ESA Linnaean Games Competition
The ESA Linnaean games are a lively question-and-answer,
college bowl-style competition on entomological facts played between
university-sponsored student teams. It is an important and entertaining
component of the ESA Annual Meeting. Each team is comprised of four players. The
teams score points by answering questions correctly. The winning team wins an
inscribed trophy cups for each team member and a plaque for the team's department.
The runners-up win a certificate for each team member and a plaque for the team's
department. In addition to the national game, the ESA
Branches conduct their
own Linnaean game competitions at their yearly meetings. The winning Branch
team goes on to the national competition. Some Branches send runners-up as well.
Previous Winners
For previous winners of the ESA Linnaean games, please click
here.
Team Members
Any student wishing to participate in the games is eligible
to do so as long as he/she is in a degree program (B.S., M.S., or Ph.D.) or has
completed a degree within one year prior to the contest. Students should
contact their departments of entomology directly to join a team.
Substitute Team Members
At the end of each game, teams may substitute designated
alternates, allowing every student sent by his/her department a chance to
participate. In the event that an alternate was not pre-designated prior to the
annual meeting and a regular member cannot participate, the team must compete
without the services of that team member.
Competition Questions
Points are scored by correctly answering questions asked by
the moderator. The two types of questions are Toss-ups and Bonuses with each
question worth 10 points.
Each round begins with a Toss-up question. The first player
to signal answers the question. He/she must do so without consultation with
other team members. No player should volunteer an answer to a Toss-up until
recognized by the moderator as the eligible respondent. If no player signals
within 10 seconds of completion of the question, the next Toss-up question
begins.
If a player answers a Toss-up correctly, the team is awarded
10 points and is given a chance at a Bonus question. All team members may
confer on the answer to the Bonus question. The captain will act as
spokesperson for the team, and his/her answer will be the official one. On the
turnover, a player must signal and be recognized before answering. If a player
answers a Toss-up wrong, the question is turned over to the other team. If
answered correctly, 10 points are awarded.
A player may interrupt the moderator before a Toss-up
question has been completely read by signaling. If a correct answer is given,
the team scores 10 points and is given a chance at a Bonus question. If
an incorrect answer is given, the team is penalized five points and the entire
question is repeated for the other team. A correct answer by a member of the
other team scores 10 points and a chance at a bonus question.
A game consists of 16 Toss-up questions. The team with the
most points at the end of the game is the winner. If the score is tied at the
end of the regulation game, the tie is broken by a sudden-death playoff. The first
correct answer to a Tie-Breaker Toss-up question wins the game. An incorrect
answer through an interruption (an answer given before question completely
read) to a Tie-Breaker loses the game.
Questions and answers are prepared by the ESA Linnaean Games
Advisory Committee. Toss-up questions are categorized according to the
following subject areas: Apiculture, Biological Control, Ecology, Economic
Entomology, Medical and Veterinary Entomology, Physiology and Biochemistry,
Taxonomy and Toxicology. Bonus questions can come from any area of entomology
but will draw heavily on the areas of history and people. On the average, two
Toss-up questions in each game will come from each subject-area category.
Team Pairings
The champion team will be determined by tournament format in
which pairings are drawn at random.