Rules

TL;DR

When is it: Saturday, 4 July 2026, 9 AM–1 PM

Where is it: SBL is conducted on our online platform.

Who can join: SBL is open to all pre-university students in Singapore (Junior College/Millennia Institute/Polytechnic/ITE/International Equivalent). Eligible participants may register in teams of 3–5 members.

Points can be earned from three events: Main Problems, Reflex Ark, and Adrenaline Rush.

1. Main Problems will be accessible throughout the contest (except during Reflex Ark), and contain problems, each consisting of several questions. Each team may work on up to four Problems concurrently, and unlock a new one after completing a Problem. Participants have up to three attempts per question, with a cooldown period of 30 seconds after each incorrect attempt on a question. Fewer points will be awarded with each attempt. Partial credit is given after 3 attempts for multiple statement questions.

2. Reflex Ark (RA) is a synchronous bonus event that starts at 1000, during which Main Problems are not accessible. Teams get 15 minutes to explore an RA Problem, then compete in a quiz-style showdown where faster correct answers earn more Na⁺ ions, which are converted to points at the end of the segment.

3. Adrenaline Rush (AR) is a time-limited bonus event accessible from 1100 to 1150. Participants answer Multiple Choice Questions in three AR Problem grids of different difficulty. Only one attempt per question is allowed, and only up to four AR Problems can be open at any time.

What is allowed: Communication within the team and open-book aids such as textbooks, study notes, the internet and computer software.

What is NOT allowed: Communication with people outside the team.

Key Info

1. Timing: Saturday, 4 July 2026 from 0900 to 1300 (UTC+8, SGT)

2. Venue: SBL is an online contest conducted on a proprietary online platform accessible from the official SBL website (https://sgbioleague.org).

3. Eligibility: SBL is open to all students currently enrolled in a pre-university institution in Singapore (Junior College/Millennia Institute/Polytechnic/ITE/International Equivalent).

4. Syllabus: All fields of modern Biology may be covered. Participants may refer to the Campbell Biology textbook for comprehensive foundational knowledge (You may refer to it even during the contest). Participants may refer to the International Biology Olympiad syllabus for reference.

5. Preparation: Participants are encouraged to read widely beyond a foundation in high school Biology / International Baccalaureate / GCE Advanced Levels / Advanced Placement-level Biology.

Registration

Eligible participants may register in teams of 3–5 members. Teams can include eligible persons from different schools and different grades/levels/years.

Registration will be conducted through the SBL online registration form on our website. Teams should ensure the accuracy of the contact details furnished as important correspondences will be directed to their provided email addresses.

Teams must come up with a team name of no more than 30 characters. Obscene, hateful and offensive team names will not be tolerated and teams may be asked to change their team name or be disqualified from the competition.

Contest Format and Scoring

The contest will consist of Main Problems, Reflex Ark, and a 50-minute bonus event Adrenaline Rush.

Main Problems

Main Problems will be accessible throughout the contest (except during Reflex Ark), and contain Problems of incremental difficulty. Each Problem may in turn contain several independently-scored questions of various types.

Each team may work on up to four Problems concurrently. After completing a Problem, the team may select one new Problem to attempt from among the four options provided.

Participants are to answer each question in sequential order, and are allowed up to three attempts per question, with a cooldown period of 30 seconds after each incorrect attempt on a question. Submissions will be graded instantly.

There are seven types of questions:

1. Single statement questions:

   1. Multiple Choice: Participants must select one correct option out of several provided.
   2. Multiple Response: Participants must select all correct options out of the several provided.
   3. Short Answer: Participants must enter a single word, phrase or textual string. Extra characters or words will render the submission incorrect.
   4. Numeric Response: Participants must answer with a numeric figure correct to 3 significant figures, unless otherwise specified.

2. Multiple statement questions:

   1. True-False Set: Participants must indicate whether each statement in the set provided is true or false.
   2. Matching: Participants must match the given options to a list of statements.
   3. Short Answer Set: Participants must answer a set of short answer questions or numeric response questions in a table.

For multiple statement questions, a hint of the number of statements correctly answered will be given after an incorrect 2^nd attempt.

The following scoring system will be applied to all questions. No partial credit will be awarded except for questions with multiple statements.

