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Festival rulebook

Specialists

Six separate subject competitions, each played as one 50-question timed quiz.

Updated 1 August 2026
Competitions6
Questions50 each
Time20 min
Maximum50 each

1.Format and entry

  1. The six competitions are History, Pop Music, Film & Television, Geography, Science and Sports.
  2. Each contains 50 questions on one scrolling page and has one 20-minute timer.
  3. No scheduling is required. A player may enter any number of the six, in any order, but must complete one before starting another.
  4. Every player receives the same questions in the same order. One attempt per subject is permitted.

2.Subject scope

The question setter decides the balance of subtopics within each quiz.

History

Prehistory; Ancient, Medieval, Modern and Contemporary History; auxiliary historical sciences such as archaeology, heraldry and phaleristics; and current politics.

Pop Music

Songs, performers, albums, bands, record labels, venues, events, producers and genres.

Film & Television

Cinema and television; directors, cinematographers, documentaries, screenwriters, studios, producers, awards, animation, cartoons, soundtracks and film composers.

Geography

Physical and human geography, space excluding astronomy, explorers and auxiliary geographical sciences.

Science

Formal, natural and social sciences, including mathematics, computer science, physics, chemistry, astronomy, biology, medicine, economics, psychology and philosophy; plus flora and fauna.

Sports

Summer and winter sports, motorsports, competitive board games, esports, records and awards.

3.Starting and playing

  1. Press Play to view the quiz information, then Start Quiz when ready. The timer begins immediately.
  2. Move freely among all 50 questions and edit answers while the timer remains active.
  3. Submitting ends the quiz immediately. At 20 minutes it is submitted automatically.
  4. The provisional score, submitted answers and official answers then appear.

4.Challenges and completion

  1. Review every rejected answer carefully. This is the only opportunity to challenge it.
  2. Use Correct in my native language where appropriate.
  3. Press Submit for Review even if no challenges were made. This completes that Specialists competition; there is no additional submission.
  4. Other players’ scores remain hidden until official publication.

A Specialists quiz has only one round, so Submit for Review is required immediately after its answer review.

5.Individual subject standings

  1. Each correct answer earns one point, for a maximum of 50 in each subject.
  2. Each subject has its own standing and top three.
  3. Equal scores share a position; no tie-breaker is used.

6.Combined Specialists standing

  1. A player must complete at least five of the six quizzes to qualify.
  2. The best five scores are added, for a maximum primary score of 250.
  3. If tied, totals across all six quizzes are compared. A missing sixth result counts as zero.
  4. If still tied, players share the position. The combined standing recognizes a top three.