Model United Nations
National Championships

Middle & Elementary School Divisions Homepage

2026 National Champions:
8th Grade – Co-Champion – David May, Long Island School for the Gifted,
Huntington Station, NY
8th Grade – Co-Champion – Aditi Kamuni, Daniel Wright Junior High School, Lincolnshire, IL
7th Grade – Keane Miller, The Evergreen School, Shoreline, WA
6th Grade – Baron Block, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, Austin, TX
5th Grade – Oliver Nowakowski, Carrillo Elementary School, Carlsbad, CA
4th Grade – Zhengyuan Han, The Pegasus School, Huntington Beach, CA

Intro to Model UN
Intro to Model UN

Model UN Nationals Middle & Elementary School Divisions Overview

In May 2026, for the first time ever, Model United Nations will have a designated National Championship conference for middle & elementary school students in the USA! This will take place on Friday-Monday, May 22-25 at the International Academic Competitions Middle & Elementary School National Championships at the Hyatt Regency Orlando in Orlando, FL. Please explore this page to learn more about how we are structuring this event, and how you / your student(s) / your child(ren) can qualify and take part in it.

  • Eligibility:  Students who have qualified by winning any award at any regional Model UN conference (whether run by IAC or not), or as part of the Introduction to Model UN program either in the 2023-24, 2024-25, or 2025-26 academic years. After 2025-26, qualification must be done in the academic year in which the National Championships is held.

  • Competitors:  Students in Grades 4-8. Students must compete as solo students.

  • Inquiries: Please contact IAC’s Model UN Coordinator, Ms. Audra Dankwardt at ModelUN@iacompetitions.com

Jump To:

Intro to Model UN

Competition Format

The Model United Nations National Championships consists of preliminary committees and playoff committees. Please note that the Introduction to Model UN committees are not considered part of the Model UN National Championships, but students who participate in those and win awards in them qualify for the Model UN preliminary committees offered on Sunday.

Stage
1

Preliminary Committees

Preliminary Committee Assignments and Results
All students who compete at the 2026 Model UN National Championships begin by participating in the preliminary committees. There will be 6 preliminary committees at the Model UN National Championships. Each is open to any student who has qualified to compete at the National Championships. Each committee costs $99 per student regardless of the duration of the committee. A full schedule of the 2026 IAC National Championships, including all Model UN committees can be found here.

Committee Type Topic or Announcement Date 8th Grade 7th Grade 6th Grade 5th & 4th
UN Environment Programme Standard Renewable Energy May 22, 8:00am-11:45am May 22, 8:00am-11:45am May 22, 8:00am-11:45am May 22, 8:00am-11:45am
Security Council Crisis Escalation on the Korean Peninsula May 22, 1:00-4:45pm May 22, 1:00-4:45pm May 22, 1:00-4:45pm May 22, 1:00-4:45pm
UNESCO Standard Cultural Artifacts – Preservation & Repatriation May 23, 8:00am-11:45am May 23, 8:00am-11:45am May 23, 8:00am-11:45am May 23, 8:00am-11:45am
African Union Crisis Statehood for Somaliland May 23, 1:00-4:45pm May 23, 1:00-4:45pm May 23, 1:00-4:45pm May 23, 1:00-4:45pm
Surprise Committee – Intl. Olympic Committee Standard Reassigning the 2028 & 2034 Olympics May 24, 11:00am-1:30pm May 24, 11:00am-1:30pm May 24, 11:00am-1:30pm May 24, 11:00am-1:30pm
Surprise Committee – Summit of Middle Eastern Countries Crisis Middle East Crisis Summit May 24, 2:30pm-5:15pm May 24, 2:30pm-5:15pm May 24, 2:30pm-5:15pm May 24, 2:30pm-5:15pm

Background guides are now available. For the four committees on May 22 and 23, students will receive their country assignments the day after registration closes for the National Championships (i.e. on May 6, 2026) so that students who register earlier are not at an advantage. For the Surprise Committees, registration will run through 9:00pm on May 23, and country assignments will be assigned beginning at 8:00pm.

None of the committees have any field cap for any age division, but if over 25-30 countries (at IAC’s discretion) are going to be represented within a committee within an age division, we will open a second (or potentially third or fourth) committee room for that committee within that division. On the other hand, if fewer than 10 students/teams sign up for a committee within an age division, certain age divisions may be combined for a topic to create a critical mass of delegations. However, awards would still be given out proportionally on a grade by grade basis within each committee, so this would not put any students at a disadvantage for qualifying for the playoff committees.

