JBQ District Finals 2026
We’re excited to conclude our Pen Florida JBQ season with our favorite competition of the year–District Finals! Teams from Jacksonville to Fort Myers will meet together to compete over God’s Word. There will be worship, bounce houses, Kona Ice, door prizes, awards, and quizzing to celebrate the end of our season. You don’t want your quizzers to miss out!
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
DATE & LOCATION. The 2026 Pen Florida District Final will take place on March 28th from 9:00am to 4:00pm at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida.
TEAM ELIGIBILITY. Achiever, Searcher, and Rising Star divisions are encouraged to participate in the Pen Florida District Final.
ROSTERS. Teams participating in the District Final must assign teams using their January 2026 rosters. Changes may be made to team names. Changes may only be made to the team roster in extenuating circumstances with the district coordinator’s approval. The registration deadline for the 2026 Pen Florida District Final is February 8th. Parents/guardians must sign a waiver for participating quizzers.
QUESTION SETS. The NLT Bible Fact-Pak Translation is to be used for all questions and answers. All sections will be asked in all divisions.
GUIDELINES. The National JBQ Guidelines, the Pen Florida Guidelines, and the Serious 7 are enforced at the Pen Florida District Final. See these documents for rule clarifications and revisions.
LUNCH. Families may purchase lunch from the on-site food trucks or bring their lunches. Online ordering will begin Monday, March 23rd. Lunches will be available for purchase on the day of the event. Teams are prohibited from leaving campus for lunch.
TEAM PHOTOS. Teams must submit a team photo by March 1st. These photos will be used during the opening ceremony and on the awards plaques. Please ensure you follow these requirements when submitting your photo:
- Title your team photo with your team name and church name: for example, The Lions of Judah – Winter Haven Worship Center.
- Capture the photo in landscape format (horizontal)
- The photo resolution should be at least 1200×1800. Higher numbers will result in a clearer photo. You can check the resolution of your photo by checking the photo’s properties.
- Be sure the background of the photo is not white.
SEASON PHOTOS. Have pictures from this season? Please share them with us! These photos will be used in the opening ceremony. Season photo deadline is March 1st.
DEADLINES
February 8th
- Team registration
March 1st
- Team photo
- Seal recipients
- Season photos
March 15th
- Officials list
- T-shirt orders
March 23rd
- Lunch orders open
JBQ OFFICIALS
Officials are a MANDATORY requirement for all teams attending the District Final. Beginning this year, churches who do not have the required number of certified officials will be unable to participate. Churches who have both JBQ and TBQ must provide the required number of officials–no exceptions.
ACHIEVER DIVISION. Each Achiever division team must provide at least 2-certified officials, one of which is trained to quizmaster.
SEARCHER DIVISION. Each Searcher division team must provide at least 2-certified officials. If a church has more than 1 Searcher division team, more than 1 Rising Stars division team, or combination thereof, the church must provided a quizmaster for every two teams.
RISING STARS DIVISION. Each Rising Stars division team must provide at least 1-certified official. If a church has more than 1 Searcher division team, more than 1 Rising Stars division team, or combination thereof, the church must provided a quizmaster for every two teams.
Please note–Though we try to place officials in the same flights as their family members and according to their individual preferences, this is NOT guaranteed. It is recommended that officials take both the general officials test and the scorekeeping test to be safe.
CODE OF CONDUCT
The Pen Florida District expects its parents, coaches, quizzers, and other audience members to demonstrate integrity, respect, and support for all other churches, teams, and participants. Failure to comply with the code of conduct will be cause for dismissal, and the offender will be asked to not return for the remainder of the JBQ season or possibly to the JBQ program. The following are expectations for all participants in the Pen Florida Junior Bible Quiz.
- All participants are expected to exhibit Christ-like character at all JBQ competitions. Overly competitive attitudes and obvious displays of rudeness or unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated.
