NSMQ 2026: AUGUSCO Books Semi-final Spot after Commanding Quarter-final Victory!

Main Auditorium - August 30, 2026

A charged atmosphere of clapping, dancing, singing of ‘jama’ songs and cheering on the contestants set the stage for the final Quarter-final contest of the day at the UCC Main Auditorium on Sunday evening.

Professor Elsie Effah Kaufmann, the long-serving NSMQ Quiz Mistress who is currently celebrating 20 years as Quiz Mistress, steered the Quarter-final contest between St John’s Grammar School, Aburi Girls’ SHS and two-time champions St Augustine’s College with her usual brilliance and composure.

St. Augustine’s College emerged as the winner of the three-school contest, securing a place in the Semi-finals of the 2026 National Science & Maths Quiz after a strong Quarter-final performance.

The Cape Coast-based school, also known as AUGUSCO, defeated Greater Accra’s St John’s Grammar School and Eastern Region’s Aburi Girls’ SHS, one of the two girls’ schools that progressed to the Quarter-final Stage of this year’s competition.

The contest began as a tight three-way battle in Round One, with no clear favourite emerging. At the end of the round, Aburi Girls’ SHS and St Augustine’s College were tied on 13 points each, while St John’s Grammar School had 11 points.

Round Two, the Trustur AI Speed Race, became a turning point for St. Augustine’s College as the two-time champions shifted the momentum of the contest, ringing the bell faster than their opponents and answering with precision. AUGUSCO added 17 points to move to 30 points, opening a 15-point lead over St. John’s Grammar School, who had 15 points. Aburi Girls’ SHS followed with 14 points.

It was a difficult Round Three for all three schools as they tackled the Biology question in the Prudential Life Insurance NSMQ Star, Problem of the Day. St John’s Grammar School topped the round with 3/10. Aburi Girls’ SHS, who had started the contest strongly, added just one point to move to 15 points overall. St Augustine’s College did not score in the round but maintained their lead on 30 points.

In Round Four, the Jupay Money Transfer True/False segment, the two-time champions answered most of the statements correctly to climb to 40 points and extend their lead. St John’s Grammar School also improved, moving from 17 to 24 points, while Aburi Girls’ SHS increased their tally from 15 to 22 points.

The final round, GOIL Super Bonanza, provided one last opportunity for the schools to change the outcome. AUGUSCO added seven points from the riddles, finishing on 47 points to secure their place in the Semi-finals amid loud cheers from their supporters in the auditorium.

St. John’s Grammar School closed the contest with 27 points, placing second, while Aburi Girls’ SHS ended the day with 25 points, ending their impressive and commendable campaigns in the Quarter-final Stage.

Both Aburi Girls’ SHS and St. John’s Grammar School ended their 2026 NSMQ journey with their heads held high with a cash prize of GH¢500 each for their excellent performance during the GOIL Super Bonanza round.

The victors of the day, St. Augustine’s College also won the GOIL Super Bonanza prize, worth GH¢1,000 in addition to the prestigious Pepsodent Highest Scorer Award worth GH¢3,000, as one of the two schools with the top score in all the three contests for the day.

Supporters of St. Augustine’s College described the win as a major boost and statement of intent ahead of the Semi-final Stage, recalling their first runner-up in both 2024 and 2025 behind Mfantsipim School, while fighting for a historic third NSMQ title.

The Round-by-Round Scores for this contest stood as follows:

Round One General Questions (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology)

St. Augustine’s College                          13

Aburi Girls’ SHS                                       13

St. John's Grammar Sch.                       11

Round Two (Trustur AI Speed Race)

St. Augustine’s College                          30

St. John’s Grammar Sch.                       15

Aburi Girls’ SHS                                      14

Round Three Prudential Life Insurance NSMQ Star (Problem of the Day)    

St. Augustine’s College                          30

St. John’s Grammar Sch.                       17

Aburi Girls’ SHS                                      15

Round Four (Jupay Money Transfer True/False) 

St. Augustine’s College                          40

St. John’s Grammar Sch.                       24

Aburi Girls’ SHS                                      22

Round Five (GOIL Riddle Bonanza)

St. Augustine’s College                          47

St. John’s Grammar Sch.                       27

Aburi Girls’s SHS                                     25

The 2026 edition of the National Science & Maths Quiz is produced by Primetime Limited and proudly sponsored by the Ghana Education Service (GES), with support from GOIL PLC, Joy News, Prudential Life Insurance Ghana, Pepsodent, Cowbell, Trustur AI, Jupay Money Transfer, Lumevax, GTP, SpinCiti Laundromat, Didi Jollof, Bel Beverages, Accra College of Medicine, Coronation Insurance Ghana, Academic City University, Baldwin University College and YFM.