The Kids' Lit Quiz is an annual literature competition, in which teams of four students, aged 10 to 13, 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, an educator at the University of Auckland, 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 2003 the quiz was brought to the UK where up to 400 schools currently participate in the heats leading to the world final. Although a £30,000 shortfall in May 2010 threatened the survival of the 2010 final, the funds were subsequently raised and the event continued as scheduled on the opening day of the Edinburgh International Book Festival with the City of London School for Girls declared the winners.
The Kids' Lit Quiz motivates and inspires children to read a wide range of children's literature 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, Canada, United States of America, and Australia.
Read more about Kids' Lit Quiz: World Finals
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