- Teams are expected to arrive on time and stay for the entirety of the quizmeet, including the awards ceremony. While we understand that extenuating circumstances may arise, these situations should be infrequent.
- Teams are expected to follow the quizzing schedule as dictated by the league or district coordinator. Failure to do so may result in forfeiture.
- At the conclusion of a quiz match, teams should report immediately to their next quiz room so as to not delay the competition for other teams. Bathroom breaks or snack breaks should occur in between rounds when other teams are still quizzing.
- Teams or other participants should remain quiet in the hallways while other teams are quizzing so that they do not distract or impede the flow of a quiz match. Teams or participants who are consistently too loud and interrupt quiz matches will be subject to a team foul or potentially a forfeiture of the following round.
- Entering a quiz match once the quizmaster has declared the match open is prohibited. Participants who enter the room once the match has begun will subject their team to a foul. Only league and district coordinators and officials are permitted to enter and exit the room.
Individual & Team Awards
The Pen Florida District Final is a time to recognize all of the hard work and accomplishments of our quizzers. To do so, we need our church coordinators’ help! Please view the list of awards below to determine for which awards your quizzers may qualify.
The deadline to submit these forms is March 1st. No extension will be given.
Season Awards
50-IN-50 AWARD
Join the jubilee! Celebrate half a century of Junior Bible Quiz by snagging your 50-in-50 JBQ seal. Tackle 50 questions that showcase the heart and soul of JBQ. Commermorate 50 years of studying God’s word by earning a limited edition pin.
Bible Memorization Seals
Quizzers can earn awards for their Bible memorization. Please be sure to test your quizzers and fill out the form so that they can be rewarded for their hard work. Please note that once a quizzer has earned a specific seal, they may not earn it again.
Discover Seal
20 of 30 – 10 point questions
Searcher Seal
25 of 30 – 10 point questions
15 of 20 – 20 point questions
Achiever Seal
28 of 30 – 10 point questions
18 of 20 – 20 point questions
6 of 10 – 30 point questions
Master Seal
30 of 30 – 10 point questions
20 of 20 – 20 point questions
10 of 10 – 30 point questions
Bible Quoter Award
95 quotation question verses
Bible Excellence Award
571 of 576 questions
DIVISION PROMOTION
Rising Stars
Quizzers who scored an average of 50 points per match throughout the season or will be in 3rd grade at the start of the following season will receive a certificate.
Searcher
Quizzers who placed within the top 20% of quizzers in their league throughout the season or who have completed their 2nd season in JBQ will receive a certificate.
6th Grade
Quizzers who are completing their sixth grade year of JBQ will receive a promotion certificate and a free TBQ study guide.
LEAGUE AVERAGE TOP QUIZZERS
The top ten quizzers in the Achiever Division for the league season will receive an award. Scores are based on cumulative season average. 1st – 3rd place will receive a trophy while 4th – 10th place will receive medals.
District Final Awards
Flight of Champions Quizzers
Each quizzer in the Flight of Champions will receive a medal regardless of placement in the flight.
TEAM PLAQUE BY FLIGHT
Each team who participates in the District Final will receive a plaque with their team picture and team placement.
TOP QUIZZERS BY FLIGHT
Top quizzers in each flight at the District Final will receive an award.
Flight of Champions (Achiever Division Only)
The top 5 quizzers will receive an award. 1st – 3rd place will receive a trophy while 4th – 5th place will receive a medal.
All Other Flights
The top 3 quizzers in each remaining flight will receive a medal.
cOACH'S cORNER
Feeling anxious about the District Finals? Breathe easy! We’ve gathered all the essential information you need in one convenient spot, ensuring your teams are fully prepared for an unforgettable quizzing experience. Once registration closes on February 8th, check back often as new information will be posted regularly.
Have a specific question? Reach out to your league or district coordinator help!
The officials meeting will be the day of the District Final at the conclusion of the opening ceremony. All quizmasters and head coaches required to attend.
Looking for TBQ Information?
For information regarding the TBQ District Final, please click here.