The registrations have started for the National Inter-College Crossword Expedition (NICE) 2022. In a circular, the University Grants Commission (UGC) said that the NICE is scheduled to be held between March and August and will be conducted through both online (initial rounds) and offline mode (zonal and final rounds).
As per UGC, crosswords have a proven track record of being an excellent learning tool and, at the same time, provide a fun filled pastime. Introduced in competitive formats in 2013, solving cryptic crosswords has become not only a popular pastime but also mental training aid for thousands of students, professionals and even empty nesters.
“Keeping this is mind, it has been decided to introduce the crossword-solving-culture in institutes of higher education through a National Inter-College Crossword Expedition, a contest involving solving of cryptic crossword clues,” the UGC circular read.
Details:
1. Student/ Institutional Round
It will be held in online mode. A set of 10 clues will be posted every Sunday for 4 weekly contests at 10:30 am on crypticsingh.com starting from April 3 to April 24. The top two performers will constitute two-member teams that will represent institutions in the next level of the championship.
2. Zonal Round
It will consist of two rounds for each zone. In the preliminary written round, a maximum of 50 teams from the participating institutions belonging to the zone will compete at a designated host institution. Top six performing teams will compete in the on-stage round (Zonal Finals). The proposed number of zones is five: North. South. West, East and Northeast. The Zonal Finals will be held online. The top three teams would qualify from each Zone for the National Finals to be held in Delhi in July-August. The organizers may give wild card entries to some comparable teams, for the purpose of symmetry in the Grand Finale.
3. National Round
The final round will be held initially on a Round-Robin pattern so that teams get more than one chance to compete on stage. The quarter final, semi-final and the final would be held subsequently. Teams will qualify for quarter final on the basis of the Round-Robin league scores. Quarter final and semi-final would be on the knock-out basis.
Prizes And Certificates
The winning team of the National Round will receive a cash prize of Rs 25,000. Team members will also receive certificates and trophies. The Runner-up team of the National Round will receive a cash prize of Rs 20,000. Team members will also receive certificates and trophies. The 2nd Runner-up team of the National Round will receive a cash prize of Rs 15,000. The winning team members of the Zonal Finals will receive trophies and certificates.