Kentucky District Teams with University to Host Esports Tournament

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 01/29/20

Jefferson County Public Schools and Kentucky's University of Louisville will host a new esports competition this springs.

The Louisville Sports Commission has teamed up with AllMid, an esports event producer, to launch the ACE Esports Championship, which will take place on April 18 and 19 on the university campus. According to the organizers, this is the first student-focused esports event to take place in the region. It will draw competitors from both college and high school.

The contest will feature League of Legends, Super Smash Brothers Ultimate and Fortnite. The Fortnite tournament, in particular, will have up to a hundred players at a time vying in the same game to create a "true battle royale experience," the organizers said. The event will be open to student teams and individuals in the United States and Canada. Prize pools for each tournament vary from a total of $1,250 to $7,500.

The event will be open for free to the public and broadcast on Twitch. Players pay an entry fee.

"Jefferson County Public Schools is committed to increasing students' technology skills and promoting an interest in technology careers," said Christy Rogers, assistant superintendent for transition readiness, in a statement. "This is an excellent opportunity to expose students to a variety of career pathways, including information technology."

"The University of Louisville is excited to partner with JCPS to host the first large-scale esports competition in Louisville," added university President, Neeli Bendpudi. "We look forward to showing off our beautiful campus and sharing our hospitality with hundreds of competitors, their families and esports fans from throughout the region and beyond."

Registration is open now.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

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