International Academic Competitions Model United Nations Program Overview
IAC Model United Nations
Model United Nations is a popular extracurricular academic competition where students represent a country in a committee or program of the United Nations. Occasionally, students at Model UN conferences may also role play as policy makers in other organizations or government bodies (e.g. NATO, the Red Cross, a national cabinet, etc.). At Model UN conferences, students discuss important topics in international affairs and then draft, debate, and vote on resolutions in a manner similar to delegates at the UN. Model UN thus encourages students to develop skills as diverse as public speaking, empathy, writing, debating, strategy development, and collaboration with peers, all while reinforcing knowledge of global issues, geography, and history. It is also lots of fun for participating students!
As an activity, Model UN dates back to just after the founding of the UN in 1945. Generations of students have benefited from participating in Model UN, but across the USA, Model UN remains underdeveloped, particularly at the middle and elementary school levels. With tens of thousands of students participating in IAC’s National Science, History, and Geography Bees each year, IAC is well-positioned to share the benefits of Model UN with many new children in Grades 4-8. And for students in those grades who are already competing in Model UN, IAC now organizes additional Model UN conferences throughout the USA, including the Model UN National Championships!
The Falkland Islands Crisis at the 2025 Intro to Model UN
A guest appearance in committee from a hapless Falkland Islander who did not survive to tell his full story...
01. Regional Conferences
With a dedicated full-time staff and hundreds of part-time directors and staffers, IAC organizes 300+ competitions in over 25 countries each year, with the majority of these events taking place in the USA. For the 2026-27 academic year, we anticipate holding 15-20 Regional Model UN conferences, followed by our second Model UN National Championships in Orlando over Memorial Day weekend. IAC looks forward to partnering with both schools with experienced Model UN teams as well as with schools with no prior experience, but who are eager to provide their students with the chance to take part at Model UN conferences. Families are also welcome to register their children for our Model UN conferences even if there is no formal school support.
During the 2026-27 academic year, IAC will be holding 15-20 single-day Regional Model UN Conferences around the USA between December and May. Several of these will be held online, but most will take place at schools that have expressed interest in hosting – please contact us at ModelUN@iacompetitions.com if your school is interested. As a tournament organizer, IAC can take the lead in organizing the logistics of the conference; schools just need to make sure their students are prepared and provide a number of classrooms in which to hold the conference.
IAC is currently seeking host schools for our Model UN Conferences in the following metro areas: Atlanta, Boston, Indianapolis, Miami, Orlando, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Washington, DC. However, if your school is in a different region and would also be interested in hosting, we’re eager to work with you too! A list of scheduled Regional Model UN Conference dates is available here; registration will open by the end of September 2026.
Students who win awards at these conferences then become eligible to compete in the Model UN National Championships. In subsequent years, we look forward to significantly expanding the number and size of our Regional Model UN Conferences to help Model UN grow as an activity, and to allow more students to participate in it. We are also going to be organizing Model UN conferences in Asia and possibly Latin America during the 2026-27 academic year.
02. Introduction to Model UN at the IAC National Championships
IAC will continue to run its popular Introduction to Model UN program at our annual Middle & Elementary School National Championships, held each Memorial Day weekend in Orlando, FL.
In May 2026, over 2200 students attended the IAC National Championships, and we expect 2500 to 3000 to do so in 2027, as the National Championships and its feeder regional competitions grow steadily and sustainably. Of these students, 139 competed in the 2026 Model UN National Championships; we expect 250-400 to do so in 2027.
At the National Championships, the Intro to Model UN program provides students with a way to take part in their first-ever conference, and potentially qualify for the committees of the Model UN National Championships held later during the same weekend. This will further encourage more students to participate and help Model UN to ultimately grow as an activity nationwide.
03. Model UN National Championships
IAC’s National Championships have been attended by tens of thousands of students, together with their families and their teachers since their debut in 2010. They represent the culmination of months of competition and scholarship, and are a major reason that students are eager to continue to develop their skills throughout the year. With years of successful large-scale National Championships, along with a great venue (the Hyatt Regency Orlando, one of the largest hotels in the country), IAC launched the first-ever dedicated Model UN National Championships which proved to be a great success in 2026. We look forward to even more students attending in 2027!
