Student Champs 2022/23 Registrations are now open

National competitive video game competition opens for registrations for its winter period, featuring tournaments in Rocket League, League of Legends, VALORANT, and new for this season: Overwatch 2.

The British Esports Student Champs, a series of competitive tournaments for schools and colleges across the UK, had over 700 teams taking part last year alone – and this year is set to be bigger than ever.

Registrations are now open for schools and colleges to take part in the Student Champs, and teams are able to register for the individual tournaments until the 21st September 2022. 

Institutions with existing accounts can sign up to the individual tournaments in Overwatch 2, Rocket League, League of Legends, and VALORANT. 

More information on the tournaments, rulesets, and code of conduct can be found on the Student Champs website. This includes the new brand kit for Student Champs.

Moreover, following on from last year’s success and feedback from participants, there are a few changes that have been made to the Student Champs as a whole. 

---

UPDATED PRICES:

For Champs 2022-23, there will be updates to the pricing structure. The new costs will be as follows:

• Champs school/college entry fee: £50 + VAT
• Tournament credit (to enter a team into a tournament): £10 + VAT

Each school/college will require the entry fee, along with as many tournament credits required for the number of teams they choose to enter.

These new prices are to allow British Esports to invest in the technology for the tournament system, have more support for Champs participants, and to ensure Champs is an ever-improving experience.

---

NEW FORMAT:

For the 22-23 season, the format introduces regionalisation: North and South.

Teams will compete in North and South regional divisions throughout the academic year, with the chance for promotion into a higher division in spring, and also the chance to enter the Nationals (the best of North and South). 

This new format is set to be more competitive, encourage friendly local rivalries, and allow for the continued growth of schools and colleges involved in the Champs.

This is what this format will look like across both Winter and Spring seasons:

Winter season:
Initial regionalisation and divisions

• Swiss qualifiers
• North Regionals (Div 1 and Div 2)
• South Regionals (Div 1 and Div 2)

Spring season:
Chance for promotion from Winter into a higher division or the Nationals. New teams enter div 2 after swiss qualification.

• Nationals: top from North and South Div 1
• North Regionals (Div 1 and Div 2)
• South Regionals (Div 1 and Div 2)
• Elimination stage

---

SEASON SCHEDULE:

This is the current planned schedule for the upcoming season. Please be aware that these dates may change.

Winter Season
06/09/22 – 21/09/22: Registrations
28/09/22 – 14/10/22: Swiss Stage
12/10/22 – OW2 Matches begin*
09/11/22 – 16/12/22: Groups Stage

Spring Season
02/01/23 – 11/01/23: Registrations
18/01/23 – 03/02/23: Swiss Stage
01/03/23 – 31/03/23: Groups Stage
19/04/23 – 12/05/23: Playoffs

24th June ‘23: Grand Finals

*Please note: For a smooth integration of Overwatch 2 into the Student Champs, matches for this title will begin on the 12th October 2022, to give teams a chance to get used to the in-game changes. 

---

WOMEN IN ESPORTS DIVISION:

British Esports, through their Women in Esports initiative, are also introducing a new division to help encourage more girls and marginalised genders to participate in Student Champs. 

This year an extra division in Overwatch 2 is being run as a pilot to help encourage more students, particularly girls, to get involved in competitive play. 

Anyone can compete however there are roster requirements within this division – in that teams must have at least 3/5 players that are female, or femme identifying in order to compete.

This tournament will run concurrently with the main Student Champs.

Please note: This division is open to all Champs participants, and does not mean that all existing or signed up female players have to compete in this particular division. Players are able to decide which division would be most suitable for them, as long as they meet the team roster requirements.

More information about this division will be coming in the next few weeks, but if you have any questions, please contact Billie Purdie on bp@britishesports.org. 

---

Further information around the new changes, and plans for the Grand Finals will be announced over the coming weeks.

If you have any questions regarding any of these changes, please reach out to Alice Leaman (al@britishesports.org) or Jasmine Hong (jh@britishesports.org).

Alternatively, you can reach out to a member of the team in the Student Champs Discord server.