The Kids' Lit Quiz is an annual

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

competition, in which teams of four students, aged 10 to 14, work together to answer wide-ranging literary questions. The winning team from each region competes in the national final. The winner of the national final is then invited to the World Final held annually in July or August. Since its inception in 1991, thousands of students have participated each year throughout the world. The quiz was created by Wayne Mills, a former educator at the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

, who wears a purple and black hat while hosting this literary quiz. In 2008 Wayne Mills was given the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal and Lecture Award to recognize his achievement in establishing the Kids' Lit Quiz. He was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queen's New Year's Honours in 2011 for meritorious services to education, specifically children's literature. In August 2018 he was granted Life Membership of Storyline's Children's Literature Trust and Foundation. In 2003 the quiz was brought to the UK where over 400 schools currently participate in the heats leading to the world final. This pattern is repeated in different countries around the world. The Kids' Lit Quiz motivates and inspires children to read a wide range of children's literature for pleasure from the classics to the contemporary, from nursery rhymes to comics, and from folk tales to myths. It offers children rewards they may not otherwise experience in the classroom setting. Currently the quiz takes place in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Nigeria, Canada, United States of America, Australia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore. Singapore was the first country in Asia to have the quiz.

World Finals

The 2004 world final was held on 20 June in Auckland, NZ and the winner was Dunblane High School from Scotland. The 2005 world final was held 11 June in Auckland, NZ and the winner was St Margaret's College from Christchurch, NZ. The 2006 world final was held 18 June in Auckland, NZ and the winner was St Margaret's College from Christchurch, NZ. The 2007 world final was held on 9 July in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, and the winner was Wellington College, Belfast. The 2008 world final was held on 10 July at the

Oxford Playhouse Oxford Playhouse is a theatre designed by Edward Maufe and F.G.M. Chancellor. It is situated in Beaumont Street, Oxford, opposite the Ashmolean Museum. History The Playhouse was founded as ''The Red Barn'' at 12 Woodstock Road, North Oxfor ...

in Oxford. The winner was

Arnold House School Arnold House School is a preparatory school for boys in the St John's Wood district of Westminster, Greater London. It consists of a Junior School (Years 1-4) and Senior School (Years 5-8). History Arnold House School was founded in 1905 by Miss ...

from London. The 2009 World Final was held on 3 August in Johannesburg, South Africa. The winner was

Bancroft's School Bancroft's School is a co-educational independent day school located in Woodford Green, London Borough of Redbridge. The school currently has around 1,000 pupils aged between 7 and 18, around 200 of whom are pupils of the Preparatory School a ...

from

Woodford Green Woodford Green is an area of Woodford in north-east London, England, within the London Borough of Redbridge. It adjoins Buckhurst Hill to the north, Woodford Bridge to the east, South Woodford to the south, and Chingford to the west. Epping Fo ...

, England. The runner-up team included singer-songwriter

Lorde Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde ( ), is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. Taking inspiration from aristocracy for her stage name, she is known for her unconventional musical styles and i ...

. The 2010 World Final was held on 14 August in the Performing Arts Centre at

Stewart's Melville College Stewart's Melville College (SMC) is an independent day and boarding school in Edinburgh, Scotland. Classes are all boys in the 1st to 5th years and co-educational in Sixth (final) year. It has a roll of about 750 pupils. The school is twinned w ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. The winner was the

City of London School for Girls (''O Lord Direct us'') , established = 1894 , closed = , type = Independent day school , religion = , president = , head_label = Headmistress , head = Jenny Brown , r_head_label = ...

. The 2011 World Final was held on 19 July at

Southwell School Southwell School, is an independent co-educational Anglican boarding and day school set in 32 acres of park like grounds in central Hamilton, New Zealand. Southwell offers education to children aged 5 to 13 years. A number of international stud ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. The winner was Manor Gardens Primary School from

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. The 2012 World final was held on 4 July at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. The winner was Awakeri Primary School from the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. The 2013 world final was held in

. The winner was

Roedean School (South Africa) Roedean School for Girls is a private English medium and boarding school for girls situated in the suburb of Parktown in the city of Johannesburg in the Gauteng province of South Africa. History The school was founded in 1903 by Theresa Law ...

from Johannesburg, South Africa. The 2014 world final was held in the Princess Pavilion, Falmouth, Cornwall, England. The winner was

. The 2015 world final was held on 8 July at the Central Connecticut State University, USA. The winner was

from New Zealand. The 2016 world final was held at the Aotea Centre, Auckland, New Zealand. The winner was

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

from New Zealand. The 2017 world final was held at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts, Ontario, Canada. The winner was St John's College from Johannesburg, South Africa The 2018 world final was held at St Kentigern Boys' School, Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand. The winner was Canberra Grammar School from Australia. The 2019 World Final was held at Sota School of the Arts in Singapore. The winner was Churchill Road Elementary School from the United States of America, with New Zealand and South Africa taking 2nd and 3rd. The 2020 World Finals was to be held at Hamilton, New Zealand but due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19 it was cancelled.

References

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External links

Kids' Lit Quiz official websiteCanadian websiteUK website
Reading (process) Student quiz competitions

World Finals

See also

References

External links