In addition to organizing the International History Bee and Bowl, International Academic Competitions organizes four separate geography quiz competition opportunities for students in Europe. The International Geography Bee is the primary competition during the school year; most of this page is devoted to that competition.
1. International Geography Bee
2. International Geography Bowl
3. European Championship Exams (including European Geography Exam, Historical Geography Exam, Map and Flag Exam, and Geography Photo Quiz)
4. International Geography Championships
Note that for all 2024-25 school year competitions, the following age divisions are offered. For the International Geography Bowl, a team can have younger students on it, but the division is determined by the birthdate of the oldest student on the team.
Varsity – born before 1 September, 2008 for the 2024-25 school year
Junior Varsity – born from 1 September, 2008-31 August, 2010
Middle School – born from 1 September, 2010-31 August, 2012
Elementary – born from 1 September, 2012 onwards
1. The International Geography Bee is the flagship geography competition that IAC runs for students in Europe and Africa throughout the school year. The International Geography Bee’s European Division is also open to students in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Caucasus, though they can also compete in IGB events in Asia). The International Geography Bee, within Europe, consists of a Qualifying Stage (with two qualifying options) and the European Championships.
I. Qualifying Stage Option A – Championships Qualifying Exam
Online Championships Qualifying Exam Option
Teachers and parents can request the Online Championships Qualifying Exam free of charge for all students at their school or in their family by filling out this form.
Please note the following:
- The Championships Qualifying Exam features 50 multiple choice questions with 4 possible answer choices on all aspects of world geography.
- Students CAN take the Online CQE on their phone (but we recommend using a laptop, chromebook, iPad, or other larger device.
- The Exam is the same for all age divisions, but younger divisions need lower scores to qualify. The minimum qualify scores are as follows:
* Varsity – 75
* Junior Varsity – 65
* Middle School – 55
* Elementary – 45
Students also qualify if their score is above the European median score by March 20. If the median scores are higher than the minimum qualifying scores, then no extra students would qualify this way. - Medians:
All the medians were above than the minimum qualifying scores, except for the JV Alpha one which is 64. - On the Online CQE, students have 30 minutes to take the exam, but most will finish within 15-20 minutes. Teachers and parents must watch students while they take the Online CQE to keep time and to ensure no outside resources are used.
- On the Online CQE, about 30 of the 50 questions have a picture or other visual component.
- The Online CQE can be taken at any time in the 2024-25 school year prior to the deadline for the European Championships; it is not the case that students at a school all have to take it at once.
- The Online CQE is scored automatically; teachers and parents do NOT need to grade it.
- On the Online CQE, students receive 2 points for a correct answer, and 0 points if they are wrong or leave it blank so there is no penalty on the Online CQE for guessing.
- Scores are reported to teachers and parents every ten days, along with which students have passed.
- Past exams are available to practice both here on the old IGB website and here on the USA division website (though note that those exams feature about 30% of their questions on US geography; that will only be 6-8% of the questions on the Qualifying Exam for European students).
Students can also request to take the Beta and Alpha Exam versions (as described in the paragraph below) with a teacher or parent proctor free of charge, but they are required to take the Gamma Exam version first because it scores automatically.
In-Person Championships Qualifying Exam Option
The International Geography Bee Championships Qualifying Exam (CQE) is also offered at all International History Bee and Bowl regional tournaments during the lunch break. Students take the Beta or Alpha Qualifying Exam depending on which set of questions the tournament is running on. For the 2024-25 school year, the cost is 20 Euros, British Pounds, US Dollars, Swiss Francs, or 25 Azerbaijani Manat, and may be paid in cash on the day of the tournament. The Qualifying Exam consists of 50 text-based multiple-choice questions on all aspects of World Geography; students have 20 minutes to take these versions of the Exam. Beginning with the 2024-25 school year, these exams are scored on the basis of 2 points for a correct answer, 0 for a blank answer, and 0 points for an incorrect response, so there is likewise no penalty for guessing.
Students taking In-Person Qualifying Exam can qualify either through having a minimum qualifying score for their age division (these are the same as the Online CQE minimum qualifying scores listed above), by being in the top 50% of all students in their age division who take the exam at their tournament site, or by being in the top 50% of all students in their age division who have taken the Beta Set exam by March 20 or of all students who have taken the Alpha Set exam by May 1.
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 2024-25 or 2025-26 school years) for the International Geography Championships.
I. Qualifying Stage Option B: International Geography Bee – Online Regional Tournaments
For the 2024-25 academic year, there will be two Online Regional Tournaments for the International Geography Bee for students in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. These use buzzer-based questions and our online buzzer platform and do not require prior qualifying. Each consists of 3 rounds of 30 questions for all students, with the top students advancing to the final round. Students who finish in the top 2/3 of students in their age division at either tournament qualify for the 2025 European Championships and the 2026 International Geography Championships.
The cost for each of these is $35 USD per student, with wire transfer and/or credit card fees applying per our policies.
The 2024 Fall Online Geography Bee of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East
Friday, 13 December – Gamma Geography Regional Question Set – Study Guide Available Here
Register Here (Deadline is Tuesday, 10 December)
The Google Meet link for the online tournaments can be found here.
