Below we’ve listed some Frequently Asked Questions, grouped under a few major headings. Hopefully, the information below, as well as on the other pages of this website will answer most of your questions about how the International Geography Bee works. If you are still confused about something, please email suopeng@iacompetitions.com and we’ll not only respond to you, but add your question to the FAQ page if it’s something that would apply to other participants as well.

Participation & Eligibility

1.Who is the International Geography Bee’s Australia and New Zealand Division meant for?

Any primary or secondary student with an interest in geography is welcome to compete. Students must be enrolled in a primary or secondary school and not have already graduated high school at the time they take the Championships Qualifying Exam. Students who graduate between the time they take the Exam and the next IGB Australia and New Zealand championships may still compete at the next Australia and New Zealand Championships, as well as at the subsequent IGB World Championships.

2. Which age divisions can students compete in?

Within Australia and New Zealand, the International Geography Bee consists of 3 Age Divisions, (these correspond to the International History Bee and Bowl’s Age Divisions within Australia and New Zealand):

-Varsity (the Varsity division is for students in Year 11 and 12 in Australia and Year 12 and 13 in New Zealand)

-Junior Varsity (the Junior Varsity (JV) division is for students in Year 9 and 10 in Australia or Year 10 and 11 in New Zealand)

-Middle School (the Middle School Division is for students in Year 8 and younger in Australia or Year 9 and younger in New Zealand)

There is no younger age limit, though students should look over the sample Championships Qualifying Exam and the samples of the buzzer-style questions to be used at the Australia and New Zealand Championships to see if the difficulty level is appropriate for them.)

Please note, however, that when students from Australia and New Zealand attend the 2020 IGB World Championships, they must compete in the age division that their birth date falls into based on the standard IGB divisions during the 2020 school year even if they first qualified in 2019 while they were in a younger age division.

3. If I am a citizen of a country where I do not live or attend school, can I compete in the geographic division of IGB that corresponds to the country of my citizenship? Can I compete in multiple divisions?

Students may only compete in one geographic division of IGB in any given school year. If they have citizenship of a country outside the division where they attend school, then they may compete in either the one division or the other, but not both.

4. Can homeschooled students compete?

Yes, absolutely! All homeschooled students who are studying a primary or secondary education course of study may compete. Since the International Geography Bee is a competition for individual students, it doesn’t matter if you are homeschooled or attend a school, nor does it matter if other students from your homeschool association (or school for that matter) compete or not.

5. My school won’t fund me or give its official approval; does this matter?

Not as far as the International Geography Bee is concerned. As long as you, a parent, or someone else pays for your entry fee, and you appear on time for your competition, you can compete. If you prefer that your name is not listed on the website in order to prevent a hassle at your school, we can do this too – just let us know at suopeng@iacompetitions.com.

Regionals (known as the Australia and New Zealand Championships Qualifying Exam in Australia and New Zealand)


1. Where are the sites for the Australia and New Zealand Championships Qualifying Exam for the International Geography Bee?

The sites of the Australia and New Zealand Championships Qualifying Exams (CQE) for the IGB are the exact same sites as the regional tournaments of the International History Bee and Bowl’s Australia and New Zealand Division as shown at www.ihbbanz.com. Note that the map will be updated on an ongoing basis as new tournament sites are scheduled and tournaments take place.

Also, not only are the sites identical with the IHBB Australia and New Zealand regional tournaments, but the dates are too. The CQE will almost always be offered during the lunch break of the tournament; for some tournaments, it may be offered at slightly different times. The start time of this is indicated on each tournament page (accessed by clicking on the respective dot on the map). The Exam will have 50 multiple-choice questions and a 20 minute time limit for completion.

3. What is the cost?

The cost is $15 (either in AUD or NZD) to take the either version of the Australia and New Zealand Championships Qualifying Exam at a scheduled site (i.e. International History Bee and Bowl tournaments in Australia and New Zealand). If a student takes the Exam through a proctor at their school or with a homeschool instructor, it is free of charge. Teachers can also sign up an entire class for one version of the CQE. If you are interested in either of these options, please email suopeng@iacompetitions.com.

4. How do I sign up for the Australia and New Zealand Championships Qualifying Exam at a tournament site? Do I need to register in advance?

For the Australia and New Zealand Championships Qualifying Exam (for all divisions) you do not need to sign up in advance; just come to the tournament site during the lunch break or whenever the exam is scheduled to take place.

5. How do I sign up to have the Australia and New Zealand Championships Qualifying Exam proctored by a teacher or homeschool instructor?
Email suopeng@iacompetitions.com for instructions on how to register and pay for the Exam if it’s proctored by a teacher or homeschool instructor.

6. Do I have to be competing in The International History Bee and/or The International History Bowl to take the Championships Qualifying Exam at a tournament site?
No, though, you are certainly welcome to compete in these. The International History Bee and Bowl do not require a team, and some questions used in them reference geography, so many students interested in the International Geography Bee will surely also be interested in competing in the other events too.

7. When and how will I receive my score on the Championships Qualifying Exam?
If taking the Exam at a tournament site, in many cases, the CQE exam papers will be graded immediately after the students are finished. In other cases, students will learn their scores later that afternoon, or by email within a few days of the tournament. Students may email nolwenn@iacompetitions.com from 5 days after they take the Exam, if they haven’t yet received their results. However, students who take the Exam who finish in the top half of their Division at the site they take it, will also have their scores posted online on the Results page. All of these students will have qualified for the Asian or the Australia and New Zealand Championships. The top 25% will also qualify for the World Championships.

