Inter-School Scrabble Championship 2026 is the largest annual inter-school Scrabble competition in the year!. It provides a platform for both novice and experienced scrabble players to compete for the School Champion title.
Details
Primary Category
| Preliminary Round 1 | Preliminary Round 2 | Preliminary Round 3 | Grand Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 14 March 2026 | 21 March 2026 | To be confirmed | 27 June 2026 |
| Time | 09:00-13:00 (Registration starts at 08:45) | To be confirmed | 09:00-17:00 (Registration starts at 08:30) | |
| Venue | Tung Chung Catholic School | HKMA K S Lo College | To be confirmed | Methodist School |
All primary schools in Hong Kong are eligible to send a team of 3 to 5 players from Primary 1 to 6.
Secondary Category
| Preliminary Round 1 | Preliminary Round 2 | Preliminary Round 3 | Grand Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 14 March 2026 | 21 March 2026 | To be confirmed | 27 June 2026 |
| Time | 09:00-13:00 (Registration starts at 08:45) | 13:00-17:00 (Registration starts at 12:45) | To be confirmed | 09:00-17:00 (Registration starts at 08:30) |
| Venue | Tung Chung Catholic School | HKMA K S Lo College | To be confirmed | Methodist School |
All secondary schools in Hong Kong are eligible to send a team of 3 to 5 players from Secondary 1 to 6. Each team should contain at least one player from Secondary 1 to 3.
Format
| Preliminary Rounds | Grand Final | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Games | 3 games | 5 games |
| Pairing System | Australian Swiss Draw and King of the Hill (KOTH) for last round (Players from the same school will not play against each other) |
|
| Challenge Rule | Free Challenge | 5-point unsubstantiated challenge penalty |
| Time allowed | 25 minutes per player | |
| Dictionary | Collins Official Scrabble Words 2024 (CSW24) | |
| Rules | WESPA rules version 5.1 | |
The Championship will be HKSPA-rated.
Mechanism
The school will get school point(s) after each of the preliminary rounds according to the following table.
| School Ranking in the Preliminary Round | School Point(s) |
|---|---|
| 1st | 10 |
| 2st | 9 |
| 3rd | 8 |
| 4th | 7 |
| 5th | 6 |
| 6th | 5 |
| 7th | 4 |
| 8th | 3 |
| 9th | 2 |
| 10th or onwards | 1 |
The top 8 primary schools and top 8 secondary schools with the highest cumulative school points will be promoted to the Grand Final. If more than one school rank at the 8th place, all the schools with the same cumulative score at the 8th place can also be promoted to the Grand Final.
Schools promoted to the Grand Final should join AT LEAST one of the preliminary rounds. Schools are NOT necessary to play in all preliminary rounds.
If schools would like to participate in multiple preliminary rounds, they may send different players to a particular preliminary round. However, NO changes of players are allowed among the games in the middle of the day.
Players shall participate in all games in a tournament day. Late arrival, early leave or forfeitting any games in the middle of the day are NOT permitted.
Prizes
| Preliminary Rounds (each day) | Grand Final | |
|---|---|---|
| School prizes | Winner Team 1st Runner-up and Team 2nd Runner-up Best New School |
Champion, 1st Runner-up and 2nd Runner-up |
| Individual prizes | Best New Player Most Valuable Player for each school |
Individual Champion, Individual 1st Runner-up, Individual 2nd Runner-up, High Word and High Game Most Valuable Player for each school |
- To compete for school prizes and Most Valuable Player Awards, each school must have at least three players participating in each round of the tournament.
- When calculating school ranking and awards, only the top 3 players from each school will be counted.
- Best New Player Award in Preliminary Rounds is eligible for players who are previously unrated in HKSPA Rating (including the provisional rating) on the day of the tournament.
- The Best New School Award in Preliminary Rounds is eligible for schools that have not participated in Inter-School Scrabble Championship after 1 March 2021. Each school may receive this award only once this year (across a total of 3 preliminary rounds).
Certificates
- Certificates of Participation will be issued to all participants separately for Preliminary Rounds and Grand Final.
- Certificates of Award will be issued to participants after the tournament for those participants with school and individual awards on request subject to the prevailing charges by the Association.
Enrollment
There is no entry fee for this tournament.
Enrollment will be served on a first-come-first-served basis and will be accepted on a school basis only. School teachers or coaches may sign up via the HKSPA Event Enrollment System. Please refer to the entry handout for the enrollment deadline. Primary school teachers should submit separate enrolment forms for Preliminary Round 1, Round 2 and Round 3.
| Preliminary Round 1 | Preliminary Round 2 | Preliminary Round 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Category | Enroll Here | Enroll Here | To be confirmed |
| Secondary Category | Enroll Here | Enroll Here | To be confirmed |
| Deadline | 5 March 2026 23:59 | 14 March 2026 23:59 | To be confirmed |
Other remarks
Change of players
- Before deadline: Please login to the HKSPA Event Enrolment Platform to submit the changes.
- After the deadline to one week before the tournament: Please send an email to the organiser and provide the details of the changes, including the justification. Subject to the organisers’ discretion, changes may be permitted. $50 administrative charge will be levied per name changed to cover the administrative cost and printing cost incurred.
- One week before the tournament: Changes are usually not permitted. In case the participant is sick, the school may request to replace the sick player at least one day in advance, provided that certification documents could be produced. The administrative charge related to change of players will be waived. However, Certificate of Participation will not be given on the day. If the new player requires one, the Association will charge an administrative fee for issuance of certificates. On the spot changes will not be entertained.
Absence
- Please let us know as soon as possible if you expect any player cannot attend the tournament for any reasons to facilitate our arrangement.
- Should a school team fail to send the minimum required number of players to the Championship on the day, the team and its members will be ineligible for all school prizes (including the MVP award) of the Championship.
Enquiries
Please contact us by email: info@hkscrabble.org.
Acknowledgement
We are grateful that Tung Chung Catholic School, HKMA K S Lo College and Methodist School offered us accommodation charges concession / waiver to make this event possible.
To maintain the fairness of the event, the venue providers are not responsible for any decisions regarding the tournament regulations and disciplinary actions during the championship.