The 2025 Spring Online Geography Bee of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East
Friday, 4 April – Alpha Geography Regional Question Set
Register Here (Deadline is Tuesday, 1 April)
The Google Meet link for the online tournaments can be found here.
II. European Championships Stage
Students who qualify either through the Championships Qualifying Exam or the Online Regional Tournaments are then eligible to compete in the European Championships of the International Geography Bee. This will be held on Saturday, 31 May in Vienna in conjunction with our other European Championship events. The IGB European Championships consists of in-person buzzer-based play with 3 rounds of 30 questions each with the top students advancing to a final round. The geography-themed European Championship exams will be held on the same day, and our other European Championship events will be held at different times that weekend so qualified students can compete in all events they have qualified for. You can find more information about the European Championships at this link.
Please note that past International Geography Bee questions to practice with are primarily available on the IGB website (which is being phased out); these questions will be moved over to the Resources section on the IAC Europe website later this school year.
2. The International Geography Bowl is a new competition for the 2024-25 school year, and is a team-based online buzzer quiz competition. It will be held on Saturday, May 17 and will feature teams of two students playing together at any time. The students must attend the same school. The International Geography Bowl does not require prior qualifying, and does not qualify students for the European Championships (since this event is not held there). However, students on top placing teams can qualify for the International Geography Championships through this event. Further details are found here, and the registration is found here and will run through May 9. Please email nolwenn@iacompetitions.com with any questions about the Geography Bowl.
3. The European Championship Exams are held annually at the IAC European Championships. Four of these will have a geography-theme in 2025, the European Geography Exam, Historical Geography Exam, Map and Flag Exam, and Geography Photo Quiz. These are open to any student attending the European Championships for any reason and do not require prior qualifying. For questions on them, please contact nolwenn@iacompetitions.com
4. The International Geography Championships (IGC) is a week-long world championship-level event which is held every two years and consists of about 30 separate competitions (quiz tournaments, exams, games, simulations, and more) and over a dozen field trips. It was last held in Vienna in Summer 2024 with 310 students from 20 countries in attendance, and will next be held in July 2026, most likely in Thailand or Scandinavia. Any student who qualifies for the International Geography Bee European Championships also qualifies for IGC. Please see www.geochampionships.com for details and please email igc@iacompetitions.com with any questions on this event.
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Results
2024-2025 Academic Year IGB Europe Results
Beta Set Exam Results
2025 Dubai Tournament Site – International Geography Bee Exam Results – April 12, 2025
2025 British Championships Tournament Site – International Geography Bee Exam Results – Mar. 23, 2025
2025 Switzerland Tournament Site – International Geography Bee Exam Results – Mar. 23, 2025
2025 Central Europe Tournament Site – International Geography Bee Exam Results – Mar. 22, 2025
2025 Baku Tournament Site – International Geography Bee Exam Results – Feb 15, 2025
2025 London Tournament Site – International Geography Bee Exam Results – Feb 1, 2025
2025 Paris Tournament Site – International Geography Bee Exam Results – Jan. 25, 2025
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Past Results
2023-2024 Academic Year IGB Europe Results
Congratulations to the 2024 International Geography Bee European Champions!
Varsity Division: Evan Cai, Eton College, UK
Junior Varsity Division: Niko de Leon, International School of Seville, Spain & Angus Piper, École Jeannine Manuel, France
Middle School Division: Huzair Khan, Collège Les Hauts Grillets, France
Elementary Division: Max Xia, City of London School, UK
Official Beta Set IGB Median Scores:
Varsity 78 Junior Varsity 77 Middle School 68 Elementary 34
Combined IGB Beta Set Exam Results and Median Calculations are found here. Note that the official medians reflect all Exam scores received by March 20. These Official Medians do not change further even with other students taking the Beta Set Exam after March 20.
Beta Set Exam Results
2024 Cyprus Tournament Site – International Geography Bee Exam Results – Apr. 6, 2024
2024 Berlin Tournament Site – International Geography Bee Exam Results – Mar. 16, 2024
2024 Geneva Tournament Site – International Geography Bee Exam Results – Mar. 16, 2024
2024 London Tournament Site – International Geography Bee Exam Results – Feb. 24, 2024
2024 Dubai Tournament Site – International Geography Bee Exam Results – Feb. 3, 2024
2024 Paris Tournament Site – International Geography Bee Exam Results – Jan. 27, 2024
Independent International Geography Bee Exam Results from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, Beta Set – Ongoing
Official Gamma Set IGB Median Scores:
All Official Gamma Set Median Scores were higher than the minimum qualifying scores; therefore, no additional students qualify through their scores being above the official median scores for Gamma Set. Note that the official medians reflect all Exam scores received by March 20. These Official Medians do not change further even with other students taking the Gamma Set Exam after March 20.
Gamma Set Exam Results
2024 British Championships Tournament Site – International Geography Bee Exam Results – Apr. 21, 2024
Independent International Geography Bee Exam Results from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, Gamma Set – Ongoing
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