World Scholar's Cup
Encyclopedia
The World Scholar's Cup is an international team academic tournament with students participating from over 30 countries. The competition was founded by DemiDec
, in particular by Daniel Berdichevsky
, DemiDec
's president, in 2006. Other directors of the program include Zac Ellington and Bunnie Hadsall. It is growing widely in popularity and recognition and is said to to be poised to become the World's First and Premier Academic Competition. The World Scholar's Cup has attracted what it calls "a global community of future scholars and leaders", and promotes that it allows participants to "discover strengths and skills you never knew you had." However, despite technically being a competition, The World Scholar's Cup focuses far more on bringing students from different cultures together to discuss issues and ideas relevant to today and the future.
Tournament Format=
A team for the World Scholar's Cup is composed three students, though students are permitted to work individually or in pairs. The teams are usually made up of students from the same school, but that's not always the case. Students have the option of forming "independent" teams that may include students from other schools or even other countries. Teams may participate in any regional round, but may only participate in one per year. If teams are unable to attend a regional round but would still like to participate in the global round, they may apply for an exceptionable berth.
In order to qualify for the global round, a team competing in the regional round must meet one of the following three conditions:
There are both senior and junior divisions in the competition. A student's age designates which division they may participate in. Students that are ages 11-14 participate in the junior division, while students 15 and older participate in the senior division. Both divisions participate simultaneously, though juniors only compete against juniors and seniors against seniors.
Events =
The World Scholar's Cup consists of four main events: The Scholar's Challenge, The Essay, The Team Debate, and The Scholar's Bowl. In addition to these four events, many more events have come to join the tournament. These events are both social and academic, and strive to solidify the community aspect of the World Scholar's Cup.
All teams are assigned to their first round of debate rooms. Debate room assignments are distributed at a central gathering place just prior to the beginning of the debate event. At two-day tournaments, teams will debate three times. At one-day tournaments, they will usually debate twice, though sometimes the schedule does permit three debates. In the debate room, teams will meet their opponents and learn the motion. Teams are pre-assigned whether they are to support or oppose the motion. Teams will have 15 minutes to confer within the room before the debate begins. Teams may use World Scholar’s Cup materials or any outside resources to prepare, including computers and Internet access where available. It is up to the members of individual teams to assign themselves speaking orders. One student from each team should come forward to write the names of all team members on the judge’s scoring sheet. Each student will stand in front of the room for the length of his or her speech. Students may speak for up to five minutes. There is no penalty for speaking less than five minutes. At five minutes, the judge will signal (usually with two knocks) and shortly thereafter stop the speaker. A signal (usually one knock) will be provided when the student has just one minute left to speak. A two member team may still debate, with one member speaking twice. A student who speaks twice will be scored only for his or her first speech. Between speakers, teams may confer for 90 seconds. Teams may not make noise or interrupt while someone is speaking. Speakers may use notes. They should not read their speeches in their entirety. At the end of the debate, the judge (or panel of judges) will announce a winning team. The winning team will then proceed to a designated room and the non-winning team to a different room, where each will face another team with the same number of wins and non-wins.
). Questions from each area of the curriculum are featured in the Scholar's Bowl, with 11 questions for each section. At the World Finals in 2010, a new scoring system for the Scholar's Bowl was introduced, making each question worth more points than the last as the questions get more difficult. The point values start with question one in each section for 100 points. After each subject's round has finished, there is a bonus round that includes one question from each section for 350 points each. These questions are even harder than the last ones. The Scholar's Bowl implements many types of questions, including those based on multimedia examples. The questions tend to include references to pop culture, and often include the names of participants, coaches, and staff members. The tournament mascot, the alpaca
, often also makes an appearance.
One of the main aims of The Scholar's Bowl is to allow the team of students to work together, using both logic skills and knowledge, to answer each question. Participants discuss the questions among their team, pulling together the different aspects of their knowledge in the pursuit of success. The Scholar's Bowl is usually the last event of the competition before the awards ceremony.
The 2009 Scholar's Scavenge was held in the Clarke Quay
area of Singapore
. Tasks included finding lion statues, riding a bus, and incorporating strangers in scenes from the film of the year, Serenity
.
