Eligibility Requirements

  1. Each competing team consists of four or five student members (only four will be playing at anytime). To be eligible to compete, a middle school student must be enrolled for the current school year in grades six, seven, or eight at the team’s school, and be born on or after May 1, 1997 and on or before April 26, 2002. A student may not compete in both the middle school and high school events in the same year. Age waivers for middle school students enrolled in private or public schools may be granted in extreme circumstances. Teams of home school students, girl scouts, boy scouts and science clubs are welcome to participate; however, if the school a student attends is competing in a Regional Science Bowl, then that student may compete only on a team from that school.
  2. No school or student group may compete in more than one regional competition. No student may compete on more than one team. Each regional coordinator will determine if more than one team from a middle or high school will be allowed to participate in that regional as well as the geographic area their regional will encompass. No more than 3 teams from one middle or high school or student group may compete in a regional event.
    1. East TN Middle School Team Registration and Approval Guidelines:  The East Tennessee Middle School Science Bowl will accept 16 teams in the 2012 Regional Science Bowl Competition.  Schools may register two teams per school.  In an effort to maximize the number the schools participating, the first team registered per school will be approved on a first-come, first-served basis.  The day following the registration deadline, and if space remains, the second registered team per school will be approved on a first-come, first-served basis.
  3. To be eligible for the National Science Bowl® finals, a student must have competed on the team that won the Regional Science Bowl or on the next highest place team that accepts the invitation if the first place team declines to attend. The winning team from each regional tournament is eligible to be invited to participate at the National finals April 26 – April 30, 2012. Middle School Winning Team to Attend Nationals: If your regional event includes both a car competition and an academic event, the team that will go to the National Science Bowl® in Washington, DC will be the winning academic team. The winning regional car team will not attend the National Science Bowl® unless they are also the regional academic winning team.
  4. By March 9, 2012, the winning team’s coach is required to inform the National event coordinator of its availability to participate at the Nationals. During this time of the school year, students are participating in a variety of activities and academic events that may conflict with their participation in the National Science Bowl® (including, but not limited to, state athletic tournaments, proms, International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement and SAT exams). In the interest of safety, continuity, and educational value, the National Science Bowl® requires students to take part in ALL of its events and activities. Therefore, no waivers will be granted or special arrangements made for students to participate in any conflicting activities or exams. If team members are involved in these pursuits, the students will need to determine which activity or event is in their best interest and make their selection by March 9, 2012. All teams must arrive and depart on the designated dates and participate in all events, as scheduled throughout the duration of the National event, including those on Saturday and Sunday. If the winning regional team (at least 4 students) is unable to participate in all activities, at all scheduled times, the next highest place team will be invited to replace them.