Stage
2

Playoff Committees

Playoff Committee Assignments and ResultsBackground Guide (Standard Committee)Background Guide (Crisis Committee)

Approximately the top 1/2 of countries in each preliminary committee will receive awards. Any student who receives an award (including Honorable Mentions) is then eligible to compete in the playoffs and can then register for the playoffs. Participants must register for the playoffs at the National Championships (since they are held at the same time as certain other events, and we need to know if students plan on participating in Model UN or the other events), which they can do so at any point from noon on Friday, May 22 (i.e. the end of the first preliminary committee, at which point its award winners will be announced) until 6:30pm on Sunday, May 24. Country assignments for the playoffs will then be announced at 8:00pm that same evening. It does not cost anything extra to compete in the playoffs.

All students taking part in the playoffs of the Model UN National Championships will take part in both a standard committee (from 10am-12:30pm) and a crisis committee (from 3pm-5:30pm). The awards will then be given out from 5:30-5:45pm. Both committees will count equally in the award calculations.

Full Playoff Rules for Qualification and Awards

A. The top 50% of students in each grade who actually compete (not necessarily those who are on the start list, in case there are drops) will make the playoffs from each committee.
     I. If there are 3 or fewer students in a grade who actually compete, then all will win awards and qualify.
     II. If there are 4 students in a grade who compete, then 3 will win awards and qualify.
B. Awards will be given out for Preliminary Committees (in addition to the overall awards in the playoffs).
C. Any award from any Preliminary Committee will qualify students for the Playoff Committees.
D. Currently, it is projected that the 4th and 5th grade playoff committees will be combined as well (though we WILL have separate National Champions and awards for 4th graders). For 6th grade, it is likely we will have 30 or more students in the playoff committee. This is possible potentially for 7th and 8th grade too. If we do have more than 30 students in a division enroll for the playoffs, then we will split the division into two optimally equal-sized committees. Both committees will be seeded based on preliminary results
E. All students will compete in both the Standard and Playoff Committee.
F. Students in all committee rooms will be ranked by the following point schematic:
    I. Best Delegate – 10 points
    II. 2nd Place (Outstanding Delegate) – 7 points
    III. 3rd Place (Distinguished Delegate) – 5 points
    IV. 4th Place – 3 points
    V. 5th Place – 2 points
    VI. 6th Place – 1 point
Students will have their points added up, and overall awards will be given to the top 10 students in each grade who compete in the playoffs. If students tie, then they will stay tied (there is no tiebreaker), and we will award their awards accordingly. Thus it is possible to have co-National Champions if two separate students win Best Delegate in two separate Standard and Crisis Committee rooms!

Bonus
Stage

International Geography Championships

View to the Beach, JW Marriott Resort & Spa, Khao Lak, Thailand

Students who have qualified for the 2026 Model UN National Championships by winning an award at any Model UN conference in the 2023-24, 2024-25, or 2025-26 academic years above the Honorable Mention level also qualify for the 2026 International Geography Championships which will be held at the JW Marriott Resort & Spa on the beach in Khao Lak, Thailand from July 5-12, 2026! Students can also qualify by winning any award in any committee at the 2026 Model UN National Championships.

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 2026!

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

Practice Resources & Background Guides

Background Guides for the 2026 National Championships

Background Guides for Topics Announced in Advance of Nationals
African Union – Statehood for Somaliland – Background Guide
UN Environment Programme – Renewable Energy – Background Guide
UN Security Council – Escalation on the Korean Peninsula – Finalized Background Guide
UNESCO – Cultural Artifacts – Preservation & Repatriation – Background Guide

Background Guides for Topics Announced at Nationals (for Surprise Committees on May 24)
Standard – International Olympic Committee – Reassignment of the Hosts of the 2028 and 2034 Olympics
Crisis – Middle East Crisis Summit – Ongoing Crisis in the Strait of Hormuz

Background Guides for Playoff Committees on May 25
These will be available at 4:30pm on May 24.

2026 IAC Nationals Championships - Model UN Info Session Recording

Access a recording of the info session, held on May 18, where the procedures of the Intro to Model UN and Model UN National Championships were discussed.

Expectations & Rules - Standard Committees at Nationals

Model UN National Championships – Standard Committee Expectations & Rules

Expectations & Rules - Crisis Committees at Nationals

Model UN National Championships – Crisis Committee Expectations & Rules

Standard Committee Background Guide

Model UN National Championships – Standard Committee Background Guide for Playoffs

Crisis Committee Background Guides

Model UN National Championships – Crisis Committee Back Ground Guide for Playoffs

Rules & FAQs

Given that dress for all other events at Nationals is casual, here is the official and final word on dress for Model UN / Intro to Model UN
Intro to Model UN: Suggested business casual; casual is certainly fine
Model UN National Championships Prelims: Suggested Western Business Attire; Recommended business casual; but casual is okay.
Model UN National Championships Playoffs: Recommended Western Business Attire (at least a jacket or tie for boys / dress or suit or similar for girls) – but business casual is fine.
Note that we are not going to exclude anyone from any committee for wearing casual clothes, nor will this impact the awards determinations at any point this weekend. However do note that Model UN conferences typically require western business attire, so we encourage students to dress for success at Model UN.

