2000

  • The state finals moves to the University of Illinois
  • The oral competition becomes a team event with two members to the team.
  • Registration and roster entry is completed online. Rosters are downloaded to Microsoft Access for regional hosts, who email their database to the Scoring Chair, who compiles statewide results.
  • The contest website undergoes its first makeover.

2001

  • The contest splits into four divisions: 1A (399 or less), 2A (400-999), 3AA (1000-1999), and 4AA (2000 or more).
  • 1st-7th place individual, event, and team awards are presented at the state finals.
  • The minimum qualifying score for events is introduced. In team and individual events, those scoring at or above a pre-set score automatically advance to the state finals.

2004

  • Ties at the regional level in the Written Competition team scores are broken using the fifth (and, if necessary, sixth) highest individual score.

2005

  • Oral presenters may now use overhead transparencies provided by the regional host. (This option was discontinued in 2013.)

2006

  • State Finals participation tops 3000 students for the first time.
  • 1st-10th place individual, event, and team awards are presented at the state finals.

2007

  • The oral assistant is permitted to be part of the presentation during the three minute extemporaneous time.

2008

  • Tellabs provides sponsorship of the contest for one year.
  • The contest website undergoes its second makeover. Information is disseminated to schools via the contest website.
  • Regional scoring switches to custom web-based scoring system donated by ZipGrade.
  • The 2-person demonstration contest at the state finals changes to five questions, the first 3 no calculator and the last 2 calculator allowed.
  • The use of laptops for the calculator team competition is banned.

2009

  • The 2-person team competition switches to 5 questions no calculator and 5 questions calculators allowed.