Introduction to Model United Nations
Middle and Elementary School Divisions Homepage
Introduction to Model United Nations Middle & Elementary School Divisions Overview
Model United Nations is a popular extracurricular academic competition where students represent a country in a committee or program of the United Nations. Certain committees may also simulate other organizations or legislative bodies. Students discuss important topics in international affairs and then draft, debate, and vote on resolutions in a manner similar to delegates at the United Nations. At the annual IAC Middle & Elementary School National Championships (held each Memorial Day weekend in Orlando) IAC organizes an Introduction to Model UN for interested students. This is a competition, and awards will be presented to the top students, but it is not considered a national championship. However, students who win awards in the Introduction to Model UN competitions (next held on Friday and Saturday, May 28-29, 2027) qualify for the committees on Sunday, May 30 which are part of the preliminary rounds at the Model UN National Championships. In fact, in 2026, one of the Model UN National Champions actually first took part in Model UN only earlier in the weekend during the 2026 Intro to Model UN sessions!
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Competition Format
The Introduction to Model United Nations is a simulation of the United Nations or other international bodies where students represent a country or play the role of a decision maker in a committee. The Introduction to Model United Nations is held exclusively at the IAC Middle & Elementary School National Championships, held annually in Orlando, FL on Memorial Day weekend.
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Intro to Model UN at the IAC Middle & Elementary School National Championships
The Introduction to Model UN consists of a 2.5 hour long session at the IAC Middle & Elementary School National Championships on Memorial Day Weekend at the Hyatt Regency Orlando. Students will be assigned a country or role to represent in a United Nations committee or other international deliberative body (e.g. NATO, a national cabinet, etc.).
For the National Championships in May 2027, there will be two topics that each age division will be debating. One of these is a Standard Committee which will be of the General Assembly, and the topic will be “Moving the UN Headquarters: From New York City to… Where?” The second of these will be a Crisis Committee which will take the form of an emergency summit organized by the UN as heads of state meet to discuss the closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait by the Houthi-led government of Yemen. For the 2027 National Championships, students will have 1-2 appointed blocks in the schedule for each topic. Which topic meets for each division in each block can be found on the Nationals schedule once it has been posted.
Standard Committees are committees where new events are not introduced during the session. For Standard Committees in particular, it is important that students are familiar with the topic at hand (if it is announced prior to the National Championships) and have properly researched it in advance. Crisis Committees posit a hypothetical scenario (though typically using world events as a premise), and then during the committee sessions, new information is introduced based on the decisions that students make in their roles in the committee. Background guides are provided for each topic, though students should consult other sources in their preparation as well.
Please note that in both Intro to Model UN committees, we will be introducing the basics of parliamentary procedure so that students are aware of how parliamentary procedure works. Parliamentary procedure serves to govern the rules of debate and voting at Model UN conferences, and we will be providing a tutorial on how it works within IAC’s Model UN committees in advance of the Intro to Model UN sessions.
Also, note that anyone who wins an award in any Intro to Model UN session in 2027 becomes eligible to compete in the official 2027 Model UN National Championships. The Intro to Model UN sessions take place on Friday and Saturday on the IAC National Championships weekend. On Sunday, there are two surprise committees (so that students who sign up at the last minute are not at a disadvantage against students who have known the topic weeks in advance and have prepared for it), one being a Standard Committee, and one being a Crisis Committee. Students who win awards at these are then eligible to compete in the playoffs of the Model UN National Championships on Monday, May 31. Thus it is hypothetically possible for a student who has not ever competed before in a Model UN competition to emerge as National Champion, provided they compete in the Intro to Model UN and win an award, then register for either or both of the Sunday surprise committees, and win at least one award in those. This situation in fact happened in 2026 in the 7th Grade Division. Students must compete in the Intro to Model UN committees on their own (it is not permitted to compete with a teammate), but it is permitted to compete in both the Standard Committee and the Crisis Committee for Intro to Model UN, provided a student does not also sign up for other events at the National Championships that are taking place simultaneously.
For more information on the Model UN National Championships, please see its website.
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Standard Committee – General Assembly – Moving the United Nations Headquarters. From New York City to… Where?
Background Guide Will Be Available By the End of December 2026 - 2
Crisis Committee – Yemen Crisis Summit: Closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait
Background Guide Will Be Available By the End of December 2026
On the Nationals Schedule you will see that there are separate Intro to Model UN blocks (Block 1 is divided into Friday and Saturday sessions; students must take part in both). Please make sure you do not sign up for a Model UN block where you have a conflict with another event.
