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The World Scholar’s Cup (often abbreviated as WSC) is an annual international academic program. More than 50,000 students from over 60 countries participate every year.[1]
The program was founded by DemiDec, in particular by Daniel Berdichevsky, in early 2006.[2] The first WSC took place in South Korea in 2007 at the Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies.[3] The World Scholar's Cup aims to teach students with interesting, not-taught-in-school lessons, and finding common ground between people of different backgrounds. Its mascot is the alpaca, commonly regarded as a superior animal.
Tournament format
Teams and points system
Founder Daniel Berdichevsky showing off the WSC's mascot, the alpaca, at the 2011 local Jakarta Round.
Each team participating in the World Scholar's Cup is generally composed of three students, from the same school or different schools. Teams of two are permitted but face a scoring disadvantage.[4] Teams within a country or region may participate in any regional round, which usually takes place in a participating school, hall, or both. If teams are unable to attend a regional round, but would still like to participate in the Global Round, they may try to qualify through Qualification [citation needed]
Qualifying for the various Global Rounds requires that a team to:
exceed an 18,000 point threshold at a Regional Round (formerly 20,000 until 2023)
have at least two members from the same team or school.
exceed a point threshold of about 20,000 points at a Global Round.
have all members qualify in a Global Round.
have at least two members from the same team.
A team can achieve a maximum score of 40,000 points. While specifics fluctuate, the Scholar's Challenge, Debate, and Collaborative Writing events typically provide 4000, 3500, and 2500 points respectively. The Bowl is generally worth 10,000 points. The World Scholar's Cup does not release scores publically. [citation needed].
Age Divisions
The tournament is divided into junior and senior divisions, and participation in a division depends on the ages of a team's members. Participants[a] who are 14 years of age or older on January 1 of the current year are classified as senior.[b] In the 2017 Hanoi Global Round, a new Skittles Division was formed for students aged 8–9. In most regional rounds, both divisions participate separately but simultaneously, while global rounds have the events of each division staggered, with the junior division typically competing in an event a day before the seniors' event. Closing ceremonies are typically held separately as well.
In larger Regional and Global events, scholars may be divided into further age groups, as seen in the 2022 Bangkok Global Round,[5] and the 2024 Stockholm Global Round. Additionally, scholars may be divided into different waves, as seen in the 2023 London Global Round[citation needed] and Kuala Lumpur Global Round in 2024.[6]
Events
Each Regional Round consists of four main events: the Scholar's Challenge, Collaborative Writing, Team Debate, and the Scholar's Bowl.[4] In addition to these four events, non-competitive activities take place in select tournaments. These activities are both social and academic. The academic activities each require knowledge of a curriculum made at the start of each season, which consists of questions about subjects like history, social studies, art and music, literature and media, science and technology, and a special area.
Team Events
Events which are scored for performance are referred to as Team Events. The following are the team events.[7]
The Scholar's Challenge
The Scholar's Challenge is a 120-question multiple choiceexam given to each individual competitor to complete within 60 minutes during the regional round, and 75 minutes during the global round and during the Tournament of Champions. Prizes are awarded to top participants in each subject and to both top-scoring overall teams and individuals. The award for the highest score in the Scholar's Challenge for an event was formerly known as the Asimov Award, but in 2022, it was renamed to the Jac Khor Award in honor of the World Scholar's Cup team member who used to write the questions for the event but died during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A feature of the Scholar's Challenge, implemented in 2015, allows participants to select multiple answers per question. Though each question has only one correct answer, choosing multiple answers allows the participant to earn points that are the reciprocal of the number of answers chosen. If time was running out, a participant could shade in all five answers and win 0.2 points.
The Scholar's Challenge solely tests on the syllabus given by the World Scholar's Cup team. The challenge is intentionally designed to be challenging, hence the name, with many of its questions requiring deductive reasoning and logical understanding as opposed to memorization. In order to receive results on this test, students will need to study the given curriculum by the World Scholar's Cup.
The Scholar's Challenge is the event worth the most out of any event (30% of the marks for a team and 40% of marks for an individual). Based on the scoring convention of 4000 points per individual per challenge, every question is speculated to be worth an equal 33.33, or 100/3 points. The Scholar's Challenge is the most valuable event because of its difficulty, with no student ever having achieved a perfect score.
In terms of medals collected at the closing ceremony, the World Scholar's Cup awards at most 6 medals representing achievements in the 6 categories. Students can be awarded multiple medals for the Scholar's Challenge.
Collaborative Writing
This event is based on arguments, with students picking one of six different prompts associated to each subsection of the given curriculum. Each participant on a team must pick a different prompt. Participants pick one side of a topic and write for, against, or about it critically. Any writing form is allowed. While previously, computers and phones were permitted, a change occurring in late 2022 banned all devices in this event, most likely set due to the rise of ChatGPT, hence making it harder for scholars to get their citations and information. There is a rubric that scholars are judged on for their essays that can be found on the official World Scholar's Cup website.
