The 3rd International Geography Championships were recently held from July 13-20, 2024 in Vienna, Austria. Organized by International Academic Competitions, the International Geography Championships are a biennial event featuring the world’s top geography students ages 8-18. Featuring 30 separate competitions as well as numerous field trips, ceremonies, and social events, the 2024 International Geography Championships were attended by 310 students. They competed for 51 separate affiliations, representing 19 independent countries, Hong Kong, 31 US states, and the District of Columbia. Students competed in four separate age divisions: High School (grades 9-12 or international equivalent), Middle School (grades 7-8 or equivalent), Intermediate (grades 5-6 or equivalent), and Elementary School (grades 2-4 or equivalent).
The overall champions of the 2024 International Geography Champions for each division were:
High School (88 competing students): Anish Raja, Georgia (US State)
Middle School (98 competing students): Satvik Jain, Maryland
Intermediate (85 competing students): Kahaan Patel, Virginia
Elementary School (39 competing students): Yakshit Bagad, Texas
The overall championship title was determined by the combined top scores in the Written Exam, the multiple choice-style Battery Exam, and the International Geography Bee World Championships for the three younger age divisions. For High School Division students, the GIS (Geographic Information System) competition replaced the International Geography Bee World Championships in the overall calculation.
One of the marquee events at IGC 2024 was the International Geography Bee World Championships, in which all students competed. This was one of eight buzzer-based quiz competitions, and it featured paragraph-length quiz questions on all parts of the world. The winners of the 2024 International Geography Bee World Championships for each division were:
High School: Anish Raja, Georgia (US State)
Middle School: Siddhu Nagarajan, New Jersey
Intermediate: Avahan Gautam, Texas
Elementary School: Trishob Thigulla, New Jersey
These four students each earned $1000 cash prizes for winning the International Geography Bee World Championships, which were generously provided by the Rushi Fund.
While a public high school in Vienna served as the setting for most competitions, day trips to Budapest and Bratislava featured the Hungarian Geography Exam and Slovak Geography Exam respectively. Other highlights of IGC 2024 included simulations of the Congress of Vienna and OPEC (including a visit to OPEC Headquarters); playing the finals of the Scramble on Amusement Parks during a ride on Vienna’s iconic Ferris wheel; tours of Schönbrunn Palace, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and the Hapsburg Imperial Treasury; and visits to the Freud Museum and Mozart House. After the conclusion of IGC 2024, 82 students and family members also took part in an IAC-organized Central Europe Tour visiting Prague, Dresden, Berlin, and other locales. IGC will next take place in 2026; the host country has yet to be determined.