Reader's Digest National Word Power Challenge
The Reader's Digest National Word Power Challenge is an annual vocabulary competition in the United States for youth in sixth, seventh, or eighth grade.
Competition
School
Competition begins at a school level. Typically, teachers give students 25-question multiple-choice tests. Classroom winners then compete with other classroom winners from the same grade to determine the school-wide grade-level champion. The school champion then takes a multiple-choice test which determines the top 100 students in the state.
State
The top 100 students are invited to state competition. There they are given 25 multiple-choice questions to determine the top ten. The top ten then go through a few rounds of questions to determine the state champion. The state champion gets to advance to National competition.
National
Students from every state, Washington, D.C., and one student from a Department of Defense school get to compete at the National level. The students take a 25-question multiple-choice test to determine the top 10 students. The top 10 compete for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in a nationally televised event. The moderator is a celebrity, and in the past it has usually been Al Roker.
Prizes
- All students at the state level are given treat bags
- The top 10 students at the state level are given Reader's Digest books
- All students at the national level are given treat bags
- All state winners are given free trips to the location of the national competition (usually Florida)
- Scholarships are given at the National level
- 1st place — $25,000
- 2nd place — $15,000
- 3rd place — $10,000