Mississippi Regional Science Bowl

a competition like no other...

The Annual Mississippi Regional Science Bowl will be held on the campus of Mississippi University for Women (The W) on Friday, February 21, 2025. The Science Bowl is a tournament-style academic competition that challenges and recognizes 9th-12th grade students' knowledge of science and mathematics. The questions are drawn from the following subject areas: astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer science, earth science, mathematics, and physics. The competition is an opportunity for students to be intellectually challenged and socialize with their peers within the region.

We encourage you to assemble a team of interested students and join the competition. This regional competition is sponsored by MUW, the Department of Energy and the National Science Bowl, and we hope to have your school's participation. The winner of the Regional competition will travel, expenses paid, to compete in the National Science Bowl which will be held April 24 – April 28, 2025 in Washington D.C.

Information about the National Science Bowl competition is located at https://science.osti.gov/wdts/nsb.

On February 21, the competition will begin at 8:30 am with qualifying rounds. Teams will be randomly assigned to compete in a total of two matches. Top teams from these qualifying rounds will advance to the single elimination rounds to determine the winner of the Mississippi Regional Science Bowl. Criteria for advancing to the single elimination round will be based on the teams’ total score from the qualifying rounds.

For further information or answers to specific questions, please contact Dr. Brian Burnes at bsburnes@muw.edu.

We hope that you will make plans to attend this exciting event! Please complete the online registration form by January 31, 2025. We hope to see you in February.

Registration Form

Information about the Competition

Teams and Awards

The Mississippi Regional Science Bowl competition will have two components: (1) qualifying rounds; and (2) single elimination. Additionally, there will be a secondary competition for students not involved in the single elimination rounds.

The first part of the competition will be organized as qualifying rounds. Teams will be randomly assigned to compete in a total of three matches. Top teams from these qualifying rounds will advance to the single elimination rounds to determine the winner of the Mississippi Regional Science Bowl. Criteria for advancing to the single elimination round will be based first on the number of wins, and then on the average points per game, if needed.

After the qualifying rounds and during the single elimination rounds, individual members of the eliminated teams will be allowed to compete in a secondary competition in which they will take a Science Olympiad-type exam which may include biology, chemistry, physics, or earth science.

Awards will be given to the top teams, and MUW scholarships will be given to the individual students with the highest scores during the qualifying competition and during the secondary competition. The team winning the Mississippi Regional Science Bowl competition will earn a free trip to the National Science Bowl competition held in Washington, DC, on April 24 – April 28, 2025. At the national competition, a team has an opportunity to win prizes, such as money for their school, calculators, IBM Workpads, and award trips to different states (TX, WA, WY, etc.), England, and Australia.

Number of Teams for Competitions

The Mississippi Regional Science Bowl competition will be limited to 24 teams. The teams must send in both their registration forms and their $50 entrance fee. Each team will consist of four competitors, an alternate (optional), and a coach (who can serve as coach for multiple teams from one school). A school may register two teams; however, the second team will only compete in the Science Bowl after all other schools have had a chance to register a team. The deadline for registration is January 31, 2025. The $50 entrance fee must be received by January 31, 2025. Official notification of registration will be sent to the Team Coach at that time. Team entrance fees will be refunded if a team is not chosen to compete. However, teams that withdraw from the competition after January 31, 2025, will not receive a refund.

Regional and National Science Bowl: Rules, Sample Questions, and Strategies

The rules of the 2025 Science Bowl Competition, a list of sample questions and strategies, as well as required forms can be found on the National Science Bowl website.

Rules, Forms, & Resources