¹ The partial question points scores are calculated from the fraction of correctly answered statements for Matching and Short Answer Set questions. For example, if the maximum points awardable score for a question is 60, and only 4 of 6 statements are correctly answered on the 3^rd attempt, the number of points awarded is 40% × 60 points × 4/6 = 16 points.
For True-False Set questions, partial points are calculated from the fractional value of correctly answered statements above half, then normalised. For example, if the maximum points awardable for a question is 40, and only 3 of 4 true-false statements are correctly answered on the 3^rd attempt, the number of points awarded is 40% × 40 points × (3/4 - 1/2) × 2 = 8 points. Getting no more than half the true-false statements correct will mean getting the question wrong.

A sample problem with all seven types of questions can be found on our website.

Reflex Ark

Set sail on the Reflex Ark (RA) and explore new biology concepts you've likely never seen before, then test your reflexes against other teams in a quiz-style showdown — fastest fingers win!

The Reflex Ark will dock at 1000, and all participants will automatically board the Reflex Ark. Main Problems will not be accessible during the Reflex Ark segment.

The Reflex Ark is a synchronous format. There will be two Reflex Ark Problems for all teams to solve, and all teams will simultaneously work on the same Problem. Each Problem contains background information on a selected topic in biology, and 20 questions during the showdown.

Preparation

Teams will be given 15 minutes during the Preparation phase to explore and learn about the topic. The RA Problem is split into four sections that each cover a different part of the overall topic. Teams are encouraged to divide and conquer the Problem!

The RA Problem itself does not contain any questions to solve — questions are reserved for the Showdown phase.

Showdown

After the Preparation phase, all teams synchronously move on to the Showdown phase. The Showdown phase has five rounds, and each of the first four rounds consists of four questions related to the corresponding section of the RA Problem.

The Final Round consists of four questions worth double points related to the entire RA Problem.

During each round of the Showdown phase, the text of the question will appear on every participant's screen. After some time, the options of the questions are revealed. Once the options are revealed, teams have 5, 10, 15, 20 or 30 seconds to submit their answers — the faster you answer, the more Na⁺ ions you earn!

Any team member may submit an answer. Only the first answer from each team received by our servers will be counted. Communication between team members is key!

After each round of four questions, there will be a short intermission showing the answers with a short explanation, as well as the Na⁺ ion leaderboard! See how you fare against the other teams, and aim for the top!

Questions and Na⁺ ions

All teams begin with some Na⁺ ions.

During the Showdown phase, there are two types of questions that may be asked:

1. Multiple Choice: Participants must select one correct option out of several provided.
2. Multiple Response: Participants must select all correct options out of the several provided.

The quicker the question is answered, the more Na⁺ ions you stand to gain or lose.

Teams that submit a wrong answer will lose Na⁺ ions. Teams may use the Skip button if they are unsure about the answer, for no penalty in Na⁺ ions.

Teams that do not submit an answer for a question will not lose Na⁺ ions.

Your team may lose 3 Na⁺ ions from time to time. Teams are encouraged not to be alarmed, as this is a natural phenomenon indicating that your axons are functional. Teams may find solace knowing that they earn 2 K⁺ ions simultaneously, however, the number of K⁺ ions a team has will not be shown on screen.

After the Reflex Ark

The Na⁺ ions that your team earns will be proportionally converted to points at the end of the Reflex Ark segment.

All participants will automatically exit the Reflex Ark, and Main Problems will be accessible again.

Adrenaline Rush

Adrenaline Rush (AR) is a time-limited bonus event from 1100 to 1150 for teams to earn additional points by solving AR Problems.

There are three Problem grids of different difficulties, rated as Easy, Medium, or Hard. Each Problem grid comprises 20 AR Problems across 5 categories, each AR Problem containing a single Multiple Choice Question. The five categories are:

1. Animal Anatomy and Physiology
2. Plant Anatomy and Physiology
3. Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Cell Biology
4. Genetics and Evolution
5. Ecology, Ethology, Biosystematics

On selecting an AR Problem, teams must work through the grid in any order with up to 4 questions open at any given time. Unlike Main Problems Multiple Choice Questions, AR Problems’ questions will only allow one attempt each. If the answer is incorrect, the correct answer will not be revealed.

The following scoring system will be applied to AR Problems:

On completing an AR Problem, teams may select a new AR Problem of Easy, Medium or Hard rating.

A sample with five AR Problems can be found on our website.

Live Leaderboard

A live leaderboard will be available to rank teams according to their points. In the event of a tie, the team who reached that number of points earlier will be ranked higher.

The live leaderboard will be disabled during the first 15 minutes and last 30 minutes of the contest.

