WCTE Academic Bowl
The WCTE Academic Bowl is a televised Quizbowl tournament held by WCTE, the Tennessee Upper-Cumberland affiliate of PBS. The tournament has been running since 1986, and is likely among (if not the) oldest tournaments held in Tennessee. The WCTE Academic Bowl is not to be confused with the East Tennessee PBS Scholar's Bowl. From (at least) 2013, the tournament has been held at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Tennessee. Participants in the tournament are geographically restricted to the Upper-Cumberland area of Tennessee. The tournament’s current moderator is Brian O’Connor. Records of the WCTE Academic Bowl before 2013 are incomplete, if not missing entirely.
Format
From (at least) 2013, WCTE consisted of two eight-minute halves separated by a ten-question lightning round.[1] The tossups have no powers or negs, and are commonly recycled from previous years' questions. Question quality is highly variant, but has steadily improved over the last decade. Bonuses range from two ten point questions to four five point questions, with the maximum value of a bonus never exceeding 20 points. Playoffs are commonly double-elimination, with one notable exception being the 2020 iteration of the games. Brackets are made according to the standings of the previous year's tournament. The 2021 version of the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Results
| Year | Winner | Runner-Up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | None | ||
| 2020 | Gallatin | Scott County | 450-150 |
| 2019 | Gallatin | Cookeville | 430-220 |
| 2018 | Cookeville | Gallatin | 420-170 |
| 2017 | Cookeville | Gallatin | 370-175 |
| 2016 | Gallatin | Cookeville | 330-220 |
| 2015 | Cookeville | Gallatin | Unknown |
| 2014 | White County | Gallatin | 320-300 |
| 2013 | Cookeville | Gallatin | 370-150 |
| 2012 | Cookeville | York Institute | Unknown |
| 2003 | Cookeville | Unknown | Unknown |
| 2002 | Cookeville | Unknown | Unknown |
| 2001 | Cookeville | Unknown | Unknown |
| 2000 | Cookeville | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1999 | Cookeville | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1998 | Cookeville | Bledsoe County | Unknown |
| 1997 | Cookeville | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1996 | Cookeville | DeKalb County | Unknown |