THE MITTEN CUP RETURNS
The LIQBA Michigan State Championships
All-New Format for True League Play
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 decided to bring the Garden Cup to Michigan for this season. We will host six local tournaments in Michigan, which qualify you for a grand State Championship tournament!
For teams in Michigan, you can qualify for the State Championships, better known as the Mitten Cup, through one of six regional events: in the Southwest, Northwest, Northeast, Central, Southeast, and the Upper Peninsula. 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 six local qualifiers.
The top 48 teams from throughout Michigan and top teams from out of state will all compete at the State Championships.
Regions for the local qualifiers are based on county:
Locations and Dates
The Mitten Cup Regional Tournaments will take place at the following dates and locations:
| Region | Date | Location |
| Southeast | December 14, 2025 | Detroit Catholic Central HS, Novi |
| Southwest | December 13, 2025 | Site TBD |
| Central | December 14, 2025 | Delta College, Univ. Center |
| Northwest | December 13, 2025 | Cadillac HS, Cadillac |
| Northeast | December 14, 2025 | Alcona HS, Harrisville |
| Upper Peninsula | December 14, 2025 | NMU, Marquette |
The Mitten Cup State Championships will take place at Mount Pleasant High School, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, on March 21, 2026.
All tournaments will take place from 9 AM to 5 PM, with registration opening at 8:15 AM.
Out-of-state teams may not play at any Regional Tournament. In-state teams can play at any regional they would like, though we recommend following the map above.
Questions/Format
The Mitten Cup Regionals will all use LIQBA Standard Set #1, a set of Moderate difficulty. The State Championships will use LIQBA State Championship Set #1, a set of Hard difficulty. We will be using the twenty tossups/twenty bonus format and NAQT rules, but there will be no game clock.
Teams will be fairly placed into preliminary brackets before being re-seeded for playoffs. Teams will be guaranteed a minimum of 10 games; teams will be expected to play all 10 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 field for each regional is capped at 18 teams, and 48 for the State Championships. You will be placed onto a waitlist if you miss the cutoff and will enter the field as teams drop or the field expands (if there is enough interest, we guarantee that the field will expand).
We are happy to allow pseudonymous teams and teams not directly sponsored by their district to register. However, we do have certain requirements for these teams, so please contact us via phone or email prior to registration and we will be happy to work with you.
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 per 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.
Prizes
Trophies will be awarded to the top 3 teams after each tournament and the very best individual with the highest average Points per Game overall at each tournament. The eight or so high scorers at each tournament will be awarded small prizes. We may add additional prizes at our discretion.
Fees
The fee structure is as follows:
- $100 per team per tournament
- $50 additional per team per tournament 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 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:
In order to register, fill out this form. Once you receive a confirmation from us, you are officially registered.
Out-of-state teams may not play at any Regional Tournament. In-state teams can play at any regional they would like, though we recommend following the map above.
Please ensure that you register prior to the day of the tournament! Registration closes one week prior to the 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.