NSMQ 2026: “We Are Ready!” Amaniampong SHS, Mankranso SHS, Achimota School and St Augustine’s College Eye Quarter-finals

August 24, 2026

The stage is set, the contestants are ready, and the race for the Quarter-finals is on. The One-eighth Stage of the 2026 National Science & Maths Quiz (NSMQ) National Championship begins on Wednesday, August 26, as 27 seeded schools join 54 schools that advanced from the Preliminary Stage for three days of intense competition.

With 81 schools competing for just 27 places in the Quarter-finals, every contest carries significant weight. From Wednesday, August 26 to Friday, August 28, the schools will battle for a place in the next stage of the championship and keep their hopes of lifting the coveted NSMQ trophy alive.

As anticipation builds, the NSMQ Communications Team spoke to representatives of some of the arriving schools about their preparations, expectations and ambitions for this year's championship.

For many of the seeded schools, the One-eighth Stage presents both a fresh challenge and an opportunity to reaffirm their status among Ghana's top-performing science and mathematics schools.

St. Augustine's College Eyes Redemption Against Old Rival Mfantsipim

For St Augustine's College, the One-eighth Stage carries significance beyond the scoreboard. The school has lost back-to-back Grand Finales to Mfantsipim School, in 2024 and 2025, and that history remains a source of motivation as the team begins its 2026 campaign against Anlo SHS and Kumasi Senior High School.

Rather than allowing those defeats to weigh on them, the team says it is using them as motivation to improve this year.

"The comeback should always be greater than the setback. We are certain 2026 is the year things turn in our favour," said Jayden Agyapong, a contestant.

Reflecting on the previous defeats, Jayden pointed to specific technical gaps the team has worked to address, alongside a renewed emphasis on humility and faith, which he believes will help the team go further this year.

The rivalry with Mfantsipim School also remains a strong source of motivation. Losing the national title to a fellow Cape Coast school has stayed with the team since the first defeat in 2024, and Jayden says the experience has created a sense of unfinished business as they seek to challenge for the title again.

One notable change this year is the relocation of the Grand Finale from Cape Coast to Accra. While a change in venue could present a different atmosphere for some teams, Augusco remains confident.

Jayden argues that the fundamentals of the competition remain unchanged, with the questions and quiz format staying the same regardless of location. He is therefore confident that the team's preparation will stand up wherever they compete.

Achimota's Centenary Quest for NSMQ Glory

Achimota School enters the championship with high ambitions, hoping to win the NSMQ trophy as it approaches its centenary celebrations. The team believes it is better prepared this year and aims to go further than it did in the previous edition.

"I believe we are better prepared. We have put more energy into the preparation, and we will leave this year having gone further than we did last year, and ultimately win the trophy," Vera Naa Adaley stated.

Reflecting on the school's previous encounters with Keta SHTS, the team recalled the disappointment of losing to the school in the 2024 competition after having beaten them in an earlier edition. The subsequent victory over Keta SHTS, however, made the result even more satisfying.

"Coming into that contest, the fear was that the loss we had in 2024 would be repeated, but we overcame that. So, we were excited," they said.

For Achimota, the championship carries added significance as the school celebrates its 100th anniversary. Winning the national title would therefore provide an especially memorable way to mark the milestone.

Mankranso SHS to Build on Historic NSMQ Run

Mankranso Senior High School is hoping to build on its historic 2025 performance as it joins the seeded schools for the One-eighth Stage of the 2026 NSMQ National Championship.

After several unsuccessful attempts, Mankranso SHS made history in 2025 by reaching the Semi-final Stage for the first time. The achievement followed years of setbacks, including an earlier elimination at the hands of Tamale SHS.

The team said those experiences forced them to return to the drawing board and improve their preparation, with a particular focus on the more difficult questions encountered beyond the Preliminary Stage.

"After prelims, the questions become more difficult. Therefore, we had no option but to learn difficult questions and how to answer them," their coordinator, Ibrahim Ofori Yusuf, explained.

The success also brought Mankranso into the national spotlight and increased interest in the school, particularly among students aspiring to pursue science.

However, with some members of last year's historic team having graduated, the current squad faces the challenge of matching their predecessors' achievement.

"Our team is not as strong as last time, but we are managing things out, and we hope we can maintain our seed," the coordinator said.

For the current contestants, the achievements of their seniors remain a source of motivation as Mankranso seeks to prove that its breakthrough was only the beginning.

"It has motivated me because I want to try my possible best so that I will also do as well as my seniors did," one contestant said.

As Mankranso SHS returns to the national stage, the ambition is clear: to build on last year's historic performance and maintain its place among the schools competing at the business end of the championship.

Amaniampong SHS Builds on Breakthrough Performance

After five years of falling short of the One-eighth Stage, Amaniampong Senior High School finally broke through last year and has continued to build on that achievement.

Ahead of this year's One-eighth Stage, team member Nathaniel Frimpong and coordinator Michael Sarpong credited the breakthrough to constant practice and experience gained from previous campaigns.

"From the previous years, we always come to the One-eighth and then we can't progress. Through our training strategy and, God being so good to us, we were able to get a good ballot, and through constant preparation, we were able to progress from the One-eighth Stage," Michael Sarpong explained.

Last year, Amaniampong made headlines by eliminating several Category A schools on its way to the Quarter-final Stage. Sarpong, however, says the achievement has not made the team complacent.

"It makes us feel like part of the big boys. We are not afraid of meeting any school. We are just prepared to win," he said.

With redemption on the minds of some, history to defend for others and new milestones to pursue, the 27 seeded schools enter the One-eighth Stage with different motivations but a common goal: to survive the next hurdle and move closer to the coveted NSMQ trophy.

Now, the questions will determine who advances and who sees their NSMQ journey come to an end.

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.