Academic Challenge (Ohio)

"Academic Challenge" is a high school version of quizbowl that was aired on WEWS in Cleveland, Ohio from 1964 to 1999 and has been aired again from 2003 to the present, produced by Phyllis Sossi and Steve Kurrent. It was based on "It's Academic" (that title was used in Cleveland from 1964-72, and from 1996-99) in Washington, D.C.; the two shows are now produced by the same company and follow the same game format.The Cleveland version of "Academic Challenge" is hosted by WEWS meteorologist Jason Nicholas. He took over in 2007, following anchor Danita Harris and former anchor Adam Shapiro, who went to New York City's WNBC. Jason Nicholas is a native of Medina, Ohio, and graduated from Medina High School. The Cleveland version was hosted by Don Cameron from 1964-75, by former WEWS weatherman Don Webster from 1975-86, then again from 1994-99, by Steve Wolford from 1986-88, and by Lou Maglio from 1988-1994, before he went to WJW. The Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company or CEI FirstEnergy today sponsored the show in Cleveland, joined by Ohio Edison Company in 1972. Now Academic Challenge is sponsored by Medina County based Westfield Insurance.

The major difference in the championship format is that "It's Academic" uses a playoff method, while "Academic Challenge" simply invites the three highest-scoring schools for a championship game, though the Cleveland show experimented with playoffs during the late 1990s.

It has won several awards, including the Emmy for "best regularly scheduled children/youth program" by the Cleveland Regional Emmy chapter.

Game Format

The way the game is played differs from most academic game shows.

Lightning Round

The first round is the Lightning Round. Ten questions are asked that all are related to a certain subject or category. Each question is worth ten points. Incorrect answers or no answer cost a team ten points.

Mix It Up

This non-competitive round features six questions that are worth 20 points each. If a team answers all of their questions correctly, they are given a 25-point bonus.

Picture Perfect Round

The eight questions in this round come with pictures (photos, graphs, tables, etc.) on the monitors. The pictures are part of the question; normally the question will point something out in the picture. Each question is worth ten points. Incorrect answers or no answer cost a team ten points.

Hot Picks

Each team is asked to pick an envelope that has eight questions, worth 20 points each. The questions in the envelopes are all of the same difficulty level, and each envelope includes a visual math and a visual science question. If a team answers all of their questions correctly, they are given a 25-point bonus.

Grab Bag

The number of questions in this round differs each game. Verbal questions are worth 20 points each and visual questions are worth 30 points each. Incorrect answers or no answer cost a team the respective amount of points.

List of Champions

2004- Solon High School
2005- Solon High School
2006- Copley High School
2007- Gilmour Academy
2008- Hawken School

Northeast Ohio Academic Challenge

When not on the show, most Saturdays during school years, tournaments are held throughout Northeast Ohio at high schools. All tournaments are organized by the individual schools and prizes include a chance to go to the OAC National tournament and NAQT (another national tournament). Schools from Columbus up to Cleveland usually participate in these tournaments. Occasionally, some out of state schools come to compete.

Middle School Tournament

In the Mahoning Valley Region, there is a summer tournament for middle school students. This tournament is the played using three rounds rather than five. There are 16 schools invited to this tournament. The final four of each year are automatically invited back to the tournament the next year.

ee also

*High Q

External links

* [http://www.newsnet5.com/sponsor/2677409/detail.html Academic Challenge]