What is quiz bowl? 🔍
Quiz bowl is as a game/sport/academic competition/lifestyle in which teams test their knowledge in a variety of subjects, ranging from standard fields (e.g. history, science, literature) to the slightly less traditional (e.g. pop culture, sports, fine arts). While the topics are broad, the questions and information are rather specific, and questions tend to move from esoteric details to more general knowledge.
Gameplay involves a mix of individual as well as collaborative elements: tossup questions must be answered by an individual team member buzzing in without any discussion, whereas bonuses allow teams to confer and decide upon an answer.
If you’ve never played before and would like a basic explanation of how quiz bowl works, check out this video (it’s focused on high school quiz bowl, but the rules are the same):
What do you guys DO? 🏆
Our biggest events are tournaments, which we attend throughout the year all around the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic circuits, competing against other collegiate teams. We even qualified for multiple national championships this year! A few times a year, we also host tournaments on campus (for both high school and college players).
The best thing is that we DON’T have tryouts, NO experience is required, and there’s NO required level of commitment either. Whether you want to come to every practice or just help staff a tournament, we’d love to have you!!
Why should I join? 💭
If you’re looking to be a part of one of the most fun and closest-knit groups on campus, you might like quiz bowl. Partake in our great social events throughout the semester (Cookie baking! Movies! Games! Et cetera!)! Make a bunch of new friends (including from other schools)! Meet interesting Uber drivers on the way to tournaments! Learn some new things about everything!
“The quiz bowl team is a friendly and tight-knit group that encourages people to externalize their inner trivia buff, playing tournaments with the team has been one the most fulfilling experiences for me at Princeton” – Montagu James ’22
“In the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, 2 of the 3 winners were once active members of quiz bowl at Princeton. I’m no mathematician, but I like my odds going forward” – Jack Edmondson ’21
If you’re interested in checking out quiz bowl (regardless of whether you’re a prospective first year, a graduate student, or anywhere in between), get in touch with either President Jupiter Ding ’24 (jlding@princeton.edu) or Social Chair Lucas Shedlock ’26 (ls2597@princeton.edu)!
Also follow us on Instagram @princetonquizbowl and Twitter @PrincetonQB!