Senior National Reading Champions Quiz
The Senior National Reading Champions Quiz is fortunate to benefit from the generous support of the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society.
About our Senior Quiz
Our brand new Senior National Reading Champions Quiz is part of the National Year of Reading 2026.
There will be 23 regional heats for the senior quiz delivered across the whole of the UK. The winners of the heats go on to compete in an amazing grand final event in London where one team will be crowned as senior National Reading Champions.
Who is the senior quiz for?
- Participating students must be aged between 11 to 14 years. This equates to year groups 7, 8 and 9 in England and Wales, 8, 9 and 10 in Northern Ireland and S1, S2 and S3 in Scotland.
- The quiz suits students who already read eagerly and widely; there is no set reading list.
- Questions are based only on fiction titles and include books for ages 5+ up to, and including, YA titles.
“I have a LAC who took part in the quiz. He is an avid reader and enjoys a range of genres. The quiz enabled him to shine in his knowledge, represent the school and have a real sense of ‘belonging’.”
Librarian, Northgate High School
How to take part in the Senior Quiz
If you're interested in taking part next year, read on to learn more about key information.
- Registration for the quiz opens in early December 2025
- Join our mailing list, and be sure that you've signed up on newsletter preferences for our regular Training and Resources newsletter, and/or ticked the box for occasional competitions updates
Regional heats key information:
- When: Regional heats take place from mid-February through to the end of March 2026
- Dates for your region will be clearly specified when booking opens
- Where: The majority of regional heats take place online. However, some regions are run as in-person events and you may need to plan accordingly.
- What happens if you can't make the date of your regional heat? If you cannot attend the date of your regional heat then there is a choice of three online cross-regional heats
- Entry cost: £25 per team
- 25 teams are allowed to compete in each heat
- Schools can book one or two teams into their regional heat
- Each team consists of four members
- Participants must be aged between 11 to 14 years and not turn 15 years old before 1 September 2026
Grand final information:
- When: The grand final will take place on Wednesday 20 May 2026
- Where: central London
Please note: a school information pack, practice questions, dates and times, as well as publicity material for use in school, will be made available when registration opens in December 2025.
“I loved the questions and testing my knowledge on books I knew. It got me really excited about reading.”
Student, Harris Academy Sutton
Get in touch with your questions
If you need further advice, have any questions about the quizzes or need our support, then please email NRCQ@literacytrust.org.uk
We look forward to meeting your teams in next year's National Reading Champions Quiz!
Our partner
National Literacy Trust Reading Champions is supported by ALCS.
Find out more about the National Reading Champions Quiz and Challenges.
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