THE GARDEN CUP V
The New Jersey State Championships Return: Five Years On
Celebrated Format for True League Play
Dates And Locations Now Finalized
Registration is Now Open
How it Works
The Garden Cup is the LIQBA’s marquee event, and, last season, we made it even better. We will once again host four local tournaments in New Jersey, which qualify you for a grand State Championship tournament, the largest in the Northeast!
For teams in New Jersey, you can qualify for the State Championships, better known as the Garden Cup, through one of four regional events: one in the North, one in the Northwest, one Down Shore, and one in the South. Out of state teams can participate at the State Championships as well, by finishing in the top 25% of any event or tournament other than the four local qualifiers.
The top 72 teams from throughout New Jersey and 24 top teams from out of state will all compete at the State Championships.
Regions for the local qualifiers are based on county:
The following counties are in each region:
- NORTH: Bergen, Hudson, Passaic, Morris, Essex, Union, Somerset, Mercer, Middlesex
- NORTHWEST: Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon
- SHORE: Monmouth, Ocean, Burlington
- SOUTH: Atlantic, Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, Cape May
With a few exceptions:
- Burlington County can go to either Shore or South.
- Mercer County and Middlesex County south of the Raritan can go to either North or Shore.
- Any team that cannot make the tournament date for their region can play in an adjacent region.
Location and Dates
The events will take place as follows:
The Northern regional will take place on November 15, 2025, at Ridgewood High School, Ridgewood, NJ;
The Northwestern regional will take place on November 22, 2025, at Sussex County Community College, Newton, NJ;
The Shore regional will take place on November 22, 2025, at Manasquan High School, Manasquan, NJ;
and the Southern regional will tentatively take place on November 15, 2025, at Hammonton High School, Hammonton, NJ.
The State Championships, the Garden Cup, will tentatively take place on February 7, 2026, at Livingston High School, Livingston, NJ.
All tournaments will take place from 9 AM to approximately 5 PM, except the State Championships, which is scheduled to end at 6 PM. You should plan to arrive no later than 8:30 AM on tournament day.
If you can’t make any of these dates, in-state teams can also qualify for States with a score of over 1,600 in 30-20-10.
Questions/Format
The four regional tournaments will use LIQBA Standard Set #1, a set of moderate difficulty, and the State Championships will use LIQBA State Championship Set #1, a set of hard difficulty.
All tournaments except the State Championships will use the twenty tossups/twenty bonus format and NAQT rules, but there will be no game clock.
At the State Championships, there will be a game clock, as well as all other NAQT rules.
At all tournaments, teams will be fairly placed into preliminary brackets before being re-seeded for playoffs. Teams will be guaranteed a minimum of 10 games at the local tournaments and 11 at the State Championships; teams are required to play all 10 or 11 rounds, even if you are not in contention for the championship.
Teams
There are a maximum of 6 players per team, four of whom may play at once. If you wish to bring more players than that, please register additional teams. There are no exceptions to this rule. Teams may play short, with one player as a minimum. Nobody may switch teams during the tournament, such as from “A” to “B” or otherwise.
The fields are capped as follows:
- 48 teams at the North qualifier
- 36 teams at the Shore qualifier
- 12 teams at the South qualifier
- 12 teams at the Northwest qualifier
- 72 New Jersey and 24 Out of State teams at the State Championships, for 96 teams total
You will be placed onto a waitlist if you miss the cutoff and will enter the field as teams drop or the field expands. Most fields are able to expand should there be sufficient interest; however, the Garden Cup is hard-capped at 96 teams.
We are happy to allow pseudonymous teams and teams not directly sponsored by their district to register, without restriction.
It is not mandatory for a coach, parent, or adult to attend with their team; our team provides adequate supervision for all.
Readers
Each school is required to bring one reader for every two teams attending a tournament. Schools that cannot bring readers will be charged a $50 fee per team. Keep in mind this does not have to be a coach! It can be a player who would rather read, an extra player, a parent, an alumnus, someone’s friend, sibling, or third cousin twice removed, or anyone else that can read and scorekeep.
Buzzer discounts and paper question sets are no longer being offered. Question sets will be mailed on request.
Prizes
Trophies will be awarded to the top teams and the very best individual with the highest average Points per Game overall at each tournament. The eight or so high scorers will be awarded small prizes. The champion of the Garden Cup will be awarded a traveling trophy. We may add additional prizes at our discretion.
Fees
The fee structure is the same for both the qualifiers and the State Championships, and is as follows:
- $100 per team (Except the Shore Regional, which is $80)
- $50 additional per team if no readers are brought
- $0 additional if 1 reader is brought
- -$25 for each additional reader
We can process cash, checks, and purchase orders. We are happy to provide a W9, an NJ BRC, and an invoice on request. Please make out checks to “Long Island Quiz Bowl Alliance”. You can mail checks, POs, and any other paperwork to 16 Gilbert Avenue, Smithtown, NY, 11787.
Buzzer discounts and paper question sets are no longer being offered.
Payment is due the morning of each event.
Registration:
Registration is now open on this page.
Please note that out-of-state teams are not permitted to play at any regional qualifier.
Please ensure that you register prior to the day of the tournament! Registration closes one week prior to each event.
Food:
We do not serve breakfast or lunch and teams should either bring food or prepare to go out and obtain it. We will provide a map of local restaurants in the vicinity during the morning meeting. Lunch generally lasts an hour. Teams should eat breakfast prior to arrival.
Stats:
Full and complete team and individual statistics will be posted within 48 hours after the completion of each event.