THE GARDEN CUP VI
The New Jersey State Championships
Celebrated Format for True League Play
Registration is Now Open
How it Works
The Garden Cup is the LIQBA’s marquee event, and, two seasons ago, 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.
We have now finalized the sites for all four regions! The updated map can be found below.
Regions for the local qualifiers are based on county:
The following counties are in each region:
- NORTH: Bergen, Hudson, Passaic, Morris, Essex, Union, Somerset, Middlesex
- NORTHWEST: Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon
- SHORE: Monmouth, Ocean
- SOUTH: Atlantic, Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, Cape May, Burlington, Mercer
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, South or Shore.
- Hunterdon County can go to either Northwest or South.
- 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 14, 2026, at Ridgewood High School, Ridgewood, NJ;
The Northwestern regional will take place on November 21, 2026, at Wallkill Valley Regional High School, Hamburg, NJ;
The Shore regional will take place on November 21, 2026, at Manasquan High School, Manasquan, NJ;
and the Southern regional will take place on November 14, 2026, at Northern Burlington County Regional High School, Columbus, NJ.
The State Championships, the Garden Cup, will take place on April 10, 2027, 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 #4, a set of moderate difficulty, and the State Championships will use LIQBA State Championship Set #2, a set of hard difficulty.
We will be using the twenty tossups/twenty bonus format, following the rules as delineated in LIQBA’s official rulebook. All games are not timed, with the exception of the State Championships, where there will be a game-clock component as described in the official rulebook.
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
READERS ARE NO LONGER MANDATORY, AND THE NO-READER FEES HAVE BEEN REMOVED.
You are no longer penalized in any way for not bringing a reader. In lieu of this: if you bring a reader, your team will receive lunch vouchers for every player on a single team.
So: If you bring no reader, your team will not get a free lunch.
If you bring, say, one reader and one team, both the reader and every player on that team will receive a free lunch.
If you bring, say, one reader and two teams, the reader and every player on one of the teams will receive a free lunch.
There are similar arrangements for all other combinations. If you don’t know, just ask us.
We are now offering lunch for purchase. See the food section below for details.
Buzzer discounts and paper question sets are still not being offered.
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 entry fee is $100 per team per tournament.
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.
NEW: You can now pay by credit card on the registration form. However, note that this will incur processing fees. Venmo payments are no longer accepted.
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. They can only play at the State Championships.
Registration for each event closes one week prior to each event. Please ensure that you register prior to the deadline!
Food:
We do not serve breakfast, but we now serve lunch. We will provide, at every LIQBA tournament, a buffet luncheon. You must buy a meal ticket for each person who wants the lunch in advance, regardless of if this is a player, coach, or any kind of parent or spectator. At every location in which it is available, the luncheon is Italian-American cuisine, and will always include a vegetarian option; however, if you require kosher or halal food, are vegan, or are concerned about allergens, you should bring your own lunch. A meal ticket is $10. Options generally include various kinds of sandwiches, side salads, and fruit. We do not usually provide drinks. Lunch generally lasts an hour. Teams should eat breakfast prior to arrival.
As noted in the Readers section above, all readers and those mentioned in that section have their meal tickets comped.
We will send out an order form to all registered teams for meal tickets about 2-3 weeks prior to the event. Teams that sign up less than a week before the event will be required to purchase meal tickets right away if they want them.
Once you purchase a meal ticket, it cannot be cancelled under any circumstance, and is transferrable between people, but not between events. This is due to needing to know the number of people we need to order for well in advance of the event. Even if you drop, you can never cancel a meal ticket.
Stats:
Full and complete team and individual statistics will be posted within 48 hours after the completion of each event.