International Geography Bee

IGB Introduction

The International Geography Bee (IGB) is an academic geography challenge sponsored by the International Academic Competitions Committee. As one of the most prestigious integrated academic competitions in the US, IGB has been used to select the US national team for the International Geography Olympiads. The purpose of the event is to provide a platform for primary and secondary school students around the world to test their knowledge about world geography, stimulate their interest in the study of geography, and help them enhance their geographic literacy. The top participants will be invited to the Global Round of the International Geography Championship and compete with other outstanding peers from all over the world! Featuring fun, multidisciplinary challenges, and education activities backed by cutting-edge research, IGB has been increasingly popular around the world, attracting over 50,000 students from more than 50 countries to take part every year.

The mission of the IGB is to reward academic achievement by bringing innovative, stimulating, fair, and intellectually competitive opportunities to students worldwide. The Committee firmly believes that academic competitions play a unique role in education by encouraging students to explore new areas of knowledge while rewarding achievement in the classroom. Academic competitions not only help students gain self-confidence, make new friends, enhance memory, and give students an edge on future college applications, but most importantly, ignite a passion for lifelong learning! We would like to offer this unique opportunity to children around the world!

The content covers (but is not limited to) hydrology, atmosphere, rocks, soils, population, cities, transportation, mountains, rivers, islands, landmarks and other topics in physical geography and human geography.

Qualifier Round

Date: November 8th, 2026 (online), December 13th, 2026 (online), January 10th, 2027 (online/host schools)
Location: Online/Host Schools
Rules: The IGB Qualifier Round will be an individual written test in which students are required to complete a total of 50 multiple-choice questions about geography within 30 minutes. Two points will be awarded for a correct answer, and one point will be deducted for a wrong answer. No points will be earned or deducted for a blank answer.
Eligibility: All primary and secondary school students who are interested in the activity can register to participate. Students can only choose one of the three dates to participate.
Age Divisions: Students should register for the following divisions according to their age.
- Elementary Division: born on or after September 1, 2016
- Intermediate Division: born between September 1, 2014 and August 31, 2016
- Middle School Division: born between September 1, 2012, and August 31, 2014
- Junior Varsity Division: born between September 1, 2010, and August 31, 2012
- Varsity Division : born on or before August 31, 2010
Language Settings:
- - Elementary Division: Chinese/ English
  - Intermediate Division: Chinese/English
  - Middle School Division: Chinese/ English
  - Junior Varsity Division: English
  - Varsity Division: English
  * Language settings above are only for the Qualifier Round and the National Round. The Global Round will all be held in English.
  * Participant registrated for Chinese division in Qualifier Round can only advance to Chinese division in National Round, and participant registrated for English division in Qualifier Round can only advance to English division in National Round. Language Division is not allowed to change after registration.
  * Only participants from English Division are allowed to enter the Global Rounds.
Advancement Criteria: In each division of the Qualifier Round, students who score above the minimum score line set by the organizing committee can advance to the National Round. (The advancement rate is around 60%.)
Awards:
- - Advancement Award: All students who qualify for advancement will receive a qualifier certificate (electronic version).
  - Participation Certificate: All participating students will receive a participation certificate (electronic version).

* Elementary, Intermediate, Middle School, Junior, and Varsity divisions will be awarded separately.
* Academic materials: The organizing committee will provide academic materials in English and Chinese (some materials will be in English only)

National Round

Qualified students from the Qualifier Round will be invited to participate in the National Round to enjoy a feast of geography with other geography lovers from all over the country! The National Round will have a variety of geography-themed activities and a community of excellent peers sharing a passion for geography, which will surely be an unforgettable academic experience for all participating students!

National Round

Date：May 1st-4th, 2027
Location： Shanghai or nearby cities (tbc)

	Morning	Afternoon	Evening
Day 1	Arrival	Check-in
Day 2	Opening Ceremony Geography Task Force (Individual Challenge)	Blitz (Individual Challenge) Geoguesser (Team Challenge)	Geography Market (Individual Activity)
Day 3	Quiz Bee (Individual Challenge)	World Geography Fair (Team Challenge)	Scavenger Hunt (Team Activity)
Day 4	Award Ceremony	Departure

* The agenda is subject to change.

Awards
- The top 60% of participants competing in English for Quiz Bee will advance to the Global Round.
- Each individual & team challenge granted the First, Second and Third place Awards and Gold, Silver, Bronze Awards to the top 60%
- Best Individual Award
- Best Team Award
- All participating students will receive a certificate of participation (electronic version).

2026 National Round Review

Previous event highlights

Global Round

Qualified students of English Divisions from 2027 National Round will be invited to the Asian Championships.
Qualified students of English Dvisions from 2027 and 2028 National Rounds will be invited to the World Championships.

Asian Championships

Qualified students of English Divisions from 2027 National Round will be invited to the Asian Championships. It is a 3-day global geography carnival, a perfect stage for students to showcase their geography academic prowess, make friends with global geography enthusiasts, reap the rewards of honor and growth, and reach out to the world.