National Super Quiz Bee

In 1976, Rasty Tayag and the Philippine Department of Education (as the erstwhile Department of Education, Culture, and Sports) launched a nationwide elementary spelling contest dubbed the "1976 Spelling Bee Contest". It was known as the Quiz Bee the following year.

Since 1977, the Quiz Bee has been held annually. In that same year, Rasty M. Tayag registered the term "quiz bee" as a copyright and trademark with the Philippine Patent Office.^[5]

During the ASEAN Super Quiz Bees in 1979 and 1996, the Philippine history and culture category was expanded to include ASEAN history and culture.

In 1983, Rasty and Gay Tayag, in collaboration with several prominent figures in the field of education, established the Quiz Bee Foundation, with Carlos P. Romulo as founding chairman and Rasty M. Tayag as president.^[6] Apart from the organizers, the Founding Trustees were composed of:

• University of the Philippines President Edgardo Angara,
• Dr. Helena Benitez,
• Dr. Estefanía Aldaba - Lim,
• Atty. Efrenilo Cayanga,
• Metro Manila Governor Mel Mathay

With the passing of Carlos P. Romulo in 1990, Rasty Tayag assumed the position of Chairman of the Quiz Bee Foundation.

In 1993, in consonance with the Philippines 2000 program of President Fidel V. Ramos, the competition now included high school and college students, and the name was changed to the National Super Quiz Bee.^[7]

In 2005, the Philippine Daily Inquirer awarded life-sized masterpiece Guyito (carabao) fiberglass statues, sculpted by artist Juan Sajid Imao and decorated by the country's foremost painters, to 20 public high schools that ranked highest in the 26th National Super Quiz Bee.^[8]

Each artist was free to interpret that year's theme, "The Power of Knowing". The awarded schools and the painters who designed their Guyito were:

• Malang
• Ben Cabrera
• Soler
• Kidlat Tahimik
• Rex Tatlonghari
• Steve Santos
• Jack Salud
• Ernesto Patricio
• Lydia Velasco
• Fernando Sena^[1]
• Salvador Convocar
• Caa
• Bing Siochi
• Roel Obemio
• Tres Roman
• Wilfredo Offemaria
• Bin Samonte
• Jef Samonte
• Romeo Forbes
• Anton Balao

At the Ayala Museum, the student awardees, their teacher-coaches, school officials, and parents also mingled with the country's top industry leaders (Fernando Zobel de Ayala, Teresita Sy, Robina Gokongwei, Manny Pangilinan, Rico Tantoco, to name a few). They had front row seats to a concert with Lea Salonga (former Quiz Bee host) and the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra.

From January to May 2006, Inquirer representatives visited the 20 selected schools/cities to turn over the sculptures. In addition, a one-day Inquirer Campus Journalism Workshop was held at each school.

Throughout its existence, the National Quiz Bee has been hosted by numerous people, including the following. It is common for them to share a single episode, with one acting as quizmaster, while the other recaps scores and makes other announcements:

• Rowena Zulueta
• Eddie Lacsi
• Bingbing Josue
• Pettizou Tayag
• Atom Araullo
• Lea Salonga
• Spanky Enriquez
• Anthony Suntay
• Danny Fajardo

• Unlike other quiz competitions, the Quiz Bee assigned particular subject categories for each educational level:^[9]
• For the ASEAN and World Super Quiz Bees, the "Makabayan" category was expanded to include ASEAN and world culture, respectively.

• Any school recognized by DepEd was eligible to compete. It must field students who were enrolled in the school at the designated level when the season starts. Any student enrolled in the present school year from any private or public school, college, or university in the Philippines.^[9] Thus, Philippine schools abroad, which are recognized by DepEd, are technically ineligible.^[10]
• As is common in televised academic quiz formats in the Philippines, which promote the 'give-chance-to-others' concept, a student could become National Champion only once. If a student wins the elementary mathematics National Championship, they are not allowed to participate in any future Super Quiz Bee rounds (except for the Special Edition Quiz Bee, if held). This restriction also applies to teacher-coaches, even if they change students.

Summit of the Super Quiz Bee was a multi-day camp (usually 4 days) composed with tours, seminars, and fellowships for regional champions and respective teacher-coaches competing in the National Finals.^[11]

The National Finals competition was the highlight of the summit, during which the various contestants and their teacher-coaches dressed in traditional regional attire for the stage competition. A special prize is given to the Best in National Costume. The National Finals were open to the public.^[12]

For non-NCR regions, Division and Regional Eliminations are usually held at schools and DepEd offices within the region.

NCR District, Division, and Regional Eliminations are usually held in major shopping malls around Metro Manila and are televised.^[13]

The National Finals and the Summit of the Super Quiz Bees, plus the Special Edition Super Quiz Bees, have been held at the following locations:

Prizes for Regional Champions have been given at some point, although this is not consistent every year.^{[citation needed]}

Prizes for National Champions have slightly varied from year to year (depending on sponsorship). Example below is from the 28th National Quiz Bee (2007):^[45]

• Presidential trophy
• Gold medal
• PHP 100,000 worth of insurance
• PHP 70,000 worth of educational plan
• 32-volume encyclopedia set
• Multimedia computer system
• Mobile phone
• Gift packages

The National Super Quiz Bee does not give cash prizes.

In addition to the annual National Quiz Bee, the Quiz Bee has also organized ASEAN (in 1979 and 1996^[15][16]) and World (in 1990) Quiz Bees. National Champions of the immediately preceding National Quiz Bee represented the country against competitors from ASEAN member countries and from around the world, respectively.

There has also been a Quiz Bee for the Handicapped in 1988.^[46]

This list records the champions and runners-up from each category of the National and Special Super Quiz Bee. Champions are recognized first, followed by runners-up, who are acknowledged at the conclusion of the program. In later editions of the competition, runners-up were designated to assume the responsibilities of the champions if the latter were unable to represent the Philippines in subsequent contests, such as the Southeast Asia Regional Quiz Bee.

Due to limited documentation, only selected seasons and categories are currently available.

The National Super Quiz Bee is widely regarded as one of the longest-running and most influential academic competitions in the Philippines, helping promote a culture of academic excellence among Filipino students. Through its nationwide reach and multi-level format, the competition has served as a platform for identifying and developing young intellectual talent across various disciplines.

Several of its participants have gone on to achieve distinction in international academic and creative competitions. Notable former contestants include Farrel Eldrian Wu,^[49][50] who later earned recognition in international mathematics competitions, and Twinkle Imperial Mangi,^[51][52][53] who received recognition, publication and exhibition in an international socio-political art competition.

These achievements underscore the program's role as a training ground and a recognition for high-achieving students, and have been cited in various publications as evidence of its contribution to the development of academically and creatively inclined Filipino youth. The competition also played a significant role in popularizing academic quiz formats on Philippine television, blending education with entertainment and inspiring similar scholastic programs. Its longevity and continued relevance reflect sustained support from educational institutions, government agencies, and media organizations.^[54]

• List of programs broadcast by Studio 23
• List of programs broadcast by Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation