2026 Competitions Rulebook

As salamu alaykum!

We are pleased to share the official updates to the 2026 MIST Rulebook. These revisions reflect extensive collaboration and regional feedback, with the goal of improving clarity, competitive balance, and overall participant experience. Below is an overview of the major changes for this year:

Key Changes Include:

  • Knowledge Test:

    • All questions are now strictly multiple choice or “select all that apply,” standardizing assessment across regions.

  • Qur’an Memorization:

    • Surah Ya-Seen moved to Level 3, with level outlines updated accordingly.

    • Students are no longer required to bring a physical mushaf.

    • Rubric updated to include tie-breaker considerations.

  • Extemporaneous Speaking:

    • Preparation time has been adjusted to 30 minutes to support stronger research and performance readiness.

  • All Arts:

    • All arts that require interviews will now have pre-interview scoring cap at 80 points.

      • Therefore, only top 15 considered can achieve a score of above 80 for the competition.

  • Original Oratory & Spoken Word:

    • Memorization is now an officially scored component within the rubric.

  • Debate:

    • Updated speech times and a revised rebuttal order.

    • Standardized tie-breaker criteria introduced for use after preliminary rounds.

    • Ballot has been edited to better match the structure of the judging criteria, account for tie breakers, and keep track of time and POI counts.

  • Math Olympics:

    • The competition now includes expanded content coverage along with supplemented practice questions to better guide student preparation.

  • MIST Bowl:

    • Round 1 now focuses exclusively on current events and features toss-up questions in a newly revised structure for clearer pacing.

    • Rounds 2 and 3 have undergone point adjustments to strengthen scoring balance and distinguish performance more effectively.

    • The total number of MIST Bowl topics has been reduced from six to five, with updated topic descriptions to be announced.

  • Humanitarian Service:

    • Now partnered with HHRD instead of IRUSA.

    • Includes a new community engagement component to deepen local involvement and impact.

  • General Improvements:

    • Cosmetic edits, grammar corrections, and formatting refinements throughout the rulebook for enhanced readability and navigation.

We encourage all students, coaches, and volunteers to review the updated rulebook ahead of Regionals. These changes are designed to support smoother preparation and a more equitable, unified experience across all MIST regions.

Page and attachments last updated on December 9, 2025.

Regional Competitions Materials

Content Disclaimer: Some competition topics address complex and sensitive subject matter intended to encourage critical thinking and informed discussion. Students will engage with a range of texts and videos, and for video-based materials, only the specified time stamps are approved for study and testing. Content outside of these designated ranges may not be suitable for the MIST audience and will not be included in competition questions.

Fiqh Disclaimer: Any Islamic content related to Fiqh is presented for educational purposes within an academic context. Students are encouraged to refer to their local scholars or community leadership for further guidance or interpretation in accordance with their local teachings.

MIST Bowl Topics (will have expanded content on these topics for nationals)

  1. The Flow of Water: Balancing Scarcity, Use, and Waste

  2. Sudan Beyond the Headlines

  3. Where The Lines Are Drawn: Housing and the Map of Inequality

  4. Community, Direction, and Diplomacy in the Seerah

  5. Current Events

Knowledge Test Books (will Remain the same for Nationals)

  1. Islam and the Secular State: Negotiating the Future of Shari’a by Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im

  2. The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonial Conquest and Resistance, 1917-2017 by Rashid Khalidi

  3. The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another by Ainissa Ramirez

  4. Hearts Turn: Sinners, Seekers, Saints and the Road to Redemption by Michael Sugich

Debate Topics (WIll change for nationals)

  1. THS adopt a wealth tax.

  2. THBT the United Nations should abolish permanent membership on its Security Council.

  3. THBT the benefits of the use of generative artificial intelligence in education outweigh the harms.

  4. THS substantially increase its investment in nuclear energy.

  5. THBT immigration should be recognized as a human right.

THS: The House should…

THBT: The House believes that…

MIST National