At the 2010 World Finals in Shanghai
, China
, students were taken to the World Expo 2010 to perform tasks that included gaining information on countries by speaking to staff members, interacting with the unique exhibits in countries' pavilions, and miming scientific experiments from the curriculum.
In 2011, the Scholar's Scavenge took place at a park in Shah Alam
, Malaysia. Students were challenged to persuade staff members to do push-ups, dance like Elvis, and act like pirates.
, Malaysia. The idea spawned from a conversation about the competition where one party misheard "Scholar's Bowl" as "Scholar's Ball".
Sometimes occurring simultaneously with The Scholar's Show, the event encourages mingling, dancing, and the chance to "look sharp". Students are required to come in formal wear. Some students refer to it as a "pseudo-prom
".
The first Scholar's Show occurred in 2010 at the regional round held in Dubai
, United Arab Emirates
. Its origins are spontaneous--it is the result of students' response to Queen
's "We Will Rock You
" playing during an intermission. Students began stomping their feet and clapping along, and one of the organizers encouraged them to sing along. When the song was over, Daniel Berdichevsky
invited any student wanting to showcase their talent to come forward, and The Scholar's Show was born.
Since its inception, The Scholar's Show has grown from a spontaneous talent show to a showcase of students' ambition, skill, and bravery. Student performances range from vocal and instrumental performances to beat boxing, dancing, and magic tricks. The Scholar's Show is meant to bring students together by introducing them to mutual talents and interests. The Scholar's Show is held at most two-day rounds, and at each World Finals.
Curriculum=
The World Scholar's Cup curriculum has four subjects that relate to a larger theme (with a fifth subject--economics--added for the senior division). Each year the theme changes, and with it so does the Special Area. The curriculum is designed to help students understand the overarching themes of the subjects and how they relate to one another. Students are often given questions that require critical thinking skills as well as their basic knowledge to come to a conclusion rather than focusing on memorization. For instance, instead of asking on which date an experiment was performed, the question would ask, "Which artist would be most likely to oppose this experiment?"
The subjects of the curriculum are:
Until 2009, mathematics up to trigonometry
was included in the curriculum. However, in 2010 it was eliminated in order to better address the goal of the organization. The tournament's decision to eliminate math stemmed from the subject's inflexibility and its difficulty to debate, though the World Scholar's Cup does not deny the importance of math in life and education. In 2008, the World Scholar's Cup added a "film" category to its literature section, and in 2010 added a "music" category to its art section.
The World Scholar's Cup releases curriculum guides each year--one for each subject--that are available free-of-charge on its official website.
Alpacas=
A ubiquitous symbol of the World Scholar's Cup is that of the alpaca
. The alpaca appears on the cover of every guide released by the program, as well as in its official logo. At competitions, students receive their own alpacas from staff members. These alpacas may come in the form of finger puppets, stuffed toys, and sometimes dolls made with real alpaca fur. They are so cute and awww! We all love them!
During the 2011 season in honor of biotechnology
being the focus of the science subject, Daniel Berdichevsky
introduced to the competition a new hybrid mascot known as the "Alpabear". These half-alpaca-half-bears "possess many of the same characteristics as normal alpacas." The founder also introduced the result of a science "fraught with peril"--a bright blue, giant alpabear known by the name "Blue Bear". With the exception of Blue Bear, these alpabears are sometimes given out at competitions and other special occasions.
and the World Scholar's Cup in 2006. Students nominated potential mascots online, and from that pool came the final three: The alpaca, the emu
, and the penguin
. At the end of the vote, the alpaca was victorious. Theorists speculate that the reason the alpaca won is due to a split among bird-lovers.
However, in 2011, Berdichevsky hinted that the election could be just a legend. During the Scholar's Bowl, in lieu of a history section, the founder of World Scholar's Cup presented a historical analysis, hinting that the results may have been tampered with. Evidence of this has never been found, but Berdichevsky admits that he "may have had a pre-existing relationship with alpacas," and poses the question that perhaps he "was the one tallying the votes."
Often used as an interjection
or a response to a statement, this onomatopoeia has become a sensation among World Scholar's Cup participants. It may also be used in a call-and-response format, as demonstrated by staff members at many competitions. Oftentimes, staff members will call out the word and find themselves echoed by hundreds of students. The word has also made appearances in Facebook
statuses, and at the 2011 World Finals in Kuala Lumpur
, Malaysia, Deputy Prime Minister of Higher Education in Malaysia Dr. Hou Kok Chung
Saifuddin Abdullah used it during his closing remarks.
