Entry fees
Entry fees are used to pay for the questions used at tournaments, reimburse tournament staff, and purchase awards and prizes for the top teams and individual scorers.
The fees for the 2019-2020 school year have been determined, and are displayed on the table below. If you would like additional financial assistance beyond the discounts we offer, let us know when registering.
“New schools” are defined as schools in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut which have not attended a quiz bowl tournament at Columbia University before the 2018-2019 school year. They are eligible for a special discounted fee, as shown below.
| Cost per team | Cost per team, for new schools | |
|---|---|---|
| For one tournament | $75 | $50 |
| For both Columbia Cup tournaments (must register by 9/30/2018) | $130 ($65 per tournament!) | $80 ($40 per tournament!) |
Minimal registration fee per team: $40
Discounts
We provide the following discounts to schools attending our tournaments:
Buzzers: Schools get a $5 discount off their entry fee for every functional lockout buzzer system they bring to a tournament. If you have teams registered for both tournaments in the Columbia Cup series, we will apply that discount across both tournaments (so you get $10 off your fee per buzzer), provided that you bring your buzzer(s) to both tournaments. If you are unable to accommodate both tournaments, please let us know when registering. Buzzer systems must be able to accommodate 8 players to be eligible for the discount.
Staff: Schools get a $10 discount for every volunteer staffer they bring to a tournament. If you have teams registered for both tournaments in the Columbia Cup series, we will apply that discount across both tournaments (so you get $20 off your fee per staffer), provided your staffer(s) staffs both tournaments. If you are unable to accommodate both tournaments, please let us know when registering.
Staffers may be asked to read or keep score, or may be free to watch games if we are fully staffed (you will still get the discount, even if your staffer is not needed). All volunteer staff will receive a free lunch courtesy of Columbia University Quiz Bowl.
Regional Quiz Bowl: Regional Quiz Bowl participants receive an additional $10 off per team, per tournament. For example, a RQB participant who has never attended a quiz bowl tournament at Columbia before would pay $35 per team they register for the fall tournament, or $50 per team they register for both tournaments (assuming no discounts; otherwise the fee could be even lower!).
Drop Policy
We completely understand if your school needs to drop teams from the field. However, last minute drops can be difficult for us to schedule around and unfair to other teams in the field or waitlist who may be denied playing time. We ask that you notify us about dropped teams as soon as possible.
Teams that drop within a week of the tournament (after 11:59 PM on March 2nd, 2020 for Columbia Spring) will be charged $35/team.
Teams that drop within two days of the tournament (after 11:59 PM on March 4th, 2020 for Columbia Spring) will be responsible for the entirety of the entry fee.
These fees may be waived in specific emergency situations at the discretion of the TD. That being said, if there are any issues which may impede your attendance at the tournament, please contact us as soon as possible and we will do our best to accommodate your team. By registering for the tournament, you indicate that you have read and understood this policy.
Payment
After registering, we will issue you an invoice for the entry fee. All entry fees must be paid either in advance or during morning check-in. If you are registering teams for all tournaments in the Columbia Cup series, the entire registration fee must be received by the morning of the Columbia Fall Tournament. If the upfront cost for registering for the Columbia Cup is a burden for your team, please let us know and we can offer financial assistance, or arrange an alternate payment plan.
Payment can be submitted by mailing a check ahead of time, or submitting a check or cash during check-in the morning of the tournament. If you are paying by check, please make it payable to “Columbia University,” with “Quiz Bowl” on the memo line. If you are mailing a check in advance, we recommend that it be sent no later than two weeks before the tournament, and the check should be mailed to:
Julia Tong
P.O. 5375 Altschul
New York, NY 10027
We are working on adding additional payment methods, such as Square and PayPal, and will hopefully have an update soon.
If you have any questions about our fees, discounts or payment methods, feel free to contact us.
Columbia Cup 