NSMQ 2026: Bright SHS Stuns Amaniampong, Chemu SHTS to Reach Historic Semi-finals!

Main Auditorium - September 1, 2026 The final day of the Quarter-finals of the 2026 National Science & Maths Quiz (NSMQ) delivered a closely contested battle at the Main Auditorium of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), with Amaniampong Senior High School, Chemu Senior High Technical School and p Bright Senior High School, the only private school competing for a spot at the Semi-final Stage.

Bright SHS entered the One-eighth Stage as a Top Runners-Up from the Preliminary Stage, having scored 48 points. After defeating seeded Ghana Secondary Technical School (GSTS) and Presby Senior High Technical School, Aburi, to reach the Quarter-finals, the Eastern Region school was bidding to go beyond the One-eighth Stage for the first time.

The contest began with Round One, General Questions, with Amaniampong SHS taking an early lead with 18 points, followed by Chemu SHTS on 11 points and Bright SHS on 10 points.

The Trustur AI Speed Race in Round Two kept the contest close, as Amaniampong SHS and Chemu SHTS both added 14 points, while Bright SHS earned 12 points.

In Round Three, the Prudential Life Insurance NSMQ Star, Problem of the Day, Chemu SHTS led with 16 points, followed by Amaniampong SHS with 15 points and Bright SHS with 14 points.

The pressure intensified in Round Four, Jupay Money Transfer True/False, with just one point separating the three schools. Chemu SHTS led with 23 points, followed by Amaniampong SHS with 22 points and Bright SHS with 21 points, setting up a tense final round.

Bright SHS then produced its strongest performance in Round Five, the GOIL Super Bonanza, scoring 27 points to edge Chemu SHTS, which earned 26 points, while Amaniampiong SHS scored 22 points. The one-point difference was enough to send Bright SHS into the Semi-final Stage for the first time in the school’s history.

Chemu SHTS and Bright SHS also earned GH₵500 and GH₵1,000, respectively, in the GOIL Super Bonanza.

The victory marked a major milestone for Bright SHS, which had never progressed beyond the One-eighth Stage before this year. The school has now advanced from the Preliminary Stage to its maiden Semi-final appearance.

The achievement also marked a change in fortunes between Bright SHS and Amaniampong SHS. Amaniampong reached the Semi-finals for the first time last year after securing seeded status, but despite returning this year to defend that position, the school’s campaign ended in the Quarter-finals.

For Chemu SHTS, the contest also brought an end to a determined attempt to return to the seeded ranks after several years. The school had fought its way to the Quarter-finals with the opportunity to regain its former status, but Bright SHS’s final-round surge ended that challenge.

Coordinator for Bright SHS, Franklin Ebo, reflected on the contest and admitted that the competition was far from easy, particularly at the beginning. He acknowledged that the team faced a “very tight competition” but remained confident in his contestants’ ability to turn things around.

“I trusted my guys and knew that we were going to win, and we won,” he said.

With confidence high, he declared that the team is aiming for the ultimate stage of the competition. “We are going to the finals straight away,” he said, adding that the team is ready to overcome whichever school they encounter in the next stage.

The Round-by-Round Scores for this contest stood as follows: ROUND 1 – General Questions Amaniampiong SHS – 18 points

Chemu SHTS – 11 points

Bright SHS – 10 points

ROUND 2 – Trustur AI Speed Race

Amaniampiong SHS – 14 points

Chemu SHTS – 14 points

Bright SHS – 12 points

ROUND 3 – Prudential Life Insurance NSMQ Star, Problem of the Day

Chemu SHTS – 16 points

Amaniampiong SHS – 15 points

Bright SHS – 14 points

ROUND 4 – Jupay Money Transfer True/False

Chemu SHTS – 23 points

Amaniampiong SHS – 22 points

Bright SHS – 21 points

ROUND 5 – GOIL Super Bonanza

Bright SHS – 27 points

Chemu SHTS – 26 points

Amaniampiong SHS – 22 points

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 and YFM.