At the beginning of the event, students have 20 (previously 30) minutes to work with their teammates to discuss and research their arguments. Following the collaboration period, students have 40 (previously 45) minutes to write their essay. There are no maximum or minimum word limits. Following the writing period, students then have 15 minutes to collaborate again with their teammates to edit one another's work, but they may not finish a teammate's essay.
This event is worth the least of the four scoring events, contributing 18.75% of a team's total score and 20% of an individual's score. The rubric as shown on the Scholars Cup website categorizes scoring into four segments: Clarity, Content, Style, and Originality. Clarity refers to how clearly a student argued their ideas, Content refers to the style and proficiency of such ideas, Style refers to the use of language and format of a writing piece, and Originality is somewhat of an oddball factor, accounting for the memorability and impact the writing piece had on a person.[8]
Recently, the World Scholar's Cup started regarding this event as ″Collabowriting″.
Team Debate
All teams have assigned rooms and arguments. In the room, teams will have 15 minutes to confer within the room before the debate begins. Teams may use World Scholar's Cup materials[c] or any outside resources to prepare in the 15 minute preparation time. However, devices and external sources are not permitted afterwards.
Each debater will stand in front of the room for the length of their speech. Speakers may use notes, but should not read their speeches in their entirety. Students may speak for up to four minutes, however there is no penalty for speaking up to four minutes. The judge will signal time left using knocks, with two knocks meaning the speaker must stop speaking. Between speakers, teams will have 60 seconds to prepare before the next speaker is called.
Before the end of the debate, the competing teams are required to give positive and constructive feedback to the opposing team for roughly 90 seconds, before the judge(s) announce a winning team. The winning team will then proceed to a designated room and the non-winning team to a different designated room, where each will face another team with the same number of wins and non-wins. There is no point bonus for winning a debate.
One cultural aspect of the debate is the 'lollipop'. In order to promote positivity and self-improvement, the World Scholar's Cup had replaced the term 'losing' with 'lollipopping' since 2015. This change was also reflected in the debate schedules that each team receives. Later in 2023, during the Junior Division's Bowl of the Bangkok August Gloal Round, it was announced that the term would be changed to 'pop' due to "scholars misunderstanding that they would get a lollipop when they lost," according to World Scholar's Cup team members.
In terms of scoring, Team Debate is the event worth second most, with it being worth 26.25% of a team's total score and 35% of an individual's score. The rubric dictates that the scoring for debaters individually includes details on presentation, strategy, and content, and team scores factor in teamwork and feedback as well. Every score in the debate ranges from 2-7. Additionally, the best speaker of a debate can be nominated by the judge, with the possibility of such speaker making it onto the Debate Showcase. [9]
Presentation includes how clearly a person spoke as well as how their stage presence was. Strategy refers to how organized an argument was, as well as their use of language. Content includes evidence and justification for a point, as well as rebuttals/prebuttals against the opposing team. Teamwork includes details on how respectful a team is as well as how well their arguments fit together. Feedback is based on respectfulness of the feedback as well as how helpful it is. Teamwork and feedback are included in a team's score for debate, but not in an individual's score.
The Scholar's Bowl
The clicker used for the World Scholar's Cup's Scholar's Bowl.
The Scholar's Bowl is a quiz bowl usually held in a theater. Team members work together to answer multiple choice questions that are displayed on a large screen.
In order to answer the questions, each team of students is given a clicker that is connected to a scoring computer on stage. Students then choose their answer by pressing their choice letter on the clicker. Students are given 15 seconds to submit their answer. Each successive question is harder and is worth more points than the previous one. Sometimes, rapid fire questions are given which have to be answered in five seconds and are worth more points than the 15-second questions.
Special segments of this event also exist that vary from round to round, possibly including games such as Geoguessr, Among Us and others.
The Scholar's Bowl implements questions, many of which tend including references to pop culture, and often include WSC in-jokes.
The Scholar's Bowl is worth no marks for an individual and 25% of the marks for a team. The value of the points shown during the Scholar's Bowl is not accurate to the amount of points received for each question. However, the ratios of question value are maintained.
Additionally, scholar's may celebrate with a ″Chauncey Roll″ when getting a question correct, a reference to a celebration of former staff member Chauncey Lo during his period as a scholar in the event.
This is often the last educational event of the competition before the awards ceremony.
Community Events
Community events are events which don't provide scores, but are present for community-building and engagement. The following are the community events.[10]
The Scholar's Scavenge
The Scholar's Scavenge is a scavenger hunt exclusively at Global Rounds and the ToC, first taking place in 2009 in Singapore.
Students are teamed up randomly and given tasks. At least one person in the team takes photos and videos in order to show completion of the tasks. The tasks may relate to the curriculum, teamwork, organizer, location, or simply be jokes. Each task is worth a certain number of points depending upon the difficulty. At the end of the scavenge, the leader collects the photos and score them. These scores do not count toward the scores in the competition as a whole, but are only used for this event. Teams with the highest scores can be called for an award in an award ceremony.
Debate Showcase is an additional event, with the round's top eight junior and senior debaters taking part. At most Regional Rounds there is only one Debate Showcase with both juniors and seniors taking part. Regardless, eight students debate in each Showcase.
