MARiS Hosts Another Successful Annual Quiz Night Fundraiser

The MARiS Early Career Researchers (ECRs) hosted their 4th Annual MARiS Quiz Night Fundraiser on Thursday, 18 June 2026, welcoming 26 enthusiastic participants to the John Day Museum for an evening of fun, friendly competition and community building.

The annual fundraiser brought together students, academics, friends and family to test their knowledge across six challenging quiz rounds: General Knowledge, Science, Sport, Entertainment, Geographical Locations and Sounds. With teams separated by only a handful of points throughout the evening, the competition remained incredibly close, making for an exciting and memorable event.

After a thrilling final round, the winning teams were announced:

🥇 1st Place – The Octopi Oracles
Agoritsa Spirakis, Matthew Maree and Sarah Tallack

🥈 2nd Place – Electric Eels
Robert Dugmore, Megan Sorour and Theon Smith

🥉 3rd Place – Argonauts
Shaza Qalela, Ethan Smith, Amber McLeod and Christiaan van Niekerk

The winning teams walked away with an incredible selection of sponsored prizes, including SAPRI goodie bags, handmade ocean-themed collectables from LoveSea, Food & Connect vouchers, and gifts generously donated by the Save Our Seas Foundation.

The evening also featured two exciting lucky draw prizes. Congratulations to:

🎉 Leila Nefdt, who won a MARiS branded flask together with two tickets to the Two Oceans Aquarium.

🎉 Tanaka Pedro, who won a beautifully handcrafted crocheted ocean-themed blanket, lovingly made by Leila Nefdt's grandmother, Charmaine Nefdt, along with a MARiS branded flask.

Events such as the MARiS Quiz Night would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. We extend our sincere thanks to Food & Connect UCT, LoveSea, Save Our Seas Foundation, Antarctic Legacy, SAPRI, Robyn Verrinder for sponsoring the two beautiful MARiS branded flasks, Calley Chateau-Cyster for donating the Two Oceans Aquarium tickets, and Leila Nefdt for donating the handmade crocheted blanket created by her grandmother, Charmaine Nefdt.

A heartfelt thank you also goes to our incredible Quiz Masters, Natalie Le Roux and Dayna Collins, and to everyone who attended and supported this year's fundraiser. Your participation not only made the evening enjoyable but also helped raise funds that will contribute towards future MARiS Early Career Researcher activities and events.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back for an even bigger and better 5th Annual MARiS Quiz Night next year!