About
IAC is a network of numerous academic competitions, all of which have been founded since 2010. IAC’s staff administers and oversees events for students in over 50 countries, and is deeply committed to the growth and development of academic competition. Please explore our website to learn more about our competition opportunities for you and your school. For further information on any of our competitions in Europe, please email IAC Executive Director David Madden david@iacompetitions.com. You can download the IAC Privacy Policy which applies to all events that IAC organizes in the USA and Europe at this link below:
International Academic Competitions – Privacy Policy.
Good luck with all of your competitions for the current academic year!
IAC Competitions for Students in Europe
IAC has been administering competitions in Europe since 2012. Bee competitions (i.e. those for individual students) are divided into four age divisions, which for the 2022-2023 academic year are divided as follows:
- Varsity – For students born on or before 1 September 2006
- Junior Varsity – For students born from 1 September 2006 to 31 August 2008
- Middle School – For students born from 1 September 2008 to 31 August 2010
- Elementary – For students born on or after 1 September 2010
Currently, there is no separate Elementary Division for Bowl (i.e. team events) in Europe; students who are otherwise eligible for the Elementary Division in Bee competitions would typically compete in the Middle School Division teams in the Bowl. Note that for team events (i.e. the International History Bowl and the International Academic Bowl), a team may have younger students on it, but older students may not play on a team competing in a younger age division.
International History Bowl
The International History Bowl is a buzzer-based team history quiz competition that runs throughout Europe in a network of regional tournaments each year. 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 so. Each tournament runs on either the Alpha or Beta set of questions, so teams can compete up to two times at the regional level. At all regional tournaments students can qualify for the annual European Championships held at the end of the school year, as well as for the International History Olympiad.
International History Bee
The International History Bee is a buzzer-based history quiz competition for individual students. All regional IHBB History Bowl tournaments also feature a History Bee component, held at different times so that students can compete in both the Bee and the Bowl. As with the Bowl, there are both Alpha and Beta question sets, so students can compete up to twice each school year at the regional level, and those who qualify are then allowed to compete at the annual European Championships and the International History Olympiad.
International Geography Bee
www.internationalgeographybee.com/europe
The International Geography Bee is a worldwide geography quiz competition, consisting of the IGB Championships Qualifying Exam, the European Championships, and the biennial International Geography Championships. The European Championships is entirely buzzer-based; the World Championships is multifaceted and takes place over a week. The next International Geography Championships will be held in Summer 2024.
The same IGB Championships Qualifying Exam is used for both the European Championships and the International Geography Championships. The IGB Championships Qualifying Exam is given at each of the regional tournaments for the International History Bee and Bowl in Europe, or students can take the Exam at their school or with a homeschool instructor proctoring it.
International History Olympiad
The International History Olympiad is a week-long history extravaganza, held every two years – the next Olympiad will take place from July 23-July 31, 2023 in Rome. The Olympiad consists of numerous buzzer-based and other competitions, sightseeing, and special events with students from around the world. Students in Europe qualify for the Olympiad by finishing in the top half of students or teams in their age division at any regional or championship tournament during either the 2021-2022 or 2022-2023 school years. Also, at the Olympiad, students do not compete for their school, but rather on national teams for either the country of their citizenship or the country where they attend school.
IAC Polska
IAC Polska is the first non-English language division of International Academic Competitions in Europe. Its aim is to bring an interactive and fun dimension to education in Polish schools.
IAC Polska oversees the International History Bee, International Geography Bee, and International Science Bee in Polish for students in grades 5-6 and 7-8, divided into two separate age divisions. All three competitions will consist of three stages. The first of them is the Online Regional Qualifying Exams. Each of these exams consists of 50 multiple-choice questions on each subject. The top scorers on the exams will then qualify for the Regional Finals, and the top students then compete at the National Championships in Warsaw each spring.
International Academic Bowl
Since 2016, the IAC European Championships has also featured the International Academic Bowl, an all-subject quiz bowl competition for school teams. The International Academic Bowl is open to all schools and does not require prior qualification.