Rules & Scoring
How the contest works
Simple to play, brutal to win. Here are the mechanics, the scoring formula, and the side events.
The basics
Each hour, on the hour
Eight questions are read over the air every hour, for 54 consecutive hours. After each question, your team has the length of two songs to phone in your answer. You get one attempt per question — calling back to change your answer forfeits the points for that question.
As of 2026, each team receives a unique phone number for calling in answers. You’ll find your number in your New Trivia Times packet — walk-in teams get it at registration, mail-in teams get it with their shipped packet.
All rules are subject to change, depending on OZ.
Scoring
Fewer correct, more points
Each question's value depends on how many teams answered it correctly. Hard questions reward sharply; easy ones almost nothing.
| Teams answering correctly | Points each |
|---|---|
| 1 | 500 |
| 2 | 400 |
| 3 | 375 |
| 4 | 350 |
| 5 | 325 |
| 6 | 300 |
| 7 | 275 |
| 8 | 250 |
| 9 | 235 |
| 10 | 225 |
| 11 | 210 |
| 12 | 200 |
| 13 | 175 |
| 14 | 165 |
| 15 | 150 |
| 16 | 135 |
| 17 | 125 |
| 18–19 | 110 |
| 20–22 | 100 |
| 23–26 | 95 |
| 27–31 | 90 |
| 32–37 | 85 |
| 38–45 | 80 |
| 46–55 | 75 |
| 56–67 | 70 |
| 68–81 | 65 |
| 82–97 | 60 |
| 98–112 | 55 |
| 113–130 | 50 |
| 131–150 | 45 |
| 151–172 | 40 |
| 173–196 | 35 |
| 197–222 | 30 |
| 223–248 | 25 |
| 249–282 | 20 |
| 283–321 | 15 |
| 322–367 | 10 |
| 368 or more | 5 |
Each row is a threshold — for example, if 12 teams answer correctly, each earns 200 points; if 13–15 teams do, each earns the next tier down. Standings are updated live during the contest and read on-air at the top of each subsequent hour.
Side events
Beyond the regular hours
Three special challenges run alongside the main contest. They are how good teams pull away from great teams.
Trivia Stone
Solve clues hidden in the contest broadcasts to find three stamping locations around Stevens Point and the surrounding countryside. Stamps must be collected by 6:30 PM Sunday.
- 1 stamp50 pts
- 2 stamps150 pts
- 3 stamps300 pts
Running Questions
Saturday and Sunday at 7 AM. Questions whose answers require physically going somewhere in Stevens Point. Teams must answer in person within a reasonable travel radius.
Music Snippets
Three rounds throughout the weekend, each playing eight short song snippets. Identify them and submit by the deadline announced on-air.
Exact times for stones, music snippets, and the parade live on the Schedule page.
Trophies
What you play for
Trophies for first through tenth place are donated by Point Trophy. Past winners and full standings going back to 1997 live on the Archive.