What strong teams achieve
Top teams from the China National Round advance to the NEC Global Finals and earn national recognition. Here are recent highlights, the honours on offer, and the schools that have led the field.
A standout season
Teams that reached the global stage
In a recent season, 13 teams from the David Ricardo and Adam Smith divisions advanced to the NEC Global Finals — six from Adam Smith and seven from David Ricardo.
- Adam Smith: a team ranked 9th nationally, with Gold, Silver and Bronze overall awards
- David Ricardo: teams secured 2nd and 3rd place nationally
- Quiz Bowl: 1st place overall
The honours on offer
Teams are recognised at three tiers on overall performance, with separate honours for the Quiz Bowl and for individuals.
Gold
Awarded to the top overall teams on combined performance across the four components.
Silver
Strong overall results — teams competing closely at the top of the field.
Bronze
Recognises excellent overall team performance across the season.
Plus a Quiz Bowl championship for the live head-to-head round, and individual awards for top scorers (for example on the Qualifying Test).
Top overall team score — 2024–2025 NEC Global Finals
Our coaches are NEC-certified mentors and competition judges. In the 2024–2025 season they guided an Adam Smith Division team to the number-one overall team total at the NEC Global Finals.
A field of strong programmes
Recent award-winning teams have come from schools across China and Hong Kong, including:
Aiming for the podium?
Read how the format rewards balanced, well-prepared teams — then talk to our test center about a plan for the national and global rounds.
See the competition format →Common questions
What awards can teams win?
Gold, Silver and Bronze overall team awards, a Quiz Bowl championship, and individual top-scorer honours.
How do teams advance to the global finals?
Top teams from the national round advance to the NEC global finals.
How did recent teams perform?
In a recent season, 13 teams advanced to the global finals, with national 2nd and 3rd places in the David Ricardo division and a Quiz Bowl championship.