NAQT@naqt· May 24

This event is unlike any quizbowl championship, anywhere. (more in alt text) ✏️: Chuck Pearson 📸: Sara Stawarz #naqt #hsnct #quizbowl

There are plenty of events that will send up very good teams to go into a preliminary group with elite teams, and allow them to get pummeled. The event exists to identify the best of the best, after all. The experience is about identifying a champion. Any teams that fail to make it to be the champion are just collateral damage along the way.

HSNCT is not about that. That doesn’t diminish the importance of the champion, and it doesn’t diminish the teams that have been identified as elite in this field.

But HSNCT is a 320-team tournament that aims to serve all 320. The experience of the team that goes 1-9 in preliminaries is every bit as important as the experience of the team that goes 9-1 – and we say that with delight, because the fact that no teams went winless in this field was cause for celebration in the media room as the final results went up.

The genius of the card system is it doesn’t just allow teams to find their level, it allows players to find their people. As the game day goes on, teams of the same level of quality find one another, and find ways to build bridges over their joy in the game. The top teams absolutely bond over their shared passion, their shared knowledge, and their shared chase for the fastest buzz possible. But the middle teams bond over their fight for the playoffs, their path to find just one more win to propel them forward. And on the other side of the field, there is another kind of wonder – the wonder of so much more of the game to master, so much more knowledge to gain.

Every station along that path is important. If this was your school’s first HSNCT or your 25th, your first tossup gained in this tournament as a player or your 250th, you are absolutely critical to who we are and what we seek to become going forward.

When we say we hope everybody had a great time at this event, we mean it. EVERYBODY in this organization, from the members to first-time mods, is interested in EVERYBODY who plays this game at this tournament.

NAQT@naqt· May 24

And then there were...the Super Seven! Lexington A Mission San Jose A Montgomery Blair A Park Tudor A Stevenson A Strake Jesuit A TJHSST A Who's your pick?? 📸: Sara Stawarz #naqt #hsnct #quizbowl

NAQT@naqt· May 24

My coverage this afternoon comes from Room 1103 at the Marriott - this is the lead room of Consolation Bracket A. (more in alt text) 📸 and ✏️: Chuck Pearson #naqt #quizbowl #hsnct

We've got 32 teams in this bracket who didn't make the playoffs of the big tournament who are going to have a little playoff of their own - five games in a single-elimination tournament to determine the most serious of The Rest Of The Field.

Those of us who staff consolations year to year are reminded, repeatedly, that CONSOLATIONS ARE FUN. The queen of consolations, Sarah Mauldin, tells us that there are teams who care about quiz bowl so much that they console themselves over not making playoffs in the only way they know how - by playing more quiz bowl. These teams are the teams who wanted to get as much quiz bowl in as they could, even for a silly little non-existent trophy, before they left Atlanta. We're going to do our best to do right by them.

Blake Andert and Iain Carpenter are the moderators in 1103, far and away the most professional game room in Atlanta this afternoon. I'll be your guide to each round as it plays out. We're doing to tell some stories. More to come.

NAQT@naqt· May 24

Who made it to playoffs?? Swipe to see!! #naqt #quizbowl #hsnct

NAQT@naqt· May 24

The Cedar Crest A-Team from PA’s biggest victory of the 2026 HSNCT came in round 15, when they beat Georgia’s Villa Rica 265-85. #naqt #hsnct #quizbowl

Coming out of that match, one player expressed how the team aims had shifted since the start of the weekend’s action. “We really wanted to make playoffs, our goal was always to make playoffs. Unfortunately, with some close games yesterday, that reality was closed off. Ending .500 is the goal now,” said Chris, a returner to nationals as are all but one teammate.

An even win-loss balance wasn’t ultimately in the cards for the group, which went on to end the rounds with a three and seven record to close the second morning session. Chris, a junior who hopes to come back stronger in 2027, said the performance was “not a disappointment, but there’s always work for next year.” Keeping that kind of perspective is a role Chris often fills for his program, as his teammate Devin commends Chris for being the one who keeps everyone from blurting bonus answers too early and reins in over-eager play.

The value of finding the optimal level of aggression was a key takeaway for the Falcons, with sophomore standout Matthew saying “yesterday [we had] a really low neg ratio, so we were like we should just be more aggressive; get those negs, because that also comes with more powers.” Sure enough, Cedar Crest picked up five negs (their most in any round) en route to beating Villa Rica, including on two of the last four tossups. How did Cedar Crest come into Sunday morning so hot? Matthew says, “we usually start off slow, but I think we made sure today to really start off strong – got some good sleep last night, made sure we were ready.”

Though they may not have made a run at the playoffs, Cedar Crest has achieved much here, with their captain Nathan saying, “I’m very proud of our team and how we’ve handled this immense pressure.” On the eve of competition, Nathan had noted after a scrimmage that his team has a perfect record in the most valuable test the game can give us; “we would never have met each other before quiz bowl…"

NAQT@naqt· May 24

We care about remote quizbowl circuits, but we are hard-pressed to find any more remote than the eight teams that play in Guam. (more in alt text) 📸 and ✏️: Chuck Pearson #naqt #hsnct #quizbowl

Among them are St. John’s School of Tamuning, John F. Kennedy HS across town, the Academy of Our Lady of Guam, Okkodo HS, and the team that won the Guam state tournament.

The Guam champions is the farthest afield team at HSNCT, Fr. Dueñas Memorial School of Chalan-Pago.

Brandon of Fr. Dueñas reports “St. John’s and JFK gave us a run for our money. We had to play a 2-OT match to beat St. John’s to win state.”

So that intense competition made Fr. Dueñas far more prepared to compete at HSNCT than you might expect, and even though they took a 615-25 loss to Bella Vista (CA) in their opening match, they were not fazed in the slightest.

Coach Jovie Manzanilla, said “the first round was quite a shock, but even scoring against a team so strong gave us confidence that we can do this.”

That “never-give-up” attitude defined the Fr. Dueñas experience at HSNCT, where the finished 4-6. Rylan is a vocal leader of the team; he insists “we’ve got a lot of heart. We’ve give you our best game every time, no matter how big you are.” Jovie praises the resilient captain of the team, Mikhel; he says that “NAQT competition brought the team’s brotherhood closer and stronger.”

There is a hope for more presence at HSNCT in the coming years. “Guam is coming,” the team says in unison. Even though the team is senior-dominated, Marc is an 11th grader and Brayden is a 10th; brother Taga, one of the co-captains of the team, expresses confidence that “my teammate here Brayden is going to give it all in two years.”

Rylan thinks more broadly. “This is motivation for all the teams in the state. We'll study harder and prepare more to make sure we’re all equipped. Iron sharpens iron, and we want the competition in Guam to be the best it can be.”

It’s completely appropriate that this team didn’t want to take a picture with a mascot or icon from their school, but with the Guam flag. They have aspirations bigger than their team, aspirations for their place, and aspirations to develop qb broadly.

NAQT@naqt· May 24

June Buchanan School is a very important school to me – it is the college prep K-12 school on the campus of one of the Appalachian College Association campuses, Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, Kentucky. (more in alt text) 📸 and ✏️: Chuck Pearson #naqt #quizbowl #hsnct

The NAQT small-school standard is less than 500 students in the top three grades, up to Grade 12. June Buchanan has 27.

This means that there’s a little bit more that goes into the assembly of a quizbowl team. The coach, Trey Moore, is the older brother of captain Austin, who is an 11th grader. Their father, Bradley, is a physician at the infirmary for the Alice Lloyd and June Buchanan campuses, and is deeply invested in the community of both.

“It is hard to get people,” fellow 11th grader Brody says, “but we get people in by showing how fun it is. In our state competition, we have a full team”, instead of the three who are representing June Buchanan this weekend.
The tight-knit community between the school and the college also means that both Austin and Brody are as much college students as high school students. Austin says “I took Russian History and American Revolutionary History at the college this year, and it’s really helped with my preparation.”

Preparation of that sort has helped June Buchanan hold their own against HSNCT-caliber competition in their first Atlanta event. “We might not have a ton of people”, Trey says, “but you won’t find more dedicated students than these.” Mason adds that, playing his first HSNCT as an 8th grader, “this is a big adjustment, but the rewards and the confidence I gain by scoring here are tremendous.”

Austin says “I want to work harder next year, and we are hoping to do better. We realize now how hard the competition is. We are gaining experience and hoping for the best in the years to come.”

The talent that the mountains June Buchanan come from is frequently underrated. It shouldn’t be. The connection and graft that define the place will drive this group of people to accomplish things that go far beyond the imagination.

NAQT@naqt· May 24

We're with bright and early this morning with a wardrobe update! Samuel (right) from Burnsville HS, MN has dutifully worn the same shirt to HSNCT since 2024–today, his teammates Emery, Charlie, and Xavier join him. #naqt #hsnct #quizbowl

NAQT@naqt· May 23

Park Tudor A's rapid rise toward the HSNCT playoffs saw them go against the one-player team from Eastchester (NY). Our photographer Sara Stawarz observed this game, which saw Maximilian Lin go 3/5/1, but ultimately concede Card 1 to Park Tudor A (IN) 425-230. #naqt #quizbowl #hsnct

NAQT@naqt· May 23

Lexington, Massachusetts, as junior Shishir Bharadwaj reminds us, is the "birthplace of the Revolution," but if you ask anyone at this tournament, chances are, that you will know them as one of the most terrifying Quizbowl teams in the circuit this year. #naqt #hsnct #quizbowl 📸 and ✏️: Bobby Wang

Coming off of a fifth place finish at the last HSNCT, Lexington “have a lot to show, and a lot to prove” this year, says junior and science player Aadi Pudasaini. They’re confident that they can get the six-foot trophy every prospective HSNCT champion dreams of, and they have the regular season record to show for it, boasting two tournament wins, the highest Groger Ranking in the country (though, as Shishir is quick to point out, “the stat that matters most is wins”) and one IPNCT finals spot.

Talking to Lexington, you quickly realize the sheer breadth of knowledge the team draws on in their games. Whether it’s “real” or “fake” knowledge (a distinction some Quizbowl players draw between knowledge one learns organically and knowledge gained from studying old questions), knowledge gained from QBreader or a YouTube video, from a really great APUSH teacher or from a good book (Shishir recommends The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, and junior and generalist Atticus recommends the entire Campbell Biology textbook), the Lexington boys bring it all onto the field with them.

At time of writing, Lexington are 2-0 in the prelims, having claimed victory over Park Tudor C and Greater Atlanta Christian.

NAQT@naqt· May 23

In a game as team-oriented as quiz bowl, the most significant attention is reserved for squads that perform well as a whole. 📸 and ✏️: Brandon Roe #naqt #hsnct #quizbowl

Specific players may be well-known for earning the team lots of points and snagging flashy powers on tricky tossups, but at the end of the day all teammates rise or fall together. However, it’s not only the one-person teams at HSNCT who carry individual goals into the championship; Emma Horwitz, a senior from Tennessee’s University School of Nashville, has her eye on prizes both collective and personal.

Referring to her most ambitious target, Emma says “my ‘A’-goal is definitely for me to get all-star and top 40 which last year was 60 ppg (points per game) which I think is very feasible this year.” She has good reason to set high standards for herself, as she recently led her team to a strong fifth-place showing at SSNCT. With respect to the competitive differential between the two championships, she says “I definitely think HSNCT is a lot harder…there is a larger sample size of teams and a lot of those teams are very strong.” She also acknowledges that “the questions at HSNCT are usually a lot harder than those at SSNCT. So I think HSNCT will be tough but I’m still very excited and looking forward to see how we can do.”

As for the hopes of her team, which will begin play in today’s afternoon session, Emma says “I also am aiming to just beat our position last year and hopefully win at least one or two playoff games.” According to her, last year at this event University School went 6-4 before losing in the opening round of playoffs. Any improvement on that record would be a fitting send-off for the majority of their players; this is a top-heavy team of mostly seniors, with one of their two sophomores departing for another school next year, so future national-caliber University School teams will look very different from this one.

NAQT@naqt· May 23

You always hope buzzer control is a peaceful place at the start of the day, because if it’s not it means there are buzzer problems or rooms not equipped properly for the competitions day. 📸 and ✏️: Chuck Pearson #naqt #hsnct #quizbowl

As the day starts, six of us in relief moderating roles are helping in buzzer control. Casey Bindas (who is supported by Gail Sutton and Kristan Watson), when there are issues with the equipment in a given game room. There’s a communication in the Slack channel of an issue at hand, and one of the present staffers runs an errand to ship a timer, a power strip, or even a Chromebook to replace a failing computer.
Casey joined the HSNCT staff in 2016, after an invitation when he was team-provided staff for the Intercollegiate Championship Tournament that year - “a team-provided staffer, and was assigned to the stats room where my job was to check the math on the paper scoresheets.” (This was my first role staffing NAQT tournaments as well!)
Casey says “while the game room is the visible part of a tournament, the competition simply couldn't happen without the behind the scenes logistics tasks that take place before and during a tournament. It is helpful to have the buzzers dispatched in an organized way. We keep track of which buzzer is sent to each room, so we know where it is at all times. It makes it easier to resolve unexpected issues when they come up.”
What happens here helps make the tournament run more smoothly, and that stewardship behind the scenes is a big deal to Casey. “I get to see more of the bigger picture of the tournament and have a role where I get to help solve problems. I get to help the tournament as a whole run more smoothly.”
Things you never see in the execution of the tournament make this tournament the remarkable experience that it is.

NAQT@naqt· May 23

The Springboro (O)H) team: Evan, Keenan, Austin, Matthew, Felix, Quinn, and coach Tommy Segi. 📸 and ✏️: Chuck Pearson #naqt #hsnct #quizbowl

Tommy Segi has been a key member of our staff for the past couple of years, keeping score and helping manage the results of some of the biggest matches.

This year, he has a different title: coach. He’s guiding the Springboro (OH) team into the afternoon session of preliminaries, and his team is taking the benefit of having a good guide to steer them through the competition.

Springboro player Quinn says “the players you’re playing against here are better, and are playing at a higher level.” His teammates talk about the wisdom they’ve received on the level of the question they’re facing, and the format of the game; “we have to be ready on the timer.”

