The Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence (PACE) is pleased to announce that the 2027 National Scholastic Championship will take place at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont, Illinois on June 12-13, 2027. The Hyatt Regency O’Hare has been the site of six previous NSCs, as well as numerous other quiz bowl national championships. PACE looks forward to continuing our partnership with the Hyatt Regency to bring teams a high-quality tournament in the NSC tradition.
The tournament director will be Anna Csiki-Fejer, and the set will be head edited by Ganon Evans. The field is currently limited to 72 teams.
Registration for qualified teams is now open. Qualified teams may complete this form to register.
Qualification Guidelines
Any all-subject high school tournaments are automatically used to qualify teams for the NSC so long as they meet two key requirements:
- All teams are guaranteed at least 8 games.
- The tournament is not restricted to novice players or teams.
Tournaments that meet the above requirements qualify the top 20% of the tournament field for the NSC.
Please also note that for tournaments with multiple divisions (e.g., a competitive, upper, or varsity bracket), the top 20% of teams is constrained such that those teams must come from the upper-most division and no more than 50% of the teams in the top division may qualify. If any lower divisions do not meet the below 8 game standard, then only the uppermost divisions that guarantee the 8 game minimum will count towards the number of teams in calculating the top 20%. No teams from divisions other than the top division may qualify. If you are unsure of how a specific tournament’s qualifiers are determined or are a tournament director seeking more information on this process, please email [email protected] for additional guidance.
For further guidance regarding qualification, please visit this page. A list of qualified teams and qualifying tournaments can be found here. The current field of registered teams can be found on this page.
Changes to NSC Eligibility Rules
PACE has made several changes to the NSC eligibility rules; teams are encouraged to review these in full here before registering. To summarize the most important changes in effect for the 2027 NSC:
- Teams may consist of up to eight players (the previous limit was six).
- Schools that are generally ineligible to compete under Rules 2.a and 2.c may apply for an exemption under Rule 2.i.
Registration for Qualified Teams
Qualified teams may register by completing the following 2 steps:
- Filling out the NSC Registration Form, which is open to qualified teams as of November 1, 2026. Please note that solely filling out this form does not guarantee a spot in the NSC field.
- Making a $100 deposit (or alternatively, full payment of registration costs). Teams are guaranteed a spot in the field once this payment is received.
This process must be completed for every team that seeks to register, even teams from the same school. For example, if a school seeks to register two teams, the school should fill out the registration form twice (once for each team) and make two $100 deposits or full payments. Deposits for multiple teams can be combined into a single payment (such as one payment of $200 for two teams); please make a note in the payment if this is the case.
Waitlist
If the field is full, qualified teams may reserve a spot on the waitlist by completing registration and submitting a deposit. The order of the waitlist will be determined by the order in which registration is completed. If a team on the waitlist is unable to enter the field, their deposit will be refunded within one week of the NSC.
Standby Teams
Teams with standby status must commit to showing up for the tournament and being ready to play if a registered team fails to appear on Saturday morning for whatever reason. Standby teams play on an as-needed basis for no charge. Standby teams are responsible for arranging and paying for all associated costs of attending the tournament, just as if they were regular teams in the field. The recompense is the possibility of playing the tournament without paying registration fees and does not entitle any team to reimbursement from PACE for other attendance expenses. There is no guarantee any spots will open for standby teams to play.
Teams applying for standby status do not need to have qualified for the NSC, and may be B teams, C teams, etc. of schools already in the field. However, all members of any such standby teams must plan to be on-site Saturday morning regardless of whether they get to play.
In the event that spots do open up, PACE reserves discretion in selecting which standby teams fill the vacancies. Barring extreme circumstances, PACE will continue to do this on a first-come, first-served order, based on the time at which teams filled out the form.
The list of teams with standby status is not the same as the official waitlist for entry to the tournament. Teams on the official waitlist may also apply to be standby teams.
Fees and Payment
The base fee per team is $895. Discounts are available for teams that bring a buzzer system (-$15 per system), as well as teams that host tournaments that qualify teams for the NSC (-$20 per tournament hosted). Teams may claim multiple discounts of each type.
In order to claim a buzzer discount, teams must provide a system with at least eight fully working buzzers, defined as having lockout capabilities and functional identifying lights. Buzzer systems will be tested at buzzer check-in and teams who provide non-working systems will be forced to refund the discount. Buzzers will be available for pickup no earlier than 1 PM on Sunday.
Teams may choose to pay the full fee as soon as they register, or pay a $100 deposit at registration. PACE will count the $100 deposit toward the registration fee. If your team’s registration fee will be paid in full by the team’s school or school district, but another group (such as players and/or coaches) fronted the deposit, PACE can reimburse your team $100 in the event of an overpayment.
Contact
Any questions about the NSC should be directed to [email protected].