# Washington State Knowledge Bowl Tournament

Washington State Knowledge Bowl is an academic competition for high school students in Washington State. Imported from Colorado, Olympic ESD 114 coordinated the state's first Knowledge Bowl competition during the 1980-1981 school year in which forty-two teams from the region's fifteen high schools competed.
Within a few years, all ESDs in the state were coordinating regional competitions and the first state tournament was held in 1983.

## Regional Competitions

Each of the nine ESDs (Educational Service Districts) in Washington State hold regional Knowledge Bowl competitions. Regional competitions are held between November and early March. Each ESD decides the format that will be used in their respective regions and how many regional competitions will be held.
The regional competitions that determine which teams will advance to the state-level tournament typically take place in February or early March. The number of teams each ESD region is allotted for the state tournament varies each year with the number of schools that compete at each division (based on Washington Interscholastic Activities Association classification) in each ESD region. The top 18 teams in Divisions 4A, 2A, 1A, and 2B, and the top 12 teams in Divisions 3A and 1B, advance to the state tournament.
The ESD regions are as follows:
* ESD 101 (Northeast Washington)
* ESD 105 (Yakima Valley)
* ESD 112 (Southwest Washington)
* ESD 113 (West Central, Coast)
* ESD 114 (Olympic Peninsula)
* ESD 121 (Puget Sound)
* ESD 123 (Southeast Washington)
* ESD 171 (North Central Washington)
* ESD 189 (Northwest Washington)

## State Tournament

The state tournament takes place annually in March.
The format for the state tournament begins with a written round of 50 multiple-choice questions with a 35-minute time limit. Up to six team members may participate in the written round. This is followed by four Preliminary oral rounds of 50 questions each, setting the stage for the Semi-Final and Championship rounds, also oral rounds of 50 questions each. Only four team members may compete in the oral rounds. Team member substitutions are allowed at the half-way point (after question 25) of each oral round.

## Washington State Knowledge Bowl Champions

| Year | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A | 2B (2007–Present)/B (1998-2006) | 1B(after 2007) |
| 1998 | Kamiakin High School | Lakes High School | Pullman High School | Charles Wright Academy | St. George's School |
| 1999 | Henry Foss High School | Lakes High School | Connell High School | Charles Wright Academy | St. George's School |
| 2000 | Enumclaw High School | Newport High School | Blaine High School | Charles Wright Academy | St. George's School |
| 2001 | Kamiakin High School | Skyview High School | Port Townsend High School | Charles Wright Academy | St. George's School | |
| 2002 | Capital High School | Bellingham High School | Eatonville High School | Freeman High School | St. George's School | |
| 2003 | Capital High School | Kelso High School | Port Townsend High School | Okanogan High School | St. George's School |
| 2004 | Capital High School | Lakeside School | Port Townsend High School | Riverside Christian School | St. George's School |
| 2005 | Kamiakin High School | Lakeside School | Medical Lake High School | Charles Wright Academy | St. George's School |
| 2006 | Lewis and Clark High School | Bellevue High School | Stevenson High School | Charles Wright Academy | Pe Ell High School | |
| 2007 | Mountain View High School | Hanford High School | Blaine High School | Chelan High School | Federal Way Public Academy | Pe Ell High School |
| 2008 | Kamiak High School | Kennewick High School | Sequim High School | Charles Wright Academy | St. George's School | Pe Ell High School |
| 2009 | Kamiak High School | Kennedy High School | Charles Wright Academy | Freeman High School | DeSales High School | Almira/Coulee-Hartline High School |
| 2010 | Skyview High School | Camas High School | Pullman High School | Port Townsend High School | St. George's School | Odessa High School |
| 2011 | Olympia High School | Camas High School | Anacortes High School | Colville High School | DeSales High School | Wilbur High School |
| 2012 | Central Valley High School | Camas High School | Pullman High School | Colville High School | Northwest Christian High School | Wilbur High School |
| 2013 | Camas High School | Charles Wright Academy | West Valley High School | Stevenson High School | Harrison Prep | Valley Christian School |
| 2014 | Olympia High School | Hanford High School | Lakewood High School | Stevenson High School | Northwest Christian School | Pope John Paul II High School (Lacey) |
| 2015 | Olympia High School | Charles Wright Academy | East Valley High School | Eatonville High School | St. George's School | Pope John Paul II High School (Lacey) |
| 2016 | Moses Lake High School | Glacier Peak High School | East Valley High School | Eatonville High School | La Conner High School | Wilbur High School |
| 2017 | Moses Lake High School | Lakeside School | Charles Wright Academy | Cashmere High School | Liberty Bell High School | Pope John Paul II High School (Lacey) |
| 2018 | Kamiak High School | Interlake High School | Sequim High School | Medical Lake High School | Federal Way Public Academy | West Sound Academy |
| 2019 | Hanford High School | Stanwood High School | Charles Wright Academy | Port Townsend High School | Liberty Bell High School | Riverside Christian School |
| 2022 | Olympia High School | Garfield High School | Ridgefield High School | Cascade High School (Leavenworth, Washington) | Life Christian Academy | Valley Christian School |
| 2023 | Gonzaga Preparatory School | Ridgeline High School | Ridgefield High School | Port Townsend High School | Liberty High School (Spangle) | West Sound Academy |
| 2024 | Olympia High School | Hazen High School | Charles Wright Academy | Port Townsend High School | Liberty High School (Spangle) | Wilbur High School |