Keeran adds “we’ve got to be ready for FAST READERS.”

Segi says “This team has put in hard work and is dedicated.” He makes comment of having nationals-caliber teams in his league in Northmont and Beavercreek; “they see what makes a good team, and they focus on becoming that. There are a lot of players who are balancing multiple commitments - athletics, band, jobs, etc - they still commit to the weekend tournaments and to the league during the week and they balance with their other commitments.”

Matthew believes in the repetition that his team has gotten during practice, and brings sage advice for the new quiz bowler. “The more questions we hear, the more answers we get.”

The goals for the day are being kept in check. Segi: “It’s hard for the first time to set a goal in numbers; we don’t control who we play at the beginning. But we just came off of scrimmages and we played well. It’s hard to quantify, but I know what I want the team to experience.”

Matthew adds: “We’re just here to do our best.” And then a couple of players give hints of more brash confidence, but Coach Segi is doing his best to tamp those expectations down. There’s such an easy rapport between the team and their coach, and that bodes well for a good day tomorrow.

NAQT@naqt· May 23

Meet our tournament staff photographers, Sara and Jon! #naqt #quizbowl #hsnct

My name is Sara Stawarz, and I'm a software engineer and an alum of the University of Michigan, acting as a photographer this weekend for NAQT! I love volunteering here whenever I can, whether that be scorekeeping, reading, or media, as it brings me back to all the good times I had competing at these tournaments as a kid. I'm so happy to be able to capture all the excitement (and emotions!) these games bring.

Hi, I'm Jon. I currently work as a software engineer. When I competed, I played for the University of Michigan, and played ICT in 2023. This is my second year staffing National-level NAQT tournaments and my first tournament working as a photographer.

NAQT@naqt· May 23

Hey everyone, we're Bobby and Michelle! (more in alt text) #naqt #quizbowl #hsnct

Bobby

We're merging our consciousnesses for the occasion (Pacific Rim Jaeger style) to bring you live coverage, interviews, and features of all of the individual players, parents, coaches, admins, and staffers that make HSNCT worth going to. Our shared self is majoring in History and Civil Engineering at Columbia, and in our previous lives as quizbowl players, we specialized in history, geography, fine arts, and mythology. Only one of us is still playing quizbowl in college, but it's never left our hearts and minds (our shared consciousness has gotten into wushu. the quizbowl to martial arts pipeline might be a thing.) We're hoping to put on a good show today, and put on display all the things that make quizbowl really great beyond powers and tossups and bonuses - the motivations, the love of the game, the friendships, and, of course, the trivia facts we learned and the wisdom we gained along the way. Stay tuned, and happy bowling!

NAQT@naqt· May 23

Meet Matt! (more in alt text) #hsnct #naqt #quizbowl

My name is Matt Albert, and I'm the head coach at The Meadows School in Las Vegas, Nevada. I've been coaching for 10 years, directing tournaments for 10 years, and teaching English to grades 6-12 for 16 years (3 in Illinois, 13 in Nevada). During my coaching career, I've taken 3 different Las Vegas schools to NCTs--Western HS (2016 HSNCT), Doral Red Rock (2017, 2019 SSNCT; 2018 HSNCT), and The Meadows (2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 MSNCT; 2024, 2025, 2026 SSNCT).

I'm thrilled that NAQT has asked me to join the live coverage team this year and provide the play-by-play here on Feed #3. On top of that, I'll also share some insights throughout the day about why coaches do what they do. Managing a team at a huge tournament like this one is a marathon and takes every last bit of mental energy you have when prepping teenagers to play at this level. If time permits, I'll also talk a little about what comes with organizing and running tournaments in case you've always wondered about giving that a go.

NAQT@naqt· May 23

Kyle Hill once again anchors our coverage on the 2026 HSNCT liveblog. Since 2016, Kyle had provided updates from game rooms and visits with participating teams and staffers. (More in alt text) #naqt #hsnct #quizbowl

Kyle brings to us years of experience from his role as a morning news anchor at a pair of radio stations in West Central Missouri. When he's not covering local governments, he's eagerly highlighting the accomplishments of area youth, especially those involved in quiz bowl. Since 2015 he's helped organize dozens of tournaments across Missouri, including several that qualified teams for this weekend's HSNCT.

We are once again thrilled to have Kyle's expertise and enthusiasm for what teams in his region have historically called the "Varsity Sport of the Mind".

NAQT@naqt· May 23

Meet the 2026 NAQT HSNCT Liveblog crew! Join Chuck, Jon, Brandon, Kyle, Jacob, Michelle, Sara, Matt, Sadie, and Bobby as they get play-by-play action, live interviews, and photos of the tournament, right on our socials and at naqt.com. #naqt #hsnct #quizbowl