The International Geography Bee’s Australia and New Zealand Division consists of two parts (not including the IGB World Championships), the Championships Qualifying Exam and the Asian Championships (until Australia and New Zealand have a championships of their own, which is projected to happen in 2021).

The best resource for preparing for the Championships Qualifying Exam is the Sample Championships Qualifying Exam which is available here together with its answer key as well as the exams used in the past as listed here:

2020 International Geography Bee Australia and New Zealand Qualifying Exam
2020 International Geography Bee Australia and New Zealand Qualifying Exam – ANSWER KEY

2019 International Geography Bee Australia and New Zealand Qualifying Exam
2019 International Geography Bee Australia and New Zealand Qualifying Exam – ANSWER KEY

2018 International Geography Bee Australia and New Zealand Qualifying Exam
2018 International Geography Bee Australia and New Zealand Qualifying Exam – ANSWER KEY

Additionally helpful in preparing are the past Qualifying Exams for the US Geography Championships, which date back to 2012-2013, as the USA version of the IGB Qualifying Exam is now the same exam for both the IGB’s USA Division, and the US Geography Championships. Past versions of the Qualifying Exam for the US Geography Championships, along with their answer keys, can be found here on the US Geography Championships website.

The best resource for preparing for the Asian Championships are the past questions from the Asian Championships which can be found here.

Likewise, if at all possible, we strongly recommend students get advance practice and experience with buzzer-based academic competition through participation in International History Bee and Bowl events (click here for the IHBB Australia and New Zealand website) and through all subject quiz bowl tournaments (see here for the best compendium of upcoming tournaments in North America, though the events listed on these forums are by no means the only competitions that exist). Many students (especially those with experience in other non-buzzer based geography competitions, but lacking buzzer-based academic competition experience) may find buzzer-based play takes some getting used to in order to excel at, and it is beneficial for students to get some buzzer-based competition experience (even if not on mostly geography questions) prior to the Asian Championships.

Links to additional buzzer-style quiz questions can be found on the National History Bee and Bowl’s website here (many of these questions have a historical geography focus). You can also view all-subject quiz questions at www.quizbowlpackets.com including a much narrower selection of all-geography events (in particular, any event labeled “Geography Monstrosity” in the Collegiate section of the website though those questions are considerably harder on average than the Championships questions for IGB. Still, there is certainly some overlap).

Additionally, we recommend that students keep up to date with current events, as a fair number of the questions have a focus on what is currently happening in the world, and how geography applies to national and international affairs. The Economist and The New York Times are worth reading in particular for this purpose (paywalls apply).

Motivated students might also consider becoming an AFS Exchange Student (or hosting one from another country) for a particularly unique chance to learn about foreign cultures and languages while studying overseas and living with a host family. Upon graduation, students can also further their geographic, international relations, and intercultural knowledge through participation in the International Youth Leadership Conference. Contact IGB founder, AFS alumnus (USA Semester Program to Vienna, Austria in 1998-1999), and IYLC past participant (Prague, 2003) David Madden if you have any further questions about either of these adventures at david@iacompetitions.com.