Competition
NAQT High School National Championship Tournament (HSNCT)
National Academic Quiz Tournaments, LLC (NAQT)
Recognition
Team trophies (historically top 48 teams, i.e. those tied for 33rd place or better) and player medals (up to six per team); individual All-Star awards (historically top 40 scorers) and Freshman/Sophomore Rising Star awards (historically top 10 each), based on points per tossup heard in preliminary rounds. Exact cutoffs are set per-cycle; figures above are from the 2026 HSNCT and should be reverified for the 2027 cycle.
Deadline
See sponsor site
Not yet published; confirm on sponsor site
The HSNCT is NAQT's premier high school quiz bowl event, held at the end of each school year and featuring the top quiz bowl teams from across the United States and, increasingly, the world. Teams qualify by their performance at regular-season tournaments using NAQT questions, or by winning a qualifying varsity state/regional championship.
Eligibility
- Grade levels
- High school
- Citizenship
- Any
- Fields of study
- Humanities, Literature, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Science, Social sciences, Arts, Music
Application requirements
- Qualify by finishing in the top 15% of a varsity high-school tournament using NAQT questions (min. 3 schools), or by winning a varsity state/regional...: Qualify by finishing in the top 15% of a varsity high-school tournament using NAQT questions (min. 3 schools), or by winning a varsity state/regional championship Qualification is earned through on-field performance, not a written application. Wildcard invitations are also considered for strong teams that narrowly missed automatic qualification, particularly those with geographic barriers to NAQT events.
- Register the qualified team online and pay the per-team base registration fee before the capped field fills: The field is capped (320 teams in the 2026 cycle) and has historically filled before the school year ends; registering (not merely qualifying) guarantees a spot. The 2026 fee was $920/team; the 2027 fee had not been published as of this search.
- Submit signed participation agreements for every player (plus parent/guardian signature), coach, and chaperone by the finalized-roster deadline: Agreements must be handwritten (not typed) and emailed as a scan/photo to participate@naqt.com. Missing the deadline can be treated as a cancellation.
- Arrange one official chaperone (age 21+) dedicated to the team, present for travel and able to reach the team within 10 minutes at all times: One chaperone cannot cover multiple teams, and the chaperone must complete their own participation agreement.
- Finalize the team roster by the announced deadline ahead of the tournament: Rosters generally must match/derive from the qualifying event's eligible players under the NAQT High School Eligibility Rules.
Verified Jul 8, 2026 · View official source