The 41th annual Illinois Masonic Academic Bowl is now underway.

The dates for this year’s tournaments are:
Saturday, February 22, 2025 for Sectional play throughout Illinois,
Saturday, March 8, 2025 for State Finals at Bloomington High School.

I, respectfully, ask that you not schedule other Masonic events on these two dates.
The Masonic Academic Bowl has had terrific growth over the years. Last year, 265 schools participated in 32 Sectional sites throughout Illinois. The goal is to continue to grow the tournament by involving more schools and more lodges.
The Committee encourages your Lodge to sponsor your local high school Scholastic Bowl Team in our tournament. Sponsorships are $150 per school. Please complete all information on the attached Lodge Remittance Form. Sponsorships are encouraged to be completed as soon as possible, but no later than January 10, 2025. Since this program is run through Grand Lodge Charities, all checks are payable to Illinois Masonic Charities Fund. Notice the money is sent to Grand Lodge in Springfield. Do not send a check to the school, to a committeeman, or to the chairman.
If your Lodge cannot afford the $150, please contribute what your Lodge can as all Lodges contributing will be listed on the website. Please follow the procedures on shared sponsorships and multiple sponsorships by Lodges as explained on the remittance form.
We also encourage you to contact your local high school (or high schools) Scholastic Bowl Coach and encourage him/her to enter the tournament. Remind him/her that the school pays no entry fee since the tournament is completely funded by the Masons of Illinois. Schools will receive their invitation to participate via email after Labor Day. The coach of the high school team must register his/her team. A Lodge cannot enter a school in the tournament. If a coach has questions about the tournament, please direct him/her to our website (academicbowl.org) or to the chairman.
Finally, please have your Lodge represented at the Sectional Tournament on February 22, 2025 by multiple Masons. The Lodge cannot only earn credit for Award of Excellence planks, but it will show the students of your school that you support them and their hard work. One of the main reasons this program was started over 40 years ago was to get Masons and Masonry out of the Lodge and into the community. The Academic Bowl Tournaments are an excellent format to achieve that goal.
Our goal is to provide positive recognition for academic excellence. Your Lodge can do its part by promoting and participating in the program.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely & Fraternally,
Herman Albers
Chairman
Academic Bowl Committee