Students taking the Exam with a proctor can request their score from the proctor once the Exam has been graded.

8. What should I study to prepare for the Australia and New Zealand Championships Qualifying Exam?
Questions on the Australia and New Zealand Championships Qualifying Exams for all divisions will reference both geographical facts (e.g. capitals, landforms, linguistic distribution, etc.) and a knowledge of geographical concepts (e.g. patterns of population distribution, effects of geography on weather, continental drift, etc.). The questions will not require computation or detailed analysis of maps or diagrams; given the limited time to complete the Exam (20 minutes), questions should not take more than 20 seconds to answer. Please also see the sample version of the CQE which is available here together with its answer key.

9. Does the International Geography Bee’s Australia and New Zealand Division only test knowledge of the geography of Australia and New Zealand?

No, the International Geography Bee is not limited to questions on the geography of Australia and New Zealand. Questions on the geography of the Australia and New Zealand form about 20% of the questions we ask for the IGB in Australia and New Zealand.

Australia and New Zealand / Asian Championships 

1. Who will qualify for the IGB Asian / Australia and New Zealand Championships?

Students who finish in the top half of their division, inclusive of ties, at the tournament site where they take the Australia and New Zealand Championships Qualifying Exam will qualify for the Asian Championships and the Australia and New Zealand Championships.

Students who had scored at or higher than the Official Median Score for their division on their version of the Australia and New Zealand Championships Qualifying Exam will thus also qualify for the Asian Championships and the Australia and New Zealand Championships. For each version of the CQE and for each age division it encompasses, there will be a separate Official Median Score.

Additionally, students who have competed before for their country at the International Geography Olympiad are automatically qualified for the IGB Australia and New Zealand Championships for life (i.e. as long as they are age-eligible), but must still take a version of the Championships Qualifying Exam, if they haven’t already done so, for seeding purposes, which would be provided free of charge.

2. How do I register? Is advanced registration required?
Advanced online registration is required for the Asian Championships and the Australia and New Zealand Championships!

Registration will open at this link for the 2020 Asian Championships by January 2020. Registration for the inaugural Australia and New Zealand Championships will open at least three months before that takes place.

3. What is the deadline for registration?

May 10, 2020 for the 2020 IGB Asian Championships.

4. What does it cost?
Costs are listed here for the 2020 IGB Asian Championships. For the Australia and New Zealand Championships, costs will be posted once a date and site have been confirmed.

5. When and where will it take place?

For all age divisions, the IGB Australia and New Zealand Championships will take place in conjunction with the International History Bee and Bowl’s Australia and New Zealand Championships. The IGB Asian Championships will take place at Seoul Foreign School in Seoul, South Korea on Saturday, May 30, 2020. The IGB Australia and New Zealand Championships will likely take place on the Friday or Saturday of the IHBB Australia and New Zealand Championships weekend. The inaugural Australia and New Zealand Championships will take place most likely in June-September 2021.

6. Will there be prizes?
Yes, the top students at the Australia and New Zealand Championships will receive discounted entry to the International Geography Bee World Championships. The winning students at the 2020 IGB Asian Championships in each age division receive $200 off the entry fee to the 2020 IGB World Championships

7. How can I best prepare for the IGB Asian / Australia and New Zealand Championships?

The best resource is the questions that have been used at past IGB Asian Championships which are available here. Please also see the quiz bowl questions that were used at the National Championships of the US Geography Championships from 2013 to 2016. These are available on the USGC website here. See www.quizbowlpackets.com for additional quiz questions in paragraph and “pyramidal” format though most of these questions do not have a geography focus.

World Championships

1. How do I qualify for the World Championships?
Students in Australia and New Zealand qualify for the IGB World Championships by any one of the following ways:

  • By scoring at least 75 on any version of the Championships Qualifying Exam during either the 2018, 2019, or 2020 academic year
  • By finishing in the top 25% of finishers (either at a tournament site or across Australia and New Zealand combined) on the Championships Qualifying Exam
  • Students who have competed before for their countries at the International Geography Olympiad are automatically qualified for the IGB World Championships for life (i.e. as long as they are age-eligible), but must still take a version of the Championships Qualifying Exam, if they haven’t already done so, for seeding purposes, which they could do for free.

2. What events will the International Geography Bee World Championships consist of?

Please see the IGB World Championships page here for the draft schedule of events, this page for descriptions of buzzer-based competitions, this page for descriptions of other competitions, and this page for other events that are part of the 2018 IGB World Championships.

3. When and where will the World Championships take place?

The International Geography Bee World Championships will take place in on a Caribbean cruise (leaving from and returning to San Juan, Puerto Rico) from July 12-19, 2020. The 11th is an arrival day; students need to arrive in San Juan then, but can do so at any time that day.

4. What will the cost be?

The costs of the 2020 IGB World championships can be found here.

Various

1. Do you have any connection to The National Geographic Society or The National Geographic Bee or the International Geography Olympiad (aka iGeo)?
No, we are completely independent.

2. Do you have any sponsors?

Our USA Division is sponsored by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the world’s leading textbook publisher, but we do not currently have sponsors outside the USA. If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities with the International Geography Bee, please contact info@iacompetitions.com.