The format mirrors the format of the Team Debate event, but the students debate in teams of four, rather than three, on stage in front of the rest of the participants.[4] When all eight speakers have gone, the host of the Showcase invites volunteers from the audience and debaters from the showcase to step forward and share their general thoughts on the topic that was debated.
Top-scoring debate participants in each round are the judging panel for the Showcase. When it ends, the panel announces the winners.
Debate Showcase events appear at every Regional and Global round. They do not typically take place within the Tournament of Champions, save for one instance in 2022.
The Scholar's Ball
The Scholar's Ball, an event exclusive to Global rounds and the ToC, was first added in 2011 at the Global Round in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The idea spawned from a conversation about the competition where one party misheard "Scholar's Bowl" as "Scholar's Ball".
The Scholar's Ball encourages mingling, dancing, and the chance to "look sharp". Students are required to come in formal wear. Some students refer to it as a "pseudo-prom" or "nerd-prom". It was introduced to allow students mingle with students from different countries.
The Scholar's Show
The first Scholar's Show occurred in 2010 at the regional round held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It originated from several students playing "We Will Rock You" during an intermission. When the song was over, Berdichevsky invited any student wanting to showcase their talent to come forward.
Student performances have ranged from vocal and instrumental performances to beat boxing, dancing, spinning around in circles, drinking hot sauce and magic tricks. The Scholar's Show is held at all two-day rounds at each Global Round and the ToC.
Flag March
The Flag March happens at the end of every Global Round and ToC before the Awards Ceremony. In the Flag March, there is one representative (flag bearer) from every country participating. The flag bearers carry the flag of their country and march to the stage,[11] followed by a member of staff giving a farewell speech.
The World Scholar's Camp
In 2012, the World Scholar's Camp was created and took place in Singapore in December 2012. It included seminars and outings to various locations in Singapore.
Camps take place at various schools and cities through the year.[12]
Awards Ceremony
The Awards Ceremony, also known as the Closing Ceremony, takes place just before the end of a round. Traditionally, staff members stand on stage and announce the winners for the entire round. Various winners may receive gold medals, silver medals, trophies, or pineapples (given with trophies). The winner of the round receives the tallest trophy, and gets to interact with the props on the stage. These winners are given these awards for achievement in all events, both for team and individual recognition. Awards are also given to scholars who scored relatively well overall, but did not receive a gold medal or trophy for any particular event. These were initially called Da Vinci Awards, but their name was changed to the Asimov Award in 2023, as the award for the highest Challenge score, which was formerly named Asimov, had been renamed. Later, a certificate is shipped to all participants.[4]
Curriculum
A Collaborative Writing prompt sheet in the Manila Global Round in 2019; students can choose one from the six subjects, however, each teammate must choose a different subject.
The World Scholar's Cup curriculum has six subjects. The theme changes annually.[13] Students are often given questions that require critical thinking skills as well as their basic knowledge to come to a conclusion rather than focusing on memorization. For instance, instead of asking "On which date an experiment was performed?", the question would ask, "Which artist would be most likely to oppose this experiment?"
Until 2009, mathematics, economics,[13] and trigonometry were included in the curriculum. However, in 2010 it was eliminated in order to better address the goals of the competition since the subjects were considered as inflexible and difficult to debate. In 2008, the World Scholar's Cup added a 'film' category to its visual arts section, and in 2010 added a "music" category to its art section.[citation needed]
Until 2013, the World Scholar's Cup released curriculum guides each year—one for each subject. The guides were available free-of-charge on its official website. Starting in 2013, topic outlines and theme-relevant material was made freely available to students through their website. The World Scholar's Cup recommends connecting each section of the outline to the given theme and how they connect or impact society.[15]
Until 2014, there was a Current Affairs section, which was replaced by Social Studies. To address its absence, Current Affairs would from thereon out be integrated across all six subjects instead.[citation needed]
Until 2023, the World Scholar's Cup program organized their syllabus into their 6 main subjects, allowing students to study effectively. Students could previously choose specific subjects to master in easily. A common format was to study 2 subjects per teammate to optimize bowl performance.[16] Currently, the curriculum is listed in a largely-unorganized document.[17] The change made categorizing subjects more challenging, however it also allowed for any article to appear in multiple subjects. [18]
The Special Area Subject is an undetermined subject area used by the World Scholar's Cup team to categorize information in the curriculum which does not fit elsewhere in the 5 main portions.
Records
The all-time record for the highest individual score was achieved by Sol Swea at the 2019 Penang Regional Round, with a score of 9,116.[19]
The team score record was set by Aindra Tan, Lily Zhang, and Stephanie Liu at the 2024 Dalian Global Round, with a score of 35,140.2.[20]
World Scholar's Cup events in China are hosted by ASDAN China, a Chinese subsidiary of ASDAN. Participants are required to apply through a third party Mini Program in WeChat. Chinese event information as well as results are sometimes not provided on the World Scholar's Cup official website, but instead on ASDAN China's.[22]