No, they are not required for any committee.

Yes! It is possible to do this, though you would not be able to compete in every preliminary committee session. You must keep a minimum of two of the four preliminary round blocks for the National History Bee, National Geography Bee, and National Science Bee free of other conflicts in order to compete in them. The playoff rounds of the Model UN (entirely on Monday, May 25) do not conflict with these events which all conclude on Sunday, May 24. Please consult the schedule and plan accordingly.

You can register for both of these, but note that if you make the playoffs of the Model UN National Championships and intend on competing in it, you would not be able to compete in the National History Bowl. Because of this, solo student teams are not permitted to compete in both of these events. However, students with History Bowl teammates who are not competing in the Model UN National Championships can plan on competing in both, and then decide on Sunday evening (if they qualify for the Model UN National Championship playoffs. Please consult the schedule and plan accordingly.

If this impacts the size of the History Bowl team to the point of it potentially calling into question the size of the discount (since History Bowl teams with 1 or 2 players play for a lesser cost), then we can refund the differential minus a 10% processing fee. The team must register and initially pay for its highest potential size, however.

You can register for both, and then if you do not make the playoffs for the Model UN National Championships, you can compete in the US History Bee. We can refund US History Bee registrations in full minus a 10% processing fee if you qualify for and choose to compete in the Model UN National Championships instead. Please consult the schedule and plan accordingly.

If this impacts the size of the History Bowl team to the point of it potentially calling into question the size of the discount (since History Bowl teams with 1 or 2 players play for a lesser cost), then we can refund the differential minus a 10% processing fee. The team must register and initially pay for its highest potential size, however.

This is permitted, but note that if you qualify for the National Academic Bee playoffs, you are then obligated to compete in that, and would not be eligible to compete in the Model UN playoffs (as your withdrawal from the Academic Bee would impact the fairness of that event’s playoffs, but the Model UN National Championships playoff structure is not determined until Sunday evening, and not registering for it does not impact the fairness of that event).
Note that the National Academic Bee does not require prior qualifying, and is open to all students, including those who have never played in any buzzer competition before. Please consult the schedule and plan accordingly.

If this impacts the size of the History Bowl team to the point of it potentially calling into question the size of the discount (since History Bowl teams with 1 or 2 players play for a lesser cost), then we can refund the differential minus a 10% processing fee. The team must register and initially pay for its highest potential size, however.

Yes, you can take part in all of these events, which are open to all students at Nationals, including those who did not qualify for the National Science, History, or Geography Bees.
Note that the National Academic Bee does not require prior qualifying, and is open to all students, including those who have never played in any buzzer competition before. Please consult the schedule and plan accordingly.

If this impacts the size of the History Bowl team to the point of it potentially calling into question the size of the discount (since History Bowl teams with 1 or 2 players play for a lesser cost), then we can refund the differential minus a 10% processing fee. The team must register and initially pay for its highest potential size, however.

The hotels where we have room blocks, especially the host hotel, provide us with meeting space to hold the competitions and with sleeping accommodations for our staff, which we need to fly in from around the country. They do this in return for a commitment to fulfill a large number of sleeping room bookings over the course of Nationals weekend. For students who live near the Nationals host site for whom it would make sense to attend Nationals as a day trip and go back to their home each night, this rule does not apply.

Results & Past National Champions

Click on the grade links in the grid for full results. On mobile, swipe right to view all columns

Results and Analytics

Year Results File 1 Results File 2 Results File 3 Results File 4 Results File 5
2026 Delegates by Prelim Ranks Delegates by Affiliation Affiliation Ranks Playoff Results Intro to Model UN


National Champions

Year Grade National Champion School or Homeschool Association City State
2026 8th Grade David May (Co-Champion) Long Island School for the Gifted Huntington Station NY  NY
2026 8th Grade Aditi Kamuni (Co-Champion) Daniel Wright Junior High School Lincolnshire IL  IL
2026 7th Grade Keane Miller The Evergreen School Shoreline WA  Washington State Flag
2026 6th Grade Baron Block St. Andrew’s Episcopal School Austin TX  Texas
2026 5th Grade Oliver Nowakowski Carrillo Elementary School Carlsbad CA  California Flag
2026 4th Grade Zhengyuan Han The Pegasus School Huntington Beach CA  California Flag