QuizKnock, led by Takuji Izawa, to Host 'High School Quiz Battle WHAT 2026' for High School Students and Below! Entries to Open in June

QuizKnock, operated by baton Inc. (Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director Yosuke Kinu), will host 'High School Quiz Battle WHAT 2026' (https://what.quizknock.com/), a quiz competition for high school students and younger.

'High School Quiz Battle WHAT 2026' is an individual quiz competition first held in 2022, marking its 5th anniversary this year. Last year, 2,278 junior and high school students entered, and 30 who passed the qualifiers gathered from across Japan to engage in fierce battles.

This year, similar to last year, the competition will be held over two days. On Day 1, all entrants will participate, and only those who win on Day 1 can proceed to Day 2. Day 1 will be held on Sunday, August 16th, in Tokyo, Osaka, and online. Day 2 is scheduled for Saturday, August 29th, at a venue in Tokyo.

This year, Takeru Azuma, a member of QuizKnock, has been appointed as the chairman of the competition. Additionally, the semi-finals and finals held on Saturday, August 29th, will be live-streamed on YouTube. As with last year, tickets for on-site viewing will also be sold. We hope that many people will enjoy WHAT, not only as participants but also as spectators.

Entries are scheduled to begin in June. Details will be announced at a later date.

## Message from Chairman Takeru Azuma

I am Takeru Azuma, serving as the chairman of WHAT2026.

I want WHAT to be a competition that makes people think, 'Quizzes are interesting.' This applies to both participants and spectators. I also want it to be a competition that makes participants think, 'I want to seriously challenge myself in this competition,' and makes spectators think, 'I want to seriously cheer on the participants.' The reason I say 'I want' is because these are still just my aspirations. Aspirations cannot be fulfilled by the chairman's power alone. The competition is shaped by dozens, hundreds, thousands of staff, spectators, and participants.

WHAT, which started in 2022, is now in its 5th year. I am the third chairman. However, even if the chairman changes, WHAT remains unchanged. I believe there is significance in continuing to exist without change.

Thank you for this year as well.