National Ocean Sciences Bowl


The National Ocean Sciences Bowl is a national, high-school science competition managed by the which started in the 1970s. It uses a quiz-bowl format, with lockout buzzers and extended team challenge questions to test students on their knowledge of oceanography. This includes the subjects of biology, chemistry, geology, geography, social science, technology, and physics. The annual competition was started in 1998, the International Year of the Ocean. The current director of NOSB is Kristen Yarincik, who is based out of Washington, DC. Currently there are in the U.S. that compete in the NOSB, each with their own regional competitions. The regional competitions are coordinated by the Regional Coordinators, who are typically affiliated with a university in their region. Each year approximately 2,000 students from 300 schools across the nation compete for prizes and a trip to the national competition. The goal of this organization is to increase knowledge of the ocean among high school students and, ultimately, magnify the public understanding of ocean research. Students who participate are eligible to apply for the National Ocean Scholar Program.

Results of the national competition

Schools with greatest number of wins
Top-placing teams at the 2017 National Ocean Sciences Bowl:
  1. Santa Monica High School
  2. Marshfield High School
  3. North Carolina School of Science and Math
  4. Centerville High School
  5. Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School
  6. Eastside High School
  7. Liberty Common High School
  8. Oxford High School
Kalani High School won the sportsmanship award.
Top-placing teams at the 2016 National Ocean Sciences Bowl:
  1. Albany High School
  2. Marshfield High School
  3. Santa Monica High School
  4. Liberty Common High School
  5. Boise High School
  6. Lexington High School
  7. E.O.Smith High School
  8. Montgomery Blair High School
York High School won the sportsmanship award.
Top-placing teams at the 2015 National Ocean Sciences Bowl:
  1. Boise High School
  2. Dexter High School
  3. Marshfield High School
  4. Mission San Jose High School
  5. Mount Sinai High School
  6. Lexington High School
  7. Chaparral Star Academy
  8. Arcadia High School
Sanger High School won the sportsmanship award.
Top-placing teams at the 2014 National Ocean Sciences Bowl:
  1. Boise High School
  2. Arcadia High School
  3. Juneau-Douglas High School
  4. Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School
  5. Eastside High School
  6. Chaparral Star Academy
  7. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
  8. Lexington High School
Langham Creek High School won the sportsmanship award.
Top-placing teams at the 2013 National Ocean Sciences Bowl:
  1. Arcadia High School
  2. Lexington High School
  3. Juneau-Douglas High School
  4. Neah-Kah-Nie High School
  5. Albany High School
  6. Greenhills High School
  7. Dana Hills High School
  8. Maui High School
Annapolis Christian Academy won the sportsmanship award.
Top-placing teams at the 2012 National Ocean Sciences Bowl:
  1. Marshfield High School
  2. Raleigh Charter High School
  3. Eastside High School
  4. Lexington High School
  5. Santa Monica High School
  6. Maui High School
  7. Albany High School
  8. Loveland High School
Top-placing teams at the 2011 National Ocean Sciences Bowl:
  1. Marshfield High School
  2. Lexington High School
  3. Santa Monica High School
  4. Mt. Sinai High School
  5. Contoocook Valley Regional High School
  6. Mission San Jose High School
  7. State College High School
  8. North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
Top-placing teams at the 2010 National Ocean Sciences Bowl:
  1. Marshfield High School
  2. Marine Academy of Science and Technology
  3. Mission San Jose High School
  4. La Jolla High School
  5. Punahou School
  6. Neah-Kah-Nie High School
  7. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
  8. Arcadia High School
  9. Mount Sinai High School
Langham Creek High School won the sportsmanship award.
Top-placing teams at the 2009 National Ocean Sciences Bowl:
  1. Marshfield High School
  2. Lexington High School
  3. Cranston High School West
  4. Mission San Jose High School
  5. Raleigh Charter High School
Top-placing teams at the 2008 National Ocean Sciences Bowl:
  1. Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School
  2. Mission San Jose High School
  3. Santa Monica High School
  4. Dexter High School
  5. La Jolla High School
Kealakehe High School won the sportsmanship award.
Top-placing teams at the 2007 National Ocean Sciences Bowl:
  1. Contoocook Valley Regional High School
  2. Cranston High School West
  3. Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School
  4. Santa Monica High School
  5. Smoky Hill High School
  6. Churchville-Chili High School
  7. Dexter High School
  8. Durant High School
Poplarville High School won the sportsmanship award.
Top-placing teams at the 2006 National Ocean Sciences Bowl:
  1. Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School
  2. Poudre High School
  3. Santa Monica High School
  4. Albany High School
  5. MAST Academy
  6. Oconee County High School
  7. Langham Creek High School
  8. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Top-placing teams at the 2005 National Ocean Sciences Bowl:
  1. Cranston High School West
  2. Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School
  3. Mission San Jose High School
  4. Oconee County High School
  5. La Jolla High School
  6. Maui High School
  7. Santa Monica High School
  8. Incarnate Word Academy
Past National Ocean Sciences Bowl Winners:
The prizes for placing at the national competition vary from year to year. In recent years, the top two teams have received week-long experiential trips while many of the other teams at the national competition have received smaller prizes. The prizes for the three most recent competition years are listed below.
2016
2015
2014
2013

Types of questions

A single NOSB match consists of two 6-minute buzzer rounds with two Team Challenge Questions in between. Each round is made up of 20 questions pairs. After the break, the second half begins with the first toss-up that was not read in the first half and continues until time expires or all questions have been read. The most points a team can earn each round is 240 points, but earning 100 or more points is considered very impressive. Teams may make substitutions only during the break.
With the exception of articles such as "a","an", and "the", answers to multiple-choice questions must be exactly as those on the written page. Prefacing answers with phrases such as "My answer is" is not acceptable.

Science Expert Briefing (SEB)

The SEB is a mock congressional hearing where students present science recommendations on a piece of legislation, enhancing the critical thinking elements of the competition and focusing on real-world skills. Regional bowl winners must participate in the SEB to be eligible for the national finals.

Roles of officials

The National competition is held in one of the participating colleges that hold the regional bowls. These colleges draw from high schools in their area and run the regional competitions, often naming the regional according to the characteristics of the region. For example, the region encompassing Colorado and the surrounding area is called the "Trout Bowl." The annual themes, since 2008, are also listed below.

Nationals

Between 2009 and 2016, NOSB held a video contest. Submissions were judged on multiple criteria, with a maximum length of two minutes. The theme of the contest changes each year along with the National competition themes. The winners were: