National Geography Bowl

Each team in the National Geography Bowl National Championships plays six preliminary rounds. There will be an even multiple of four teams in each age division; we will search for standby teams as necessary to ensure that the draw is filled to an even multiple of four. Teams will then be seeded based on their players’ performances in the National Geography Bee Regional Finals.

Teams will all play 3 opening rounds of preliminaries. Then the top teams, based first on Rank Points, and then on Game Points will advance to the Upper Bracket where they are eligible to contest for the National Championship and will play 3 more rounds. Other teams will play 3 Lower Bracket consolation rounds. Rank points are given out on the basis of 4 for a win, 3 for second place, 2 for third place, and 1 for a fourth place finish. Please see the National Geography Bowl Official Rules for details on how Game Points are calculated.

The top teams will then compete in the Semifinal round, and the Semifinal winners will contest the Final round (and 3rd place round if needed). The exact number of teams who make the playoffs, and whether the playoff rounds will consist of 4 teams per match, 3 teams per match, or 2 teams per match will be announced once registration closes and the field size has been finalized.

Students who compete in the Middle School, Intermediate, and Elementary School Divisions of the National Geography Bowl can qualify for the 2026 International Geography Championships which will be held from July 5-12 at the JW Marriott Resort and Spa in Khao Lak, Thailand! Students qualify for the International Geography Championships by playing on a team that finishes in the top 50% in any age division at the 2025 or 2026 National Championships of the National Geography Bowl. They can also qualify by doing any of the following:

• having a score of 75 or higher on any version of the Varsity / Junior Varsity Geography National Qualifying Exam in the 2024-25 or 2025-26 academic year if they were in 9th grade or higher in the year they took it.
• having a score of 65 or higher on any version of the Varsity / Junior Varsity Geography National Qualifying Exam in the 2024-25 or 2025-26 academic year if they were in 7th or 8th grade in the year they took it.
• having a score of 55 or higher on any version of the Varsity / Junior Varsity Geography National Qualifying Exam in the 2024-25 or 2025-26 academic year if they were in 6th grade or lower in the year they took it.
• placing in the top third at a National Geography Bee regional event (or first or second place in the case of small fields)
• placing in the top two thirds in their age division at the 2025 or 2026 National Championships of the National Geography Bee
• placing in the top two thirds in their age division at the 2025 or 2026 National Championships of the US Geography Championships
• making the playoffs in their age division at the 2025 or 2026 National Championships of the US Geography Bee

The 2026 International Geography Championships is a week-long event with numerous competitions, field trips (including an optional 3-day pre-trip to Bangkok, and an optional 3-day post-trip to Angkor Wat), 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 are expecting 300-400 students to attend the 2026 IGC.

For all questions on the 2026 International Geography Championships, please email igc@iacompetitions.com.