Mid-Hudson Library System

Updated October 2021

TEAMS

  • Middle School team members must be entering grades 5 through 8 in the fall; High School team members must be entering grades 9 through 12 in the fall.
  • Libraries can have as many team members as they like, but only up to five (5) players will be on stage at a time.
  • Substitutes may not be used once the round begins.

GAME PLAY

  • The game will be played round-robin style.
  • Teams will be divided into regional pods in advance, and play against other libraries in that pod during the regional battle.
  • The winning team of each pod will advance to the finals to compete against one another.
  • For the Middle School competition, each round will have 20 questions. For High School, each will have 15 questions.
  • The first team member to buzz will be called on by the emcee to answer the question. No other team member may answer the question.
  • They must answer within 10 seconds after the Emcee acknowledges them.
  • The player who buzzes is allowed to confer with teammates in the time given.
    • While one team is conferring, the other team must be silent.
  • The answer must contain the full title and full author’s name, if it is a title/author question.
  • For the High School competition, answers to trivia questions must be answered according to the answer on the judge’s card.
  • If the first team gives a wrong answer or declines to answer the question, a member of the second team may buzz in and answer within 10 seconds after the Emcee acknowledges them.
  • A question will only be repeated for the second team if the first team buzzes before the Emcee completes the question the first time.

CHALLENGES

  • Judges will have the final say in all challenges.
  • Questions can only be challenged by a participant (no coaches or parents), and must be challenged at the time the question is asked.
    • To challenge a question/answer, the participant must raise their hand and be acknowledged by the emcee.
    • After the issue is raised, the emcee will discuss with the coaches of both teams to determine an appropriate course of action.
      • 1) If the challenge is baseless, then the gameplay will continue without change.
      • 2) If the challenge proves true, then the question will be tossed out, no points awarded, and one of the additional questions will be used at the end of the round.

SCORING

  • Each correct answer will receive 1 point. Incorrect answers count for 0. “Shout-outs” count for -1 point. A “shout-out” is when a player answers the question before they are acknowledged by the emcee or if a different player than the one who buzzed in answers.
  • Once each team has battled the others in their respective pool, the team with the most wins will go to the finals.
    • In the event of a tie, the team with the highest total point count will proceed.
      • In the event of another tie, both teams will compete in a “lightning round” of five additional questions. The first team to correctly answer a question will proceed to the finals.
  • Finals will proceed in the same fashion as the regional competition.