The live leaderboard may not reflect the most current points during the contest. The released leaderboard standings published by the SBL Organising Team on our website after the contest and after the appeals window shall be taken to be the final results of the contest.

Results

Teams are ranked based on the total points earned throughout the whole contest period. In the event of a tie, the team who reached that number of points earlier will be ranked higher.

A draft of the results will be released shortly after the contest day. An appeal window, to be specified by the SBL Organising Team, will be opened for queries and requests for remarking subject to the discretion of the SBL Organising Team.

A final version of the official results will be released after the conclusion of the appeals window. No further enquiries will be entertained, and all points scores and awards issued will be final.

Awards

The awards are determined according to the cutoffs below, where n is the number of teams, and ⌈n⌉ is the ceiling function:

Conduct of the Contest

Participants may sign into the Official SBL Platform from 0840 on the day of the contest. The contest will commence promptly at 0900 and end at 1300. Should there be any delays to the contest, announcements will be made on the official SBL Discord Server.

Main Problems will be accessible throughout the contest (except during Reflex Ark) and contains Problems, each of which may in turn contain several questions. Each team may work on up to four Problems concurrently. Upon the completion of a Problem, the team may select one new Problem to attempt from among four options provided.

At 1000, all teams will automatically board the Reflex Ark (RA). Main Problems will not be accessible during the Reflex Ark segment. After the Reflex Ark concludes, teams will automatically exit and Main Problems will be accessible again.

From 1100 to 1150, Adrenaline Rush (AR) Problems will be made available for teams to attempt independently of and concurrently with Main Problems. AR Problems range from Easy, Medium or Hard, and each comprises a grid of 20 modified Multiple Choice Questions. Points earned on AR Problems will be added to the overall team points.

In the event of technical difficulties, disruptions to the contest, suspected errata or inaccuracies in grading, participants are to raise a Support Ticket on the official SBL Discord Server or email us at contact@sgbioleague.org. Requests for clarification, explanations or translations of biological terms, diagrams and concepts will not be entertained

Participants' Code of Conduct

Participants may confer with their team members for the duration of the contest, and are allowed the use of open-book aids and sources of information including but not limited to:

• Computational aids (Scientific and Graphing Calculators)
• Computer programs (Microsoft Excel, Wolfram Mathematica, Desmos, Python, MATLAB etc.)
• The internet, Internet websites, and services available through Internet websites including Artificial Intelligence-enabled query services
• Digital and printed matter (Notes, Textbooks, Research Papers)

The above-mentioned list should not be construed as prescriptive or exhaustive, and that this does not amount to an endorsement, advertisement or warranty of claim of named items. Participants agree that they must access such sources of information in compliance with the other stipulations of the Participants’ Code of Conduct.

Participants undertake not to communicate with persons outside the members of their team for the duration of the contest, and agree not to share information with or collaborate with other teams. Participants must take reasonable precautions against the unauthorised access by third parties to team communications, contest materials and their answers. Such reasonable precautions include but are not limited to measures such as:

• Ensuring team communications are conducted in private rather than on a public forum
• Preventing members of other teams and other unauthorised persons from eavesdropping on physical communication
• Abstaining from collaboration with other teams

Participants shall avoid acting in a manner prejudicial to the smooth conduct of the SBL and shall refrain from actions that harm fair play and the integrity of the SBL including but not limited to:

• Libel, slander and harassment
• Actions, intentional and unintentional, that disrupt the smooth operation of SBL
• Verbal, Physical and Digital communications that malign the image of the SBL, SBL Organising Team, and members thereof

Participants shall act in good faith in compliance with statute laws of the Republic of Singapore. Particularly, participants undertake to use the platforms, software, websites and other digital products and services provided by the SBL Organising Team responsibly and in compliance with the Computer Misuse Act 1993 whereunder such offences are criminalised:

• The unauthorised access to and manipulation of computer material
• The conduct or abetment of Denial of Service Attacks
• The unauthorised use or interception of computer services

The SBL Organising Team adopts a zero-tolerance approach to breaches of the Participants’ Code of Conduct.

The SBL Organising Team reserves the right to penalise or disqualify participants and teams deemed to have breached the Participants’ Code of Conduct, or otherwise harm the integrity of the SBL and engage in conduct unbecoming of a participant of SBL even if not specified under the Participants’ Code of Conduct, and refer such persons to their schools for disciplinary action.