Effective for the 2012 Science Bowls, there will be a maximum of 32 teams in the MN State Regional Science Bowl for High School Students and 24 teams in the Middle School Bowl. The goal of the MN Academy of Science is to maximize the number of schools/organizations participating. To reach this goal, the first 32 (or 24 for middle school) schools/organizations with a completed registration, including payment, by the deadline will have one team from their school/organization accepted into the tournament. If there is space available after one team from each school/organization has been accepted, a second team from the school/organization will be accepted based on the date the registration was completed, including payment. If there is space available after a second team from each school/organization has been accepted, a third team from the school/organization will be accepted based on the date the registration was completed, including payment. If space is not available for a school's alternate team(s), that team(s) fee will be refunded. Coaches will be notified shortly after the deadline as to the number of teams accepted from their school/organization.

Teams are registered on a first-come, first-served basis so the date received is very important. If a school wishes to have more than one team participate, they should submit registration materials and payment for up to three teams, as early as possible, but no later than the registration deadline. It should be noted that last year, many High School and Middle School teams had their registrations completed, including payment, on November 20th, well before the deadline. Therefore, it is extremely important to get started on the application process as early as possible and not wait until the deadline to submit team registration.

What's the likelihood you could bring more than one team from your school? Last year, 4 high schools brought 2 teams and 5 brought 3 teams. Likewise, 4 middle schools brought 2 teams and 1 school brought 3 teams.

For planning purposes, coaches may want to analyze the following data to get an idea of their chances of getting their teams into the tournament. Last year, 33 teams from 19 high schools/organizations registered by the deadline for the 32-team tournament. One school wanted to have three teams but was not able to as there were not enough spaces so they were only allowed to bring two teams. Last year, the Middle School Science Bowl had 18 teams from 12 schools/organizations registered by the deadline for the 24-team tournament.