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| Kings's Scholar | |
|---|---|
 Queen's Scholars, Westminster School, 1981 | |
| Awarded for | study atWestminster School |
| Sponsored by | Westminster School |
| Location | Westminster, London |
| Established | c1560 byQueen Elizabeth I |
| Website | https://www.westminster.org.uk/admissions/scholarships-and-bursaries/the-challenge/ |
TheKings's Scholarships (orQueen's Scholarships) are currently forty-eight scholarships (eight per year until Sixth Form, then twelve per year) atWestminster School, (re)founded in 1560 byQueen Elizabeth I. The scholars take part in eachcoronation inWestminster Abbey, acclaiming the new monarch by shouting "Vivat".[1] They also have the right to observe the House of Commons.[2] Their house is "College", and they have the abbreviation KS (or QS) on school lists.
Twelve- and thirteen-year-old boys annually compete for eight of the annual scholarships in a competitive entrance examination known as the Challenge. Fifteen- and sixteen-year-old girls compete for the other four scholarships, which are awarded to the top four students in subject-specific Sixth Form entrance exams. For 400 years the best of the scholars were elected to closed scholarships atChrist Church, Oxford, andTrinity College, Cambridge; since the early 1970s, Westminster School boys and girls must win openOxbridge scholarships by public examination.
Prior to 2017, only 40 scholarships were awarded to boys sitting the Challenge examination. The four Sixth Form girls' scholarships were added in 2017.
During the reign of a queen, the King's Scholars become Queen's Scholars, in contrast to theKing's Scholarships atEton College who retain that title in honour of their royal founder even when the current monarch is a queen.