Meet the champions of Smartacus 2022 Selection Round
On 15th August 2022, when the whole country was celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav on the occasion of 75 years of Indian independence, students from all over India were commemorating the day with Smartacus 2022, The Hindustan Times National Interschool Quiz. The Selection Round of this pan-India online quiz, held on the Independence Day between 2:00 PM (IST) and 3:00 PM (IST), was conducted asynchronously on Quizizz. Quizizz, a popular teacher-powered learning and engagement platform, was the technology partner for the event. Snartacus 2022, which has two of the most renowned quizmasters of the country as its hosts, Mr. Avinash Mudaliar and Dr. Navin Jayakumar, saw 45,127 students register from all over India and 6 other countries: Israel, Bangladesh, the USA, Romania, Kuwait and Canada. With such a massive turnout, this quiz is on the verge of breaking many world records. The top 20 champions of the Selection Round have been announced on the Smartacus website. Check them out here.
Basking in the glory of quizzing limelight, the topper of the Selection Round, Yash Aggarwal, Grade 9, D.A.V. Public School, Delhi, says, “I am really happy to have grabbed the top spot in the Smartacus 2022 Selection Round itself.” Yash had also participated in the previous quizzing venture of HT School, ClassAct 2022, The Hindustan Times Republic Day Quiz. “This helped me a lot as ClassAct 2022 familiarised me with the online quiz format. Moreover, it gave me an idea about the kind of questions I can expect. So, I could relate to the questions asked in Smartacus 2022,” he adds.
Yash’s younger sibling, Suryam Aggarwal, Grade 9, D.A.V. Public School, Delhi, also participated in Smartacus 2022. He is all too thrilled to be on the second spot of the Selection Round. “Honestly, I was surprised to see my name in the second position,” says this avid quizzer. “My teachers helped me a lot in my preparation for the quiz. Additionally, I also referred to a few online resources,” he adds.
The 1-hour-long Selection Round of Smartacus 2022 covered a wide range of topics including history, geography, sports, language and literature, science, arts and entertainment, culture and lifestyle, current affairs and general knowledge. What made the Selection Round so enjoyable and engaging was the interesting blend of its easy, medium, tough, tricky and funny questions. “To be answered correctly, the questions needed to be approached logically,” says the 3rd rank holder Varun Sinha, Grade 9, Pawar Public School, Mumbai. “Participating in HT School’s Smartacus 2022 was a truly gratifying experience for me,” he shares fondly.
At HT School, quizzing is not looked upon as an intellectual activity. Rather, the aim is to help students enjoy the journey of fun and knowledge. This is exactly what 4th place holder Arush Aroh does. Studying in Grade 12, Amity International School, NOIDA, he is a long-time quiz lover and has been participating in contests since Grade 9. “My interest in general knowledge and world affairs helped me pursue this hobby,” says Arush, who took part in ClassAct 2022 as well. “The questions asked in Smartacus 2022 were a tad easier as compared to the previous one,” he adds.
The scoring on the Quizizz platform was completely automated, and students were ranked on the basis of accuracy and speed. Fifth ranker Satish Garg, Grade 9, Cambridge School, NOIDA, found it a little difficult to type out his answers fast. “It was difficult to quickly key in the answers even though the questions were easy. However, it really feels good to have participated and been able to find a place in the Top 5 of Smartacus 2022 Selection Round,” says Satish.
Following the Selection Round, 16 top-performing schools from each zone (North, South, East and West) will be invited to take part in the Preliminary Round (which will follow a knockout format) based on the scores of their individual participants. Here, the invited schools will compete in a team of five. Out of the 64 schools contending in the Preliminary round, four (one from each zone) will make it to the Semi-Finals. From there, only the top two schools will qualify for The Grand Finale and will fight for the coveted champion’s trophy and other exciting prizes worth more than INR 4 lakhs, apart from loads of publicity. It will be followed by the Quizzer of the Year round in which 20 students from the 4 Semi-Finalist teams will compete for the ultimate quizzers award. The Preliminary, Semi-Final, Grand Finale and Quizzer of the Year sessions will be conducted on Zoom. All contestants will also be rewarded with digital certificates of participation.
HT School has a lot more on offer for budding quizzers than just quiz contests. It has launched a brand-new quizzing universe, Quizverse, for them to read, interact and learn and develop holistically in the long run.