With a little more than 10 weeks to go until this year’s Wisconsin Civics Games, the WNA Foundation is excited to announce the four locations for this year’s regionals. Hosting the Friday, April 24, competitions will be UW-La Crosse, UW-Green Bay, UW-Madison and Marquette University.

Nearly 50 teams are signed up to participate.

The three highest-scoring teams from each regional will advance to compete in the state finals Friday, May 15, at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison. Members of the winning team will receive $2,000 scholarships to the Wisconsin college or university of their choice.

Regional location assignments and schedules can be found below. Early-round matchups will be randomly assigned at a later date.

If you have any questions regarding the Wisconsin Civics Games, please contact Jordan Schelling at jordan.schelling@wnanews.com.

• PROMOTE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: Join #CivicsForUS campaign on March 2
• SUPPORT THE GAMES: Become a sponsor, volunteer or make a contribution

About the Games

The Civics Games were launched by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation in response to declining civics education and participation in civic affairs.

A survey conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center found that only two in five American adults can correctly name the three branches of government. It showed that people who took high school civics — as well as those who were greater consumers of news — were more likely to know the answers to six key civics questions, including naming the branches of government.

Those with more knowledge of civic affairs are also more likely to be active, engaged citizens. As the number of individuals interested in public service declines, the WNA Foundation hopes the games help encourage the next generation to become active in local and state government. In 2017, three in five Wisconsin municipalities reported an average of 1 or fewer candidates for each village board or city council seat, according to the 2018 State of Wisconsin’s Cities and Villages, a report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum and the League of Wisconsin Municipalities.

The inaugural Wisconsin Civics Games — held in 2019 — drew more than 100 students from 25 schools across the state. Platteville High School students Jacob Sherer, Spencer Olds, Alex Sonsalla and Liam Reinicke were named the first-ever champions of the competition.

The 2020 Civics Games are sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association, the Evjue Foundation, WisconsinEye, the MG&E Foundation, the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges & Universities, the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, the Local Government Institute of Wisconsin, the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Towns Association and the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership.