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 nolwenn@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 European 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 or compete in the Regional Quiz Tournament. Students who graduate between the time they take the Exam or compete in the RQT and the next IGB European championships may still compete at the next European Championships, as well as at the subsequent IGB World Championships.
2. Which age divisions can students compete in?
For the 2024-2025 academic year, in order to compete in the Varsity division of the Geography Bee, students must have been born in or before August 2008 but not be over the age of 19. To qualify for the Junior Varsity Division, students must be born between September 2008 and August 2010. To be eligible to compete in the Middle School Division, students must have been born in between September 2010 and August 2012. The Elementary Division is for students born in September 2012 or later. If there is no Elementary Division on offer at a tournament, those students who would otherwise be eligible for the Elementary Division may compete in the Middle School Division. There is no younger age limit – a brilliant and mature 8 year-old is welcome to compete.
Please note, however, that when students from Europe attend the 2026 International Geography Championships, they must compete in the age division that their birth date falls into based on the standard IGC divisions during the 2025-2026 school year even if they first qualified in 2024-2025 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 where they attend school or are homeschooled regardless of their passport.
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 david@iacompetitions.com.
Regionals
1. Where are the sites for the Championships Qualifying Exam for the International Geography Bee?
The sites of the Championships Qualifying Exams (CQE) for the IGB are the exact same sites as the regional tournaments of the International History Bee and Bowl’s European Division as shown at listed here. The Online Championship Qualifying Exam (a separate version than the exams offered in person) can also be taken online for free as described here.
Also, not only are the sites identical with the IHBB Europe 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 (usually around 12:45-1pm, but double check and be sure to arrive a bit early), is indicated on each tournament page. The Exam will have 50 multiple-choice questions and a 20 minute time limit for completion. There are two separate versions of the in-person Championships Qualifying Exam: Alpha and Beta. The Alpha Exam is offered at the same sites as the Alpha Question Set for the IHBB Europe regional tournaments; the Beta Exam is offered at the same sites as the Beta Question Set for the IHBB Europe regional tournaments.
Students may take the CQE up to three times (Online, Beta, and Alpha), though it must, of course, be a different version each time. Students only need to qualify once for the European Championships (or the World Championships) on any one Exam Version, though they can take both if they like. If a student qualifies on one Exam Version, and thereafter takes the other version and receives a non-qualifying score, that does not “unqualify” them from the Championships.
Note that the separate versions of the Championships Qualifying Exam are not meant to vary in difficulty.
2. Where are the sites and when are the dates for the Regional Quiz Tournaments?
The sites for the Regional Quiz Tournaments are listed here. They will both be held entirely online.
3. What is the cost?
The costs are listed here.
4. How do I sign up for the Championships Qualifying Exam at a tournament site? Do I need to register in advance?
For the 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.
5. How do I sign up to have the Online Championships Qualifying Exam proctored by a teacher or homeschool instructor?
Please have your teacher or parent register for it on the page here.
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 david@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 European Championships and the International Geography 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 Championships Qualifying Exam?
Questions on the 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 Resources Page for past versions of the Exam as well as an additional sample version of the CQE which is available here together with its answer key.
9. Does the International Geography Bee’s European Division only test knowledge of European geography?
No, the International Geography Bee is not limited to questions on the geography of Europe. Questions on the geography of the Europe form about 30-40% of the questions we ask for the IGB in Europe.
European Championships
1. Who will qualify for the IGB European Championships?
Students who finish with a high enough qualifying score on the Qualifying Exam, or if they are in the top half of their division, inclusive of ties, at the tournament site where they take the Championships Qualifying Exam, or if their score is in the top 50% for everyone in their age division across Europe as of when the official median scores are computed.
Students can also qualify by finishing in the top 2/3 in their age division at any Regional Quiz Tournament.
2. How do I register? Is advanced registration required?
Advanced online registration is required for the European Championships!
It can be done here on the main IHBB European Championships registration page.
3. What is the deadline for registration?
Mid-May 2025. Students may be allowed to register on a space-available basis up to the date of the European Championships, but they should not assume this will be possible.
4. What does it cost?
Costs are listed here.
5. When and where will it take place?
Please click here for the most to date information on the venue and date for the European Championships.
6. Will there be prizes?
Yes, there will be medals for the top students.
7. How can I best prepare for the IGB European Championships?
The best resources are the questions we used at the past IGB European Championships, which are available on the Resources Page.
World Championships
1. How do I qualify for the World Championships?
Students in Europe qualify for the International Geography Championships by any one of the following ways:
- By scoring high enough on the Championships Qualifying Exam
- By finishing in the top 50% of finishers (either at a tournament site or across Europe) on the Championships Qualifying Exam
- By finishing in the top 2/3 of finishers at any Regional Quiz Tournament.
- Students who have competed before for their countries at the International Geography Olympiad are automatically qualified for the International Geography 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 Championships consist of?
Please see the IGC site here.
3. When and where will the World Championships take place?
The International Geography Bee World Championships will next take place in summer 2026.
4. What will the cost be?
The costs will be determined once the date and location have been finalized at some point in 2025.
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?
We do not currently have sponsors. If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities with the International Geography Bee, please contact info@iacompetitions.com.