We look forward to working with conference organizers around the USA to let their participating students know of this opportunity.
The Model UN National Championships is open to any student in Grade 4-8 who has won an award at a prior conference.
We look forward to welcoming hundreds of students to Orlando next May for the inaugural National Championships – and an important step forward in the development of Model UN as a prestigious competition for students across America!
04. Expanded Model UN & Simulation Offerings at the International Geography Championships & International History Olympiad
Each summer, IAC organizes a week-long world championship-level competition for history (in even-numbered years) and geography (in odd-numbered years). These competitions, the International History Olympiad and the International Geography Championships welcome hundreds of students and their families for a week of competitions, field trips, cultural activities and much more. They have also seen us simulate numerous historical events, United Nations Committees, and other organizations, including most recently:
- 1
Alexander the Great’s War Council (2026 International Geography Championships in Khao Lak, Thailand)
- 2
ASEAN Summit – Independence for Bougainville Crisis Committee (2026 International Geography Championships in Khao Lak, Thailand)
- 3
Marriott Asia Board Meeting (2026 International Geography Championships in Khao Lak, Thailand)
- 4
Model UN General Assembly – Geopolitics of the Indian Ocean (2026 International Geography Championships in Khao Lak, Thailand)
- 5
Model UN Security Council – Strait of Malacca Crisis Committee (2026 International Geography Championships in Khao Lak, Thailand)
- 6
Model UN World Health Organization – Demographics in the Year 2050 (2026 International Geography Championships in Khao Lak, Thailand)
- 7
Paris Peace Conference: 1919 (2025 International History Olympiad in Paris)
- 8
The French Revolution (2025 International History Olympiad in Paris)
- 9
With the French Resistance (2025 International History Olympiad in Paris)
- 10
Roman Politics in the Aftermath of Julius Caesar’s Assassination (2023 International History Olympiad in Rome)
- 11
Congress of Vienna (2024 International Geography Championships in Vienna)
- 12
OPEC and the Oil Markets (2024 International Geography Championships in Vienna; this simulation included a private briefing at OPEC Headquarters)
Simulating the Congress of Vienna
In Vienna, at the 2024 International Geography Championships
Beginning with the 2026 International Geography Championships in Khao Lak, Thailand, IAC now offers an expanded slate of simulation-style competitions, including Model UN committees, at our summer events. For the 2027 International History Olympiad, we look forward to offering numerous historical simulations, including at least 4 historical Model UN or League of Nations committees.
Accordingly, students will thus be able to qualify for the International History Olympiad and International Geography Championships through winning awards at Model UN conferences.
Finally, note that all IAC World Championship-level events are open to students in high school as well, and they are likewise welcome to participate in the simulation competitions there!
IAC Model United Nations Program Leadership Committee
Audra Dankwardt
IAC Model UN Program Coordinator
ModelUN@iacompetitions.com
Audra is a PhD student in School Psychology in Massachusetts, who has worked as the Model UN Coordinator since 2025, and with IAC since 2022. She has coordinated historical, geographical, and environmental simulations at the International History Olympiad, International Geography Championships, and International Environmental Science Olympiad. For the 2026-27 competition season, Audra will be focusing on staff recruitment and training.
Shravan Balaji
IAC Model UN Program Advisor
During his time as an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania, Shravan was named to the National Collegiate Model UN All-Star Team. Shravan has coordinated historical simulations (which are similar to Model UN committees in structure) at three separate International History Olympiads and currently works in the field of renewable energy investments in New York City.
Jay Wickliff
IAC Senior Director of Strategic Planning
Jay Wickliff holds a Juris Doctorate in International Law including study at Oxford University and the University of Ghana. He advised the Model UN team at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, frequently ranked as the USA’s top high school. He has worked on IAC’s Intro to Model UN sessions and international relations simulations at our world championships.
David Madden
IAC Executive Director
david@iacompetitions.com
IAC’s Executive Director, David Madden, competed in Model UN and won various awards while doing so at Ridgewood High School in New Jersey, on the Model UN team at Princeton University as an undergraduate and Public Policy Studies major, and on the team at the Free University of Berlin, Germany while studying for his master’s degree in international relations.