How to take part
1) Join the What on Earth! Schools Club
It is free, and it gives you access to all the back editions of the magazine and other resources. Join here.
2) Register for the Quiz
If you have not already done so, then sign up to the schools quiz challenge using this simple form that will only take a minute to fill out. Within 5 working days you will receive a welcome email confirming confirming the date and time slot for your on-line heat along with a unique entry reference number that you will need to participate.
3) Select your team
There are two categories - one for 8-11 years old and one for 11-14 year-olds. Chose FOUR contestants. Team choices are entirely up to each individual school but we encourage schools to include different year groups.
4) THE Online Heats
The live on-line heats will take place between Monday 1st and Wednesday 8th of November. The heat lasts about an hour and will be a Zoom call with many other schools taking part at the same time.
On the day, please make sure that your four contestants will be available at a shared computer screen at that time! The heat consists of a series of multiple choice questions written by experts at What On Earth! Magazine. There will also be plenty of laughter, lots of excitement and a countdown clock to add some extra spice!
All questions will be inspired by topics covered in six issues of the What On Earth! Magazine. As you join the Schools Club, you will have received the password to the digital editions page, where you can access all past issues. If you cannot find your password, contact us here.
5) The Grand Finals
Shortly after the online heats have taken place, the top FOUR schools in each category (Primary and Secondary) will be notified that they have reached the finals stage. You will then have 24 hours to confirm your participation.
It is a condition of entry is that your school must be willing and able to make the trip to London for the in-person finals. All schools that make it through to the Grand Finals day are offered a significant distance related travel bursary, so cost is not a barrier to entry. Bursary details are here.
Those schools that are unsuccessful will receive notification and a special consolation prize.
The Finals day will take place in-person at Stationers’ Hall, London EC4, on Monday 27th November. Contestants, teachers, families and friends are all invited to this event to see which school will be crowned the What On Earth! Schools Quiz Champions 2023! There will be one overall winner for Primary and one for Secondary. There will also be a championship playoff between Primary and Secondary, which last year was won in a nail biting final few moments by Cramlington Primary School from Northumberland.
We welcome entries from Independent or Prep schools, and these should be in the correct age bracket.
Finals day (starting around 10am and ending around 3.30 pm) will be a mixture of quiz types including the traditional ‘fastest finger’ Details will be announced nearer the day.
There are Trophies and medals for all the finalists and the winning Primary and Secondary schools will also receive a £300 voucher to spend on What On Earth books of their choice (www.whatonearthbooks.com).
What a fantastic experience! A fun way to test your brain Great fun, a chance to test out our knowledge and work together! Here at XX we have loved being involved in the Britannica Magazine School Quiz Competition! It's created a buzz and proven to be lots of fun for all involved. Being a remote school, we loved the opportunity to compete with schools around the country. The magazine quiz was absolutely awesome fun! It was great fun! The Britannica Magazine quiz was nerve wracking but very exciting!! Can't wait to take part again next year. The quiz was a great experience; the journey of questions broadened our minds and we had fun! Such a challenging exciting quiz! Don’t panic just do the Britannic Thank you for a fabulous experience and the opportunity to read such interesting and inspiring magazines. We had a wonderful morning and it was great to do something a little different as a team! Thank you! We enjoyed the quiz a lot! It was fun to work together as a team. The challenge was hard but fun! It was tricky but fun! A thoroughly entertaining morning testing our knowledge and learning about the world It was brilliant!!! My brain hurt Amazing fun! Thank you Check your answers Don't give up Great fun! We are so glad we took part! Wow what a great experience we all really enjoyed it and hope to compete again! Enjoyable and caused fun Stressful but exciting I incredibly enjoyed this trivia quiz, and would recommend it to everyone! Really enjoyable experience and an opportunity for three different year groups to work together. Can't wait until next year! We really enjoyed taking part in the quiz, although it was quite stressful! It showed us which issues of the magazine we need to read a bit more! We've had a great time testing our knowledge for Non-Fiction November! Such fun! Don't worry, have fun! Exhilarating and educational Magazines are great An exciting time and an educational experience with teamwork shining through, cant wait to do it again It was pitched perfectly. The boys devoured the magazines before the quiz and had a great time. Thank you. High energy, knowledge-filled quiz to excite all children with the fun of learning! An exhilarating experience from start to finish! A brilliant way to get children engaged in the world around them. Thank you for the opportunity. This was an absolutely fantastic experience - from getting the students interested in non-fiction reading, to encouraging friendly competition, the Britannica Magazine Schools Contest really went above and beyond in creating an unforgettable experience! Our team had great fun with the quiz, and we'd definitely love to take part in the next Britannica quiz!
AND FINALLY…
Participating is a huge amount of fun for the students and can give a real focus in the school for National Non-Fiction November. A magazine club can also be a wonderful winter activity.
If you have any questions you would like to ask before registering then please CLICK HERE TO EMAIL US