Students admit to using the word in an attempt to communicate with animals, and many claim positive responses.
The 2007 World Finals was the first world round for the World Scholar's Cup and was held in the English Village
in Seoul
, South Korea
. Teams from Australia, Singapore, South Korea, and the United States participated.
The 2008 World Finals for the World Scholar's Cup took place in Korea at the YBM English Village on May 30-June 1, 2008.
The 2009 World Finals for the World Scholar's Cup took place in Singapore
at Nanyang Girls' High School on June 13–14, 2009.
The 2010 round of the World Scholar's Cup was held at Concordia International School Shanghai
in Shanghai
, China
.
The 2011 World Finals were held at the Universiti Teknologi Mara
in Kuala Lumpur
, Shah Alam
, Malaysia.
External links=
DemiDec
DemiDec Resources is a private company founded in 1994 by now-CEO Daniel Berdichevsky that annually publishes study materials for the United States Academic Decathlon, hosts the World Scholar's Cup and co-operates several "study academies" around the world....
, in particular by Daniel Berdichevsky
Daniel Berdichevsky
Daniel Berdichevsky also known as DemiDec Dan is a noted figure in international education, the application of online social networks, and in the design of persuasive technologies...
, DemiDec
DemiDec
DemiDec Resources is a private company founded in 1994 by now-CEO Daniel Berdichevsky that annually publishes study materials for the United States Academic Decathlon, hosts the World Scholar's Cup and co-operates several "study academies" around the world....
's president, in 2006. Other directors of the program include Zac Ellington and Bunnie Hadsall. It is growing widely in popularity and recognition and is said to to be poised to become the World's First and Premier Academic Competition. The World Scholar's Cup has attracted what it calls "a global community of future scholars and leaders", and promotes that it allows participants to "discover strengths and skills you never knew you had." However, despite technically being a competition, The World Scholar's Cup focuses far more on bringing students from different cultures together to discuss issues and ideas relevant to today and the future.
Tournament Format=
A team for the World Scholar's Cup is composed three students, though students are permitted to work individually or in pairs. The teams are usually made up of students from the same school, but that's not always the case. Students have the option of forming "independent" teams that may include students from other schools or even other countries. Teams may participate in any regional round, but may only participate in one per year. If teams are unable to attend a regional round but would still like to participate in the global round, they may apply for an exceptionable berth.
In order to qualify for the global round, a team competing in the regional round must meet one of the following three conditions:
- Be in the top half of their respective division
- Be the top team from their school in each division, or
- Score a certain number of points.
There are both senior and junior divisions in the competition. A student's age designates which division they may participate in. Students that are ages 11-14 participate in the junior division, while students 15 and older participate in the senior division. Both divisions participate simultaneously, though juniors only compete against juniors and seniors against seniors.
Events =
The World Scholar's Cup consists of four main events: The Scholar's Challenge, The Essay, The Team Debate, and The Scholar's Bowl. In addition to these four events, many more events have come to join the tournament. These events are both social and academic, and strive to solidify the community aspect of the World Scholar's Cup.