How Model UN Works
The Model UN Wikipedia Article gives a good overview of Model UN as an activity. This short video also gives a good synopsis, while the website www.bestdelegate.com is generally regarded as the hub for Model UN on the internet. Because our Model UN competition is meant as a short introduction, delegates (that’s the term used for students competing in Model UN) will not need to write position papers, wear business attire, or be expected to have done extensive research on their assigned country’s positions on the topic to which they are assigned.
However, delegates will be expected to read a background guide which we will prepare on their assigned topic, attend a brief training session online in advance of Nationals weekend, and come with a willingness to engage in debate on important topics in global affairs.
Timeline
3. At Nationals – Please note that Block 1 consists of 1hr and 15 minute sessions over two days. The second block is offered in one 2hr 30 minute stretch. The awards will be presented immediately at the end of the session, so you will not need to attend any further award ceremony. Please note that the Intro to Model UN is not open to parents until the awards ceremony at the very end of the session, when they will be invited into the committee room.
What to Expect
In our Intro to Model UN, we will begin by taking role, and then delegates will give opening statements of 45 seconds. This is a chance for delegates to see which other countries might be potential allies in drafting a resolution on the topic. After all countries have had a chance to speak once, we will move into a speaker’s list format. After a while, the chair of each committee will entertain motions for caucusing. This is a chance to suspend formal debate, and then to meet with other students. The committee chair will help encourage delegates to formulate resolutions that can then be brought to the floor for debate. Towards the end of the session, the chair will encourage resolutions or directives to be finalized, and then brought to a vote. In crisis committees, directives need to be passed throughout the session. While helping to write and support a resolution that is passed is a critical part of Model UN, what is more important is the ability to collaborate, build consensus, and contribute to debate. At the end of the session, the Chair will award prizes to the top delegates, including the traditional gavel which is given at Model UN conferences to the Best Delegate.
Please see the Expectations and Rules files for Standard Committees and Crisis Committees. These rules apply both for the committees in the Intro to Model UN and the committees in the Model UN National Championships.
Costs, Registration, and Contact
The cost to take part in the Intro to Model UN Program at the National Championships is $99 per topic. It is possible to do both topics in 2026, though please note conflicts on the schedule here. Registration for the National Championships is done on this page once it opens in November. Nationals weekend will also feature many other events, including the Opening Ceremonies, a Family Quiz Night, Universal Studios Night, various talks and receptions, and the Jeopardy! Charity Games. A full schedule of the Nationals Events is available here.
For all questions on the Intro to Model UN competition at the IAC Middle and Elementary School National Championships, please email ModelUN@iacompetitions.com.
Stages
International History Olympiad & International Geography Championships
Students who win any award in the 2027 Intro to Model UN Committees above the Honorable Mention level also qualify for the 2027 International History Olympiad in Berlin, Germany on July 24-31, as well as for the 2028 International Geography Championships which is planned for July 9-16, 2028 in Stockholm, Sweden.
The International History Olympiad is a week-long World Championship-level competition for the world’s best history students. Consisting of over 40 separate competitions, numerous field trips, and dedicated activities for family members as well as competing students, the Olympiad is held every two years in July. The International History Olympiad features the International History Bee World Championships (for individual students), and the International History Bowl World Championships (for teams); an overall Olympiad Championship title is also awarded. At the 2027 International History Olympiad, there will be four Historical Model UN Committees, one Model League of Nations Committee, and three other Historical Simulations, so players skilled at simulation competitions (like Model UN) will find plenty of opportunities. Registration for the Olympiad will open in November 2026 and run through June 25, 2027. We hope you be able to join us in Berlin for the 2027 International History Olympiad! For all questions on the 2027 International History Olympiad, please email olympiad@iacompetitions.com.
The International Geography Championships is a week-long event with numerous competitions (including Model UN committees), field trips, family activities, and more. In each event, medals are awarded to the top 3 competing students in each age division. US students compete for their state; students from other countries (or students in the USA who were born abroad or who have foreign citizenship) represent those countries. Two of the most prestigious events at IGC are the International Geography Bee World Championships and the International Geography Bowl World Championships. An overall IGC Championship title is also awarded in each age division; please view the website at www.geochampionships.com for further details on all events and to register. We hope that you will be able to join us at IGC 2028! For all questions on the 2028 International Geography Championships, please email igc@iacompetitions.com.