Rules

1. General Rules

1.1 The BM Quizzing Championships (BMQC) is organised and sponsored by the Brain Master Quizzing Organisation whose decision on all matters relating to the Competition will be final.

1.2 Entries and all associated paperwork must be submitted on-line in accordance with the instructions set out on the entry form. Postal entries will not be considered.

1.3 The closing date for receipt of on–line entries is by 11:59 on Sunday 30th September 2021 for students and teachers. Under no circumstances will late entries be accepted.

1.4 Second Level students enrolled with an NI second-level college whose final possible award in respect of that college has not yet been achieved by the 5th December 2022 are eligible to enter.

1.5 Students can only win the title BM Quizzing Champions of the Year once. Previous winners of the title are not eligible to re–enter the competition in subsequent years.

1.6 Submission of an entry will not ensure the acceptance of a project for the competition. A panel of screening judges will select the teams to go forward for the competition and their decisions are final.

1.7 Students educated at home in the North of Ireland, i.e. not attending a registered school or college, are eligible to enter, provided that they are registered with the Education Authority Board and supply a copy of the registration certificate with their entry form. If you require further guidance on this matter please email info@bmquizzing.com.

1.8 There is no upper or lower age limit on students participating in the Programme; however, if a team member or reserve member is under the age of 16, their participation may be subject to: (i) the consent of their parent or legal guardian and (ii) their parent or legal guardian may be required to accompany such students to the competition(s) or agree to the supervision of such student by a member of their schools staff.

1.9 Students attending Primary Schools or Third Level Colleges are NOT eligible to enter.

1.10 Contestants are expected to align with the BM Quizzing expectations for appropriate behavioural traits, before registering and throughout the Competition’s experience. Since behavioural management is of the utmost importance for BM Quizzing, all members must be able to perform appropriately as a participant, and be considered a worthy contender to achieve the prestigious title of “The BM Quizzing Champions of the Year” before being allowed access the the Competition.

Examples of behaviour that contributes to creating an appropriate environment include:

Adhering to Quiz Clubs behaviour management strategies which to promote the welfare and enjoyment of contestants, attending the Quiz Club.

Using welcoming and inclusive language

Being respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences

Gracefully accepting constructive criticism

Referring to people by their preferred pronouns and using gender-neutral pronouns when uncertain

Examples of unacceptable behaviour by participants include:

Trolling, insulting/derogatory comments, public or private harassment

Hinderance to other members' performance in the club, by, but not limited to, absorbing or distracting the supervising colleagues or using forceful behaviour.

Publishing others' private information, such as a physical or electronic address, without explicit permission

Not being respectful to reasonable communication boundaries, such as 'leave me alone,' 'go away,' or 'I’m not discussing this with you.'

Swearing, usage of strong or disturbing language

Assuming or promoting any kind of inequality including but not limited to: age, body size, disability, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, nationality and race, personal appearance, religion, or sexual identity and orientation

Other conduct which you know could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a professional setting.

2. Team Entries

Entries must be submitted as a team consisting of an individual team captain and three other team members. Teams must also choose one reserve team member.

2.1 A school may only enter one team into the competition. Unless they exceed 1000 pupils, in which case a maximum of two teams will be permitted.

2.2 Each team must appoint a team captain who will direct the application and work with the BM Quizzing Team and later act as a spokesperson durning certain quiz rounds. All group members must fully participate at the competition and in rounds, in accordance with the processes set out in the Competition Rules.

2.3 All members of a group should be fully involved, share the work and be familiar with everything that is presented to Brain Master. The final efforts of the team, durning any quiz rounds, should reflect the co–ordinated efforts of all group members.

2.4 At the time of completing the Application Forms, and throughout all recording all team members and the reserve member must be students at the NI second-level college which is named on their Application Form and which will be named on the desk at which they sit to compete in the heats of the Competition.

If a team member ceases to be a student prior to or during the commencement of the Competition, they must inform the Programme producer immediately when they cease to be eligible to take part.

(a) If a team member becomes ineligible to participate prior to the commencement of Competition, they may be replaced by an eligible reserve member who must be part of the initial team selection process.

(b) If a team member becomes ineligible after the Competition has commenced then the team may have to withdraw from the competition. Only in exceptional circumstances will the Competition Adjudication Team consider a reserve member replacing a team member who is no longer eligible. Please note the Competition’s Adjudication Team’s is final in this regard.

3. Forming a Team

3.1 It is up to colleges how they choose to recruit and assess team members from their student bodies and colleges must select their final four team members and one reserve team member themselves.

However, the BM Quizzing team is happy to provide broad advice on organising the selection of a team and would also encourage all team organisers to bear in mind the following:

(i) You are encouraged to reach out to as wide a pool of students as possible.

