The Opening Ceremonies of the 2025 International Academic Competitions Middle & Elementary School National Championships will take place on Thursday evening, May 22 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando. There will be two separate and identical ceremonies, one from 6pm-6:45pm (suggested for students in 5th grade and younger and their families) and 8pm-8:45pm (suggested for students in 7th and 8th grade and their families); 6th graders do not have a specifically suggested ceremony. Note that there will be competitions taking place earlier that day, but by this point in the evening, many more families will have arrived in Orlando. The Opening Ceremonies will begin with the Parade of States, with each competing state and territory having an honorary flagbearer chosen as a result of their performances over the course of the 2024-25 academic year. We will then go over a few important announcements, discuss some IAC news and plans, and then have a moderated Q and A session. For this, parents and students will be able to submit IAC questions in advance (please send these to david@iacompetitions.com) about any aspects of our programs. We’ll reply to all questions, but we will select the questions likely to be of greatest interest to the widest audience, and respond to some of these during the Opening Ceremonies.
