In addition to organizing the International History Bee and Bowl, International Academic Competitions organizes the International Geography Bee and the International Geography Championships! See below for a summary of our geography event calendar. Practice questions (both Qualifying Exams and buzzer-based questions) can be found here. The Google Meet link for the online tournaments can be found here. For further information on our geography competitions, please contact david@iacompetitions.com
1. International Geography Bee – Championships Qualifying Exam
The International Geography Bee Championships Qualifying Exam (CQE) is offered at all International History Bee and Bowl regional tournaments. Students take the Qualifying Exam during the lunch break. For the 2023-24 school year, the cost is 15 Euros, British Pounds, US Dollars, Swiss Francs, or 20 Azerbaijani Manat, and may be paid in cash on the day of the tournament. The Qualifying Exam consists of 50 multiple-choice questions on all aspects of World Geography; students have 20 minutes to take the Exam.
Students can also take the exam for free at their school if a teacher agrees to proctor it for them if they are unable to attend an International History Bee and Bowl tournament where the Qualifying Exam is offered. Two separate Qualifying Exam versions are offered each year; the Beta Set CQE is given at International History Bee and Bowl tournaments that run on the Beta Question Set and the Alpha Set CQE is given at International History Bee and Bowl tournaments that run on the Alpha Question Set.
Students qualify for the IGB European Championships and the International Geography Championships by accomplishing one of the following things:
1. Finishing in the top half of students in their age division who take their respective version of the CQE at any given tournament site. If there is an odd number of students, or if two students tie for the last spot, we “round up” so that 4 students out of 7 would qualify, for example, unless there was a tie for 4th place, in which case 5 (or more, if more than two students tied for 4th) would qualify.
2. Students can also qualify by finishing in the top half throughout Europe among all students who take the CQE within their age division for any given exam. These median scores are calculated for Beta and Alpha Sets for all students who have taken an Exam by March 20 for Beta Set, and May 1 for Alpha Set.
3. Students who score at the automatic qualifying level for the International Geography Championships: a score of at least 75 (if they are Varsity), 65 (if they are Junior Varsity), 55 (if they are Middle School) and 45 (if they are Elementary) – also qualify for the IGB European Championships.
Students only need to qualify once (either on either version of the Championships Qualifying Exam or at any Regional Tournament, whether online or in-person) each year for the European Championships, and once in every two year cycle (i.e. either in the 2022-23 or 2023-24 school years) for the International Geography Championships.
2. International Geography Bee – Regional Tournaments
For the 2023-24 academic year, there will be two Regional Tournaments for the International Geography Bee for students in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, both of which will be held online. These use buzzer-based questions and our online buzzer platform:
The 2023 Fall Online Geography Bee of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East
Geography Fall Regional Question Set – Friday, December 7
The 2024 Spring Online Geography Bee of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East
Geography Spring Regional Question Set – Friday, March 22
3. International Geography Bee – 2024 European Championships
Saturday, June 1, 2024, City of London School, London, England
At the European Championships, qualified students from across Europe, the Middle East, the Caucasus, and Africa compete in three rounds of buzzer-based Bee play, followed by a Final Round to determine the European Champions. High School, Middle School, and Elementary Divisions will be offered. The rules for game play are identical to those of the History Bee. Details can be found on the European Championships weekend, including a schedule for the International Geography Bee, can be found by clicking on the above posted link.
4. International Geography Championships
Summer 2024
The International Geography Championships is a multi-faceted, week-long competition for the best geography students from around the world. Held every two years (the next IGC will take place in Vienna in July 2024), the International Geography Championships features numerous separate buzzer-based quiz competitions, other geography competitions, field trips, cultural activities, and a chance to meet other students who excel at and enjoy studying geography. Further details can be found on the website at www.geochampionships.com
5. 2022-2023 Academic Year IGB Europe Results
Congratulations to the 2023 International Geography Bee European Champions!
Varsity Division: Eloic Malekzadeh, Ecole Jeannine Manuel, France
Junior Varsity Division: Noah Gilbert-Heitler, City of London School, United Kingdom
Middle School Division: Mayeul Vely, Ecole Jeannine Manuel, France
Elementary Division: Andreas Christodoulides, The Junior School, Cyprus
2023 International Geography Bee European Championships – Full Results
Online Geography Bee of Europe and the Middle East Results – April 26, 2023
2022-2023 International Geography Bee – Championships Qualifying Exam Results
Official Beta Set IGB Median Scores:
Varsity 57.5 Junior Varsity 55.5 Middle School 59 Elementary 46
Combined IGB Beta Set Exam Results and Median Calculations are found here. Note that the official medians reflect all Exam scores received by May 14. These Official Medians do not change further even with other students taking the Beta Set Exam after May 14.
Beta Set Exam Results
2023 British Championships Tournament Site – International Geography Bee Exam Results – May 14, 2023
2023 Swiss Championships Tournament Site – International Geography Bee Exam Results – May 6, 2023
Official Gamma Set IGB Median Scores:
Varsity 90 Junior Varsity 83.5 Middle School 71.5 Elementary 41
Combined IGB Gamma Set Exam Results through March 19 and Median Calculations are found here. Note that the Official Medians reflect all Exam scores received by March 19. These Official Medians do not change further even with other students taking the Gamma Set Exam after March 19.
Gamma Set Exam Results
Independent International Geography Bee Exam Results from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa – Ongoing
2023 Cyprus Tournament Site – International Geography Bee Exam Results – Mar. 18, 2023
2023 Geneva Tournament Site – International Geography Bee Exam Results – Mar. 11, 2023
2023 Azerbaijan Tournament Site – International Geography Bee Exam Results – Mar. 4, 2023
2023 London Tournament Site – International Geography Bee Exam Results – Mar. 4, 2023
2023 Paris Tournament Site – International Geography Bee Exam Results – Feb. 4, 2023