(ii) The Competition involves a mixture of individual buzzer quizzing and team conferring. You may therefore wish to consider including these elements in your tryouts in addition to written tests, for example.

(iii) The BM Quizzing Team will provide sample questions (at your request) which can guide students and organisers on the level of difficulty to questions asked within the competition. These may be used in tryouts but are by no means essential.

4. What is the Programme Looking For?

4.1 We expect to receive applications from over the allowed amount of teams for the competition, of which, 8 will be selected to appear on the Competition.

We will be looking for teams that, among other things:

(i) Demonstrate a wide range of knowledge and interests, both in terms of the subjects they study and extracurricular enthusiasms.

(ii) Work well together, led by their Team Captain.

(iii) Will engage our audience while they play.

In addition, our aim is for each year’s final cohort of teams to represent a broad cross-section of higher education in NI. We look to feature a range of higher education institutions, from ancient to modern, large to small, and representing different areas of the country. We enjoy showcasing the wide variety of subjects that can be studied and the different learning paths students can take.

Most importantly, we believe it should reflect the diversity of this population in terms of race, gender identity, sexuality, disability, faith, socioeconomic background, and more.

Across the 8 teams selected for each years competition, the BM Quizzing organisation aim to improve representation, year on year, of groups that are typically underrepresented among our contestants.

5. Interviews

5.1 After submitting a complete set of Application Forms for the team, your team may be invited for an interview with members of the Competitions production team. Interview slots will be available throughout the period 1st October 2022 to 8th October 2022 via an online meeting. The competition’s production team will liaise with Team Captains to arrange these interviews. It is very important to us that, wherever possible, all team members, including the reserve team member, attend the same interview slot. We ask all applicants to make best efforts to enable this. If exceptional circumstances mean this may not be possible, please let the Competition’s production team know as soon as possible and we can discuss alternative arrangements.

The interview itself will last around an 30 minutes, and has two parts: (i) a general knowledge test; and (ii) an informal chat in which applicants will be able to tell us more about themselves and their team.

Final selections will be made on the basis of teams’ performance in both parts of the interview.

6. Selection

6.1 Once teams have been selected, we will inform the facilitating Registrar (or equivalent) of the college by telephone if your team has been successful and this will be confirmed in writing. Unsuccessful teams will be informed by email.

Prior to commencement the competition, a Contestant Agreement incorporating the Competition’s Eligibility Requirements and Rules must be read and signed by each team member plus the reserve team member.

7. Qualified Teams

7.1 We require the Registrar (or equivalent) of the college of all selected team members and the reserve team member to confirm the eligibility of the team members and the reserve team member to take part in the Programme. A Student Consent Form will be emailed to the specified facilitating Registrar (or equivalent) of the college, illustrating all selected team members and the reserve team member who must obtain the consent needed to enable the team to pass our Eligibility Requirements.

7.2 Some students who have had their project accepted for exhibition may find themselves unable to complete it.

It is very important that the organisers are immediately notified of this. If a project has to be withdrawn the organisers must be notified immediately by e–mail at info@bmquizzing.com.

7.3 The judges reserve the right to withhold awards in the event of teams not reaching a satisfactory standard.

6.4 If a project has not adhered to all the rules and regulations of this competition, the judges have the right to withhold awards or exclude the project at any stage during the judging process.

7.5 The judges’ decision in all matters relating to the award of prizes will be final.

8. Prize money

8.1 Prize money will be paid by bank transfer to the successful individual or to the team leader. BM will request bank account details within 7 days of the event finishing. BM shall endeavour to pay prize money in accordance with and subject to these rules on or before 31th January 2023 but BM Quizzing shall have no liability for failure to pay prize money on or before such date. All bank details will be deleted once payments have been made.

9. Privacy (Content, Photography and Film)

9.1 BM Quizzing will comply with its obligations as a data processor in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. BM Quizzing will use your personal information only as set out in our privacy notice which you can find here https://www.bmquizzing.com/more/privacy-notice

If you have any further questions or comments concerning your privacy, wish to access your personal data held about you, delete, or update information we hold about you, contact info@bmquizzing.com.

9.2 BM Quizzing may record quizzing and film footage for use on its broadcast channels, online, in social media and for marketing purposes. Candidates may be required to complete a BM Quizzing release form prior to the Exhibition, with parental consent required in respect of minors under the age of 18.

10. Intellectual property rights

10.1 All intellectual property rights either pre-existing or created in relation to or as part of the Competition shall remain the absolute property of that party or its licensors.

11. Contacting Us

11.1 If you would like any more information about taking part, please contact the Competition’s production office by email and we will be happy to advise you.

Good Luck!

Office email: info@bmquizzing.com