The Scholar's Challenge
The Scholar's Challenge is a multiple choice exam given to each individual competitor to complete within 60 minutes. For the junior division, there are 100 questions--25 questions for each subject. Seniors have an additional 25 questions in economics, bringing their question total to 125. Students are not permitted to use any resources or outside material on the Challenge.Essay
The Essay is based on an argumentative structure, with students picking one of seven prompts (there is one prompt pertaining to each subject). The students are expected to provide evidence to support their claims using any resources available to them (including the internet), with the exception of social networking sites and communicating with other people during the exam. Students have 60 minutes to complete the essay. There is no word minimum or maximum, and students are expected to cite sources.Team Debate
The Team Debate focuses on encouraging students to develop their speaking and logic skills, as well as teamwork, to argue for or against a topic pertaining to the curriculum. The Team Debate is a very important event in The World Scholar's Cup because it focuses on coming together as a community to discuss intellectual topics. The format is a basic one, designed specifically to be accessible to all levels of debaters as many students in the competition are experiencing debate for the first time.All teams are assigned to their first round of debate rooms. Debate room assignments are distributed at a central gathering place just prior to the beginning of the debate event. At two-day tournaments, teams will debate three times. At one-day tournaments, they will usually debate twice, though sometimes the schedule does permit three debates. In the debate room, teams will meet their opponents and learn the motion. Teams are pre-assigned whether they are to support or oppose the motion. Teams will have 15 minutes to confer within the room before the debate begins. Teams may use World Scholar’s Cup materials or any outside resources to prepare, including computers and Internet access where available. It is up to the members of individual teams to assign themselves speaking orders. One student from each team should come forward to write the names of all team members on the judge’s scoring sheet. Each student will stand in front of the room for the length of his or her speech. Students may speak for up to five minutes. There is no penalty for speaking less than five minutes. At five minutes, the judge will signal (usually with two knocks) and shortly thereafter stop the speaker. A signal (usually one knock) will be provided when the student has just one minute left to speak. A two member team may still debate, with one member speaking twice. A student who speaks twice will be scored only for his or her first speech. Between speakers, teams may confer for 90 seconds. Teams may not make noise or interrupt while someone is speaking. Speakers may use notes. They should not read their speeches in their entirety. At the end of the debate, the judge (or panel of judges) will announce a winning team. The winning team will then proceed to a designated room and the non-winning team to a different room, where each will face another team with the same number of wins and non-wins.
The Scholar's Bowl
The Scholar's Bowl is a team event usually held in a theater. Teams work together to answer multiple choice questions that are displayed on a large screen. In order to answer the questions, each team of students is given a "clicker" (provided by Meridia Audience Response) that connects to a scoring computer on stage. Students then choose their answer by pressing A, B, C, D, or E on their clicker. Students are given 17 seconds to answer the question once it has been read aloud by the bowl master (usually Alpaca-In-Chief Daniel BerdichevskyDaniel Berdichevsky
Daniel Berdichevsky also known as DemiDec Dan is a noted figure in international education, the application of online social networks, and in the design of persuasive technologies...
). Questions from each area of the curriculum are featured in the Scholar's Bowl, with 11 questions for each section. At the World Finals in 2010, a new scoring system for the Scholar's Bowl was introduced, making each question worth more points than the last as the questions get more difficult. The point values start with question one in each section for 100 points. After each subject's round has finished, there is a bonus round that includes one question from each section for 350 points each. These questions are even harder than the last ones. The Scholar's Bowl implements many types of questions, including those based on multimedia examples. The questions tend to include references to pop culture, and often include the names of participants, coaches, and staff members. The tournament mascot, the alpaca
Alpaca
An alpaca is a domesticated species of South American camelid. It resembles a small llama in appearance.Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of southern Peru, northern Bolivia, Ecuador, and northern Chile at an altitude of to above sea level, throughout the year...
, often also makes an appearance.
One of the main aims of The Scholar's Bowl is to allow the team of students to work together, using both logic skills and knowledge, to answer each question. Participants discuss the questions among their team, pulling together the different aspects of their knowledge in the pursuit of success. The Scholar's Bowl is usually the last event of the competition before the awards ceremony.
The Scholar's Scavenge
The Scholar's Scavenge occurs each year at the World Finals, and was first implemented into the competition in 2009 in Singapore. Students are teamed up with those from other countries and given a list of tasks. At least one person in the team has a camera, and the tasks are completed by taking photos and videos. The tasks may relate to the curriculum (such as "create a city out of things you find in the park"), teamwork (such as "create a human pyramid"), organizers (such as "take a video of Daniel speaking Spanish"), or just silly (such as "take a video of your team singing an annoying song"). Each task is worth a certain number of points depending upon the difficulty. At the end of the scavenge, chaperons collect the memory cards of the student taking the pictures and score them. These scores do not count toward the scores in the competition as a whole, but are only used for this event.The 2009 Scholar's Scavenge was held in the Clarke Quay
Clarke Quay
Clarke Quay is a historical riverside quay in Singapore, located within the Singapore River Planning Area. The quay is situated upstream from the mouth of the Singapore River and Boat Quay.-Etymology:...
area of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. Tasks included finding lion statues, riding a bus, and incorporating strangers in scenes from the film of the year, Serenity
Serenity (film)
Serenity is a 2005 space western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is a continuation of the short-lived 2002 Fox science fiction television series Firefly, taking place after the events of the final episode. Set in 2518, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a cargo ship...
