Money
Playing quizbowl costs money. This money is used to pay writers, editors, and tournament staff, as well as to cover other costs. This money can be raised by acting in this role or come from outside the community.
Making money
Quizbowl is a game with that provides players with competitive depth and writers with space for both rigor and creativity. As a direct consequence of this, it is a terrible way for the average person to make money. Let's see the numbers.
Set pricing
A typical high school housewrite has a mirror fee of roughly $15 a team. Sets intended for lower difficulties tend to be cheaper, while those with harder questions can be up to double the cost. Discounts are often provided for sites which provide complete statistics.
| Set | Season | Difficulty | Base fee | Per team | Cost for a 12 team tournament |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWAMP [1] | 2023-2024 | HS Regular-minus | 30 | 12 | 174 |
| SCURVY [2] | 2023-2024 | HS Regular-plus | 10 | 120 | |
| DMA [3] | 2023-2024 | HS Regular-plus/Nats-minus† | 20 | 240 | |
| IQBT Regular Season [4] | 2023-2024 | HS Regular | 20 | 240 | |
| Planetfall [5] | 2023-2024 | HS Regular | 17 | 204 | |
| SCOP Novice 13 [6] | 2023-2024 | HS Novice | 12 | 144 | |
| CREEK [7] | 2023-2024 | HS Regular-plus | 20 | 240 | |
| SANDS [8] | 2023-2024 | HS Novice | 15 | 180 | |
| 2022 KICKOFF [9] | 2022-2023 | HS Regular | 17 | 204 | |
| Brooklyn Bridge Battle [10] | 2023-2024 | HS Regular-minus | 15 | 180 | |
| CARD [11] | 2023-2024 | HS Regular | 15 | 180 | |
| QUAOAR [12] | 2023-2024 | HS Novice | 12 | 144 | |
| HFT XV [13] | 2022-2023, 2023-2024 | HS Regular-plus | 20 | 240 |
† - intended for both high school and college mirrors
A typical set has roughly 13 packets of 20/20, plus extra questions.
Crunching the numbers
To cement this point, here are two case studies demonstrating the terrible value provided per unit time.