March 18, 2025

By Luciana Calle, WSG Science Communications Fellow

On March 1, Washington Sea Grant (WSG) held the 2025 Orca Bowl Competition, Washington state’s regional National Ocean Sciences Bowl® (NOSB) event. This day-long event brings high school students from across Washington to compete in teams of four through a round-robin competition style followed by a double elimination round. Students tackle questions in all areas of marine studies, including ocean-related physics, chemistry, biology, geology, policy and technology, through a series of multiple choice and short answer questions. This year, the team from Tacoma School of the Arts (SOTA) took home the first place title. 

Orca Bowl was held at the Fishery Science Building this year on the University of Washington Seattle campus, where teams checked-in and filled the room with energy as they headed off to their first rounds. After several rounds, the students refueled during lunch and strategized on how to approach the following rounds. Teams are expected to work collaboratively through team challenge questions and buzzer rounds to accrue points, often drawing on each other’s strengths. “I often rely on the strengths of my teammates, as each one of them specializes in a marine topic, which has been helpful when facing timed questions,” reflected Julia, Newport High School A team captain.

The first round of team challenge questions (TCQs) are typically quiet despite being a collaboration-heavy activity as teams whisper their thoughts to each other in fear of the other team listening on. Teams approached this challenge through different strategies, where some discussed and wrote on the captain’s sheet solely which was turned in at the end while others utilized their individual papers and discussed possible answers together. “I love that the students are more self-directed. [In preparation for the competition], they teach each other through presentations on various topics and lead club meetings which has helped the team become much stronger,” commented the coach for the Newport High School A team.

There was another mini competition on the side as volunteers participated in a costume contest and embraced the marine atmosphere through vibrant headpieces and costumes, ranging from seagulls to jellyfish. Volunteers also kept the competition light-hearted as one set of judges incorporated marine fun facts during the buzzer tests and asked true or false questions for each contestant. The contestants kept up this friendly competition by demonstrating good sportsmanship to each other and wishing each other good luck in the rounds ahead of them.

The competition overall is a great opportunity for high school students to gain exposure to the breadth of marine topics they can encounter and later study in college. Many of the questions tested their conceptual knowledge while actively applying their knowledge to pressing challenges such as climate change and ocean acidification. The style of the questions alone builds their analytical skills as they analyze graphs on whale feeding behavior and perform simple mathematical calculations on ocean navigation — all of which are essential skills to have as a developing marine scientist. Students also build their leadership skills through the role as a captain and are given the space to form connections with students outside their respective schools. 

In the end, Tacoma School of the Arts (SOTA) surprised everyone by winning the entire competition after starting in last place at the beginning of the elimination rounds. They will be moving forward to participate in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) finals held virtually this year from May 17-18 with the theme: “Sounding the Depths: Understanding Ocean Acoustics.” Friday Harbor High School took second place and the Slush team (our mixed team with students from different schools) left with 3rd place.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to our regional and national sponsors, the Washington Sea Grant staff and all our volunteers who helped make this event possible.

2025 Regional Sponsors: 

• National Ocean Sciences Bowl 
• Washington Sea Grant
• Seattle Aquarium 
• Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies
• School of Oceanography 
• School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
• Washington OceanCare Alliance
• San Juan Cruises
• Marine Stewardship Council

2025 National Sponsors:

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration 
• Schmidt Ocean Institute 
• The Curtis & Edith Munson Foundation
• Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
• National Marine Educators Association 
• IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society 
• Department of Navy Science & Technology 

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Washington Sea Grant, based at the University of Washington, helps people and marine life thrive through research, technical expertise and education supporting the responsible use and conservation of coastal ecosystems. Washington Sea Grant is one of 34 Sea Grant programs supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in coastal and Great Lakes states that encourage the wise stewardship of our marine resources through research, education, outreach and technology transfer.

wsg.uw.edu

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