.
At the 2010 World Finals in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, students were taken to the World Expo 2010 to perform tasks that included gaining information on countries by speaking to staff members, interacting with the unique exhibits in countries' pavilions, and miming scientific experiments from the curriculum.
In 2011, the Scholar's Scavenge took place at a park in Shah Alam
Shah Alam
Shah Alam is the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighboring Klang District. It is located about west of the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Shah Alam replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selangor in 1978...
, Malaysia. Students were challenged to persuade staff members to do push-ups, dance like Elvis, and act like pirates.
The Debate Showcase
Another event, though not scored, is the Debate Showcase. There are both junior and senior Debate Showcases, each one containing six students. These six students are those with the highest individual debate score, and are from six different schools (or countries at the global round). The format mirrors the main event's format, but the students instead debate on stage in front of the rest of the participants. Each student speaks once for up to five minutes. When all six speakers have gone, the host of the Showcase invites volunteers from the audience to step forward to speak for one minute each. The adjudicator for the Showcase is usually a staff member from The World Scholar's Cup, and at times a special guest. When the Debate Showcase ends, the adjudicator comes on stage and announces the winning team and their reasoning for their choice. Each of the six students receives a medal for their hard work.The Scholar's Ball
The Scholar's Ball was first added to the tournament in 2011 at the World Finals in Kuala LumpurKuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, Malaysia. The idea spawned from a conversation about the competition where one party misheard "Scholar's Bowl" as "Scholar's Ball".
Sometimes occurring simultaneously with The Scholar's Show, the event encourages mingling, dancing, and the chance to "look sharp". Students are required to come in formal wear. Some students refer to it as a "pseudo-prom
Prom
In the United States and Canada, a prom, short for promenade, is a formal dance, or gathering of high school students. It is typically held near the end of the senior year. It figures greatly in popular culture and is a major event among high school students...
".
The Scholar's Show
The first Scholar's Show occurred in 2010 at the regional round held in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
. Its origins are spontaneous--it is the result of students' response to Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
's "We Will Rock You
We Will Rock You
"We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded and performed by Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. Rolling Stone ranked it #330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA placed it at #146 on its list of Songs of the Century...
" playing during an intermission. Students began stomping their feet and clapping along, and one of the organizers encouraged them to sing along. When the song was over, Daniel Berdichevsky
Daniel Berdichevsky
Daniel Berdichevsky also known as DemiDec Dan is a noted figure in international education, the application of online social networks, and in the design of persuasive technologies...
invited any student wanting to showcase their talent to come forward, and The Scholar's Show was born.
Since its inception, The Scholar's Show has grown from a spontaneous talent show to a showcase of students' ambition, skill, and bravery. Student performances range from vocal and instrumental performances to beat boxing, dancing, and magic tricks. The Scholar's Show is meant to bring students together by introducing them to mutual talents and interests. The Scholar's Show is held at most two-day rounds, and at each World Finals.
Curriculum=
The World Scholar's Cup curriculum has four subjects that relate to a larger theme (with a fifth subject--economics--added for the senior division). Each year the theme changes, and with it so does the Special Area. The curriculum is designed to help students understand the overarching themes of the subjects and how they relate to one another. Students are often given questions that require critical thinking skills as well as their basic knowledge to come to a conclusion rather than focusing on memorization. For instance, instead of asking on which date an experiment was performed, the question would ask, "Which artist would be most likely to oppose this experiment?"
The subjects of the curriculum are:
- Science
- Literature
- Poetry
- Short Stories / Novel(s)
- Film
- The Arts
- Art
- Music
- Special Area
- Economics (Senior division only)
Until 2009, mathematics up to trigonometry
Trigonometry
Trigonometry is a branch of mathematics that studies triangles and the relationships between their sides and the angles between these sides. Trigonometry defines the trigonometric functions, which describe those relationships and have applicability to cyclical phenomena, such as waves...
was included in the curriculum. However, in 2010 it was eliminated in order to better address the goal of the organization. The tournament's decision to eliminate math stemmed from the subject's inflexibility and its difficulty to debate, though the World Scholar's Cup does not deny the importance of math in life and education. In 2008, the World Scholar's Cup added a "film" category to its literature section, and in 2010 added a "music" category to its art section.
