Twenty-four tributes enter the annual competition in Suzanne Collins's dystopian novel The Hunger Games.
Each of Panem's twelve districts sends two young people, one female and one male, to the Capitol's televised contest. The selection is called the reaping, and the chosen participants are placed in the arena to fight until one survivor remains.
The number is sometimes confused with twelve, the number of districts, or with the number of districts' pairs. The correct calculation is twelve districts multiplied by two tributes per district, producing twenty-four competitors at the start.
Katniss Everdeen becomes District 12's female tribute after volunteering for Primrose. Peeta Mellark is selected as the district's male tribute. The competition is both entertainment and political control, demonstrating how the Capitol uses spectacle to reinforce its power over the districts.