What do Donald Trump, contaminated water and SpongeBob SquarePants have in common?
It sounds like the start of a joke, but in fact, they all featured in the Otago Daily Times Extra! Otago years 5, 6, 7 and 8 current events quizzes, held at Bathgate Park School, in Dunedin yesterday.
There was extreme emotions in the final round of the years 7 and 8 competition, where Tahuna Intermediate No 3 and Dunedin North Intermediate No 2 were tied on the maximum 100 points out of 100.
Unfortunately, there could only be one winner, and after a ''quiz-off'', the Tahuna team was announced as the winners, Dunedin North Intermediate were runners-up, and Tahuna Intermediate No 4 third with 97 points.
Quiz co-ordinator and Extra! editor Ivan Behrnes said it was the first time in the competition's history two teams had tied on 100 points at the end of the final round.
''Each year, they're getting better and better. The standard just keeps going up.''
As a result, Mr Behrnes said he was having to make the questions harder each year, to keep up with the increasing knowledge of the competitors.
Tahuna No 3 team members Peter Blaikie (12), Emily Gray (11) and Lachie Penrose (13) said they got lucky when answering the winning question: What country does President Rodrigo Duterte lead?
''It was Emily who answered the Philippines,'' Peter said.
The years 5 and 6 competition was won by Maori Hill School No 1 with 97 points, following a tie-breaker with George Street Normal School No 6. Kaikorai School No 3 was third on 93.
For Maori Hill School pupils Zac Cumming (11), Amelie Warlow (11) and Simon Macknight (9), the tie-breaker was a nail-biting climax to the competition.
Zac said it was the first time Maori Hill School had won the competition, and his team was both relieved and amazed they beat the George Street Normal School team, which had a proud history of winning the competition in past years.
The teams were quizzed on topics such as maps, flags, history and current events and asked to identify famous people from photos and verbal descriptions.
The years 9 and 10 competition will be held at Kaikorai Valley College this afternoon.
The event was run by the Otago Daily Times, through Extra!, its monthly Newspapers in Education publication for primary, intermediate and junior secondary school pupils.