The World Scholar's Cup releases curriculum guides each year--one for each subject--that are available free-of-charge on its official website.
Alpacas=
A ubiquitous symbol of the World Scholar's Cup is that of the alpaca
Alpaca
An alpaca is a domesticated species of South American camelid. It resembles a small llama in appearance.Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of southern Peru, northern Bolivia, Ecuador, and northern Chile at an altitude of to above sea level, throughout the year...
. The alpaca appears on the cover of every guide released by the program, as well as in its official logo. At competitions, students receive their own alpacas from staff members. These alpacas may come in the form of finger puppets, stuffed toys, and sometimes dolls made with real alpaca fur. They are so cute and awww! We all love them!
During the 2011 season in honor of biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
being the focus of the science subject, Daniel Berdichevsky
Daniel Berdichevsky
Daniel Berdichevsky also known as DemiDec Dan is a noted figure in international education, the application of online social networks, and in the design of persuasive technologies...
introduced to the competition a new hybrid mascot known as the "Alpabear". These half-alpaca-half-bears "possess many of the same characteristics as normal alpacas." The founder also introduced the result of a science "fraught with peril"--a bright blue, giant alpabear known by the name "Blue Bear". With the exception of Blue Bear, these alpabears are sometimes given out at competitions and other special occasions.
The Election
The alpaca was elected the mascot of DemiDecDemiDec
DemiDec Resources is a private company founded in 1994 by now-CEO Daniel Berdichevsky that annually publishes study materials for the United States Academic Decathlon, hosts the World Scholar's Cup and co-operates several "study academies" around the world....
and the World Scholar's Cup in 2006. Students nominated potential mascots online, and from that pool came the final three: The alpaca, the emu
Emu
The Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...
, and the penguin
Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
. At the end of the vote, the alpaca was victorious. Theorists speculate that the reason the alpaca won is due to a split among bird-lovers.
However, in 2011, Berdichevsky hinted that the election could be just a legend. During the Scholar's Bowl, in lieu of a history section, the founder of World Scholar's Cup presented a historical analysis, hinting that the results may have been tampered with. Evidence of this has never been found, but Berdichevsky admits that he "may have had a pre-existing relationship with alpacas," and poses the question that perhaps he "was the one tallying the votes."
The Pwaa Phenomenon
Another common occurrence during World Scholar's Cup tournaments is the echoing of the word "pwaa". "Pwaa," explains Berdichevsky, "is the sound that a happy alpaca makes!"Often used as an interjection
Interjection
In grammar, an interjection or exclamation is a word used to express an emotion or sentiment on the part of the speaker . Filled pauses such as uh, er, um are also considered interjections...
or a response to a statement, this onomatopoeia has become a sensation among World Scholar's Cup participants. It may also be used in a call-and-response format, as demonstrated by staff members at many competitions. Oftentimes, staff members will call out the word and find themselves echoed by hundreds of students. The word has also made appearances in Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
statuses, and at the 2011 World Finals in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, Malaysia, Deputy Prime Minister of Higher Education in Malaysia Dr. Hou Kok Chung
Saifuddin Abdullah used it during his closing remarks.
Students admit to using the word in an attempt to communicate with animals, and many claim positive responses.
2007 - The Ancient World
The first year of the World Scholar's Cup treated the theme "The Ancient World".- Science - AnatomyAnatomyAnatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
- Special Area - History of the Ancient World
- Literature
- Poetry - Poetry of England
- Novel - SiddharthaSiddhartha (novel)Siddhartha is a novel by Hermann Hesse that deals with the spiritual journey of an Indian man named Siddhartha during the time of the Buddha.The book, Hesse's ninth novel , was written in German, in a simple, powerful, and lyrical style. It was published in the U.S. in 1951 and became influential...
by Herman Hesse
- Art
- General Mathematics
- Fundamentals of Economics
The 2007 World Finals was the first world round for the World Scholar's Cup and was held in the English Village
English village
English villages are language education institutions which aim to create a language immersion environment for students of English in their own country....
in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. Teams from Australia, Singapore, South Korea, and the United States participated.
2008 - The Frontier
- Science
- Literature
- Poetry
- Novel - Death Comes for the ArchbishopDeath Comes for the ArchbishopDeath Comes for the Archbishop is a 1927 novel by Willa Cather. It concerns the attempts of a Catholic bishop and a priest to establish a diocese in New Mexico Territory.The novel was included on Time's 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005...
by Willa CatherWilla CatherWilla Seibert Cather was an American author who achieved recognition for her novels of frontier life on the Great Plains, in works such as O Pioneers!, My Ántonia, and The Song of the Lark. In 1923 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours , a novel set during World War I... - Film - 2001: A Space Odyssey2001: A Space Odyssey (film)2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, partially inspired by Clarke's short story The Sentinel...
- Art
- Special Area
- Fundamentals of Economics
The 2008 World Finals for the World Scholar's Cup took place in Korea at the YBM English Village on May 30-June 1, 2008.
2009 - The Fall of Empires
- Science - Sustainable Development
- Literature
- Poetry
- Novels - Things Fall ApartThings Fall ApartThings Fall Apartis a 1958 English language novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. It is a staple book in schools throughout Africa and widely read and studied in English-speaking countries around the world. It is seen as the archetypal modern African novel in English, and one of the first African...
by Chinua AchebeChinua AchebeAlbert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe popularly known as Chinua Achebe is a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic...
and The Reluctant FundamentalistThe Reluctant FundamentalistThe Reluctant Fundamentalist is a novel by Mohsin Hamid, published in 2007.The novel uses the technique of a frame story, which takes place during the course of a single evening in an outdoor Lahore cafe, where a bearded Pakistani man called Changez tells a nervous American stranger about his love...
by Mohsin HamidMohsin HamidMohsin Hamid is a Pakistani author best known for his novels Moth Smoke and The Reluctant Fundamentalist .- Biography :...
. - Film - SerenitySerenity (film)Serenity is a 2005 space western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is a continuation of the short-lived 2002 Fox science fiction television series Firefly, taking place after the events of the final episode. Set in 2518, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a cargo ship...
- The Arts
- Art
- Special Area - The Fall of Empires
- Fundamentals of Economics and "The Economics of Spectacular Collapse"
The 2009 World Finals for the World Scholar's Cup took place in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
at Nanyang Girls' High School on June 13–14, 2009.
2010 - A World Divided
- Science
- Literature
- Poetry
- Novel - The Lions of Al-RassanThe Lions of Al-RassanThe Lions of Al-Rassan is a work of historical fantasy by Guy Gavriel Kay. It is set in a peninsula of the same world in which The Sarantine Mosaic and The Last Light of the Sun are set, and is based upon Moorish Spain...
by Guy Gavriel KayGuy Gavriel KayGuy Gavriel Kay is a Canadian author of fantasy fiction. Many of his novels are set in fictional realms that resemble real places during real historical periods, such as Constantinople during the reign of Justinian I or Spain during the time of El Cid... - Film - Motorcycle Diaries
- The Arts
- Art
- Music
- Special Area
- Fundamentals of Economics
The 2010 round of the World Scholar's Cup was held at Concordia International School Shanghai
Concordia International School Shanghai
Concordia International School Shanghai is a school based in Shanghai, China, founded in 1998.-Present:Concordia - one of Shanghai's three American-curriculum international schools - is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. A non-denominational Christian school, Concordia...
in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
2011 - A World Transformed
- Science - Biotechnology
- Literature
- Poetry - Cities
- Short Stories
- Film - Forrest GumpForrest GumpForrest Gump is a 1994 American epic comedy-drama romance film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Gary Sinise...
- The Arts
- Art -
- Music - Musicals
- Special Area - Modern Metropolis
- Fundamentals of Economics
The 2011 World Finals were held at the Universiti Teknologi Mara
Universiti Teknologi MARA
Universiti Teknologi MARA is a coeducational public university with its main campus located in Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.It is the flagship institution of the Universiti Teknologi MARA...
in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, Shah Alam
Shah Alam
Shah Alam is the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighboring Klang District. It is located about west of the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Shah Alam replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selangor in 1978...
, Malaysia.
External links=
- World Scholar's Cup - The official website of the World Scholar's Cup
- Scores - Detailed Scores for Scholar's Cup competitions
- Discussion - Discussion regarding the World Scholar's Cup