The International Academic Competitions Portfolio

IAC is a network of over a dozen separate academic competitions. IAC’s staff administers and oversees competitions in over 50 countries, and is deeply committed to the growth and development of academic teams both in the USA and abroad. All US Regional Tournaments can be found under Find a Competition on the menu bar above.

Quick links – Events

Online Regional Finals – Important Information
Elementary and Middle School Competitions
Varsity and JV Competitions

Elementary and Middle School Competitions

The National History Bee

The National History Bee is a buzzer-based history quiz competition for individual students. Qualification begins with the Online Regional Qualifying Exam, which students must pass to be invited. With your invitation in hand, you can register for the Regional Finals in your area! We offer up to 3 opportunities to attend Regional Finals on different question sets – your ORQE qualification allows you to attend all 3 if you like! Students who perform well will be invited to join us at our National Championships over Memorial Day Weekend.

The National Science Bee

The National Science Bee is a buzzer-based history quiz competition for individual students. Qualification begins with the Online Regional Qualifying Exam, which students must pass to be invited. With your invitation in hand, you can register for the Regional Finals in your area! We offer up to 3 opportunities to attend Regional Finals on different question sets – your ORQE qualification allows you to attend all 3 if you like! Students who perform well will be invited to join us at our National Championships over Memorial Day Weekend.

The National Geography Bee

The National Geography Bee is a buzzer-based history quiz competition for individual students. Qualification begins with the Online Regional Qualifying Exam, which students must pass to be invited. With your invitation in hand, you can register for the Regional Finals in your area! We offer up to 3 opportunities to attend Regional Finals on different question sets – your ORQE qualification allows you to attend all 3 if you like! Students who perform well will be invited to join us at our National Championships over Memorial Day Weekend.

The National History Bowl

  • Eligibility: High School Varsity and Junior Varsity students, as well as Middle School students
  • Competitors: Teams of up to 6 (with 4 playing at a time)
  • Competition Style: Buzzer Based
  • Learn More: Click Here for more information!

The National History Bowl is a buzzer-based team history quiz competition with approximately 100 regional and state tournaments at the Varsity & JV levels. Teams consist of up to 6 students, up to 4 of whom play together at any given time. Solo-student teams are also encouraged to compete and often do. Each regional or state tournament runs on either the A, B, or C Set of questions, so teams can compete up to three times. All of these tournaments have both Bee and Bowl components; students may compete in both as they run at separate times. At all regional and state tournaments students can qualify for the annual National Championships. Note for Middle School students: Middle School Nationals teams can also be built around a student who is qualified for Nationals in the National History Bee.

The United States History Bee

  • Eligibility: Middle/Elementary School students that have qualified for Nationals in the National History Bee
  • Competitors: Individual Students
  • Competition Style: Buzzer Based at Nationals

Students that pass the History ORQE exam and qualify for Nationals at a Regional Final in History are automatically qualified for the US History Bee at Nationals. Students will still need to register for the event at Nationals, which will be composed of several preliminary buzzer rounds as well as playoff rounds for the highest scoring students. The US History Bee is a quiz competition for individual students that focuses on US History and is a separate competition from the National History Bee, which is an all History subject competition.

The United States Geography Championships

The US Geography Championship is a competition that will test your knowledge in world geography. High performance on the Geography Online Regional Qualifying Exam (ORQE) will qualify students for the USGC competition at Nationals.

The International Academic Competitions Elementary & Middle School National Championships

In late May we host the National Championships- this year’s competition will be held over Memorial Day weekend 2024 in Orlando, Florida. The National Championships is a convention of all of our competitions at the Elementary and Middle School levels, including the National History Bee, the National Science Bee, the National Geography Bee and more! More than 1000 competitors come each year to the ultimate championship event. Will you be one of them?

Varsity/Junior Varsity Competitions

The National History Bowl

  • Eligibility: High School Varsity and Junior Varsity students, as well as Middle School students
  • Competitors: Teams of up to 6 (with 4 playing at a time)
  • Competition Style: Buzzer Based
  • Learn More: Click Here for more information!

The National History Bowl is a buzzer-based team history quiz competition with approximately 100 regional and state tournaments at the Varsity & JV levels. Teams consist of up to 6 students, up to 4 of whom play together at any given time. Solo-student teams are also encouraged to compete and often do. Each regional or state tournament runs on either the A, B, or C Set of questions, so teams can compete up to three times. All of these tournaments have both Bee and Bowl components; students may compete in both as they run at separate times. At all regional and state tournaments students can qualify for the annual National Championships. Note for Middle School students: Middle School Nationals teams can also be built around a student who is qualified for Nationals in the National History Bee.

The National History Bee

  • Eligibility: High School Varsity and Junior Varsity students
  • Competitors: Individual Students
  • Competition Style: Buzzer Based
  • Learn More: Click Here for more information!

The National History Bee is a buzzer-based history quiz competition for individual students, with approximately 100 regional and state tournaments at the Varsity & Junior Varsity levels. All of these tournaments have both Bee and Bowl components; students may compete in both as they run at separate times. Students who perform well will qualify for the National Championships.

The United States History Bee

At all National History Bee and Bowl competitions, individual students can elect to take the National Qualifying Exam. Students who score highly on these exams will qualify for the National Championships. The US History Bee is a quiz competition for individual students that focuses on US History and is a separate competition from the National History Bee, which is an all History subject competition.

The United States Geography Championships

At all National History Bee and Bowl competitions, individual students can elect to take the National Qualifying Exam. Students who score highly on these exams will qualify for the National Championships. The US Geography Championship is a competition that will test your knowledge in world geography. High performance on the Geography National Qualifying Exam will qualify students for both the USGC competition and the National Geography Bee competition at Nationals.

The National Geography Bee

At all in-person National History Bee and Bowl competitions, individual students can elect to take the Geography National Qualifying Exam. Students can also elect to take the Geography NQE online. To take the NQE online, students interested in taking any or all versions of the Varsity and JV NQE should follow the instructions on the Regionals Page here.

Students who score highly on these exams will qualify for the National Championships. The National Geography Bee is a geography quiz competition for individual students, which is a separate competition from the US Geography Championships (which is a written exam). The Geography National Qualifying Exam will qualify students for both the USGC competition and the National Geography Bee competition.

The National Science Bee

The National Science Bee is a competition that will test your knowledge in biology, chemistry, physics, and other science concepts. At all in-person National History Bee and Bowl competitions, individual students can elect to take the National Qualifying Exam. High performance on the NSB National Qualifying Exam will qualify students for the National Science Bee competition at the National Championships.

The National Political Science Bee

At all in-person National History Bee and Bowl competitions, individual students can elect to take the National Qualifying Exam. Students who score highly on these exams will qualify for the National Championships. The National Political Science Bee is a competition that will test your knowledge in political science, civics, and government. High performance on the NPSB National Qualifying Exam will qualify students for the National Political Science Bee competition at the National Championships.

The International Academic Competitions Varsity and Junior Varsity National Championships

Each year in April we host the National Championships- this year’s competition will be on April 25-28, 2024 in Washington DC and Arlington VA. The National Championships is a convention of all of our competitions at the High School level, including the National History Bee, the National History Bowl, and more! More than 200 teams and 1000 competitors come each year to the ultimate championship event. Will you be one of them?