International Academic Competitions is delighted to announce that the 5th International Geography Championships will take place in Stockholm, Sweden from July 8-15, 2028! This will be the first time that IGC (or any International Academic Competitions world championship-level competition) will be held anywhere in Scandinavia. IGC 2028 will feature over 40 separate geography-themed competitions, as well as over 15 field trip destinations, the Family and Friends Program, the Press Corps, ceremonies, and other cultural events. We expect 300-400 Competing Students to attend and hope that you and your family can join us! Qualification is outlined here; if you are not yet qualified, the quickest way to do so is through the IGC 2028 Qualifying Exam.
Note that the 2028 International Geography Championships will be held in conjunction with the inaugural 2028 Model United Nations World Championships! Both events will take place at the same hotels in Stockholm during the same week. Qualified and age-eligible students who are interested in competing in both IGC 2028 and the 2028 Model UN World Championships will be able to do so, as none of the required events for either competition will overlap. Note that IGC is open to qualified students in grades 1-12 during the 2027-28 academic year, but the Model UN World Championships is just for students in grades 4-8 in the 2027-28 academic year. More information on the 2028 Model UN World Championships will be available on a separate website shortly.
Please note the 2028 International Geography Championships will take place at two separate host hotels: Hotel Clarion Stockholm and Quality Globe Hotel. The two hotels are two subway/metro stops or approximately a 25 minute walk from each other, and both are centrally located just south of the city center. All families (except those who have received a special dispensation as part of their financial aid package) and school/student groups will be required to book rooms at either of the two hotels through an official booking link to be able to take part. Please do not book rooms at the Hotel Clarion Stockholm or Quality Globe Stockholm for the week of IGC 2028 through any other method, including the hotel sites themselves, before the booking link is available! Unaccompanied students in the High School Division will be able to attend IGC 2028 and will also stay at one or the other hotel; IAC will assign their rooms to them after registration, and their parents do not need to book hotel rooms. Additional information on room rates and types will be available before registration opens (projected to be at the end of September 2027). There are numerous restaurants, supermarkets and shops near both hotels. Breakfast will be included in the hotel rates.
Note that we are projecting that the High School Division competitions, the Elementary School Division (grades 4 and younger) competitions, and the entirety of the Model UN World Championships will take place at the Hotel Clarion Stockholm. We also project that the Middle School (grades 7-8) and Intermediate (grades 5-6) Division competitions will take place at the Quality Hotel Globe. IAC reserves the right to adjust these arrangements pending final registration numbers, but we encourage families to select the hotel they will stay at accordingly. All attending families are permitted to stay at either hotel though.
Additionally, IAC is planning on organizing the following pre and post-tours in conjunction with IGC 2028! Intrepid geographers and their families can thus explore up to seven countries with us while in Europe for IGC!
Scandinavia Pre-Tour (July 1-7): Oslo > Flåm / Aurlandsfjord > Bergen > Oslo (all by train) > Copenhagen (overnight cruise) > Stockholm (high speed train)
Copenhagen Pre-Tour (July 5-7): Copenhagen, including train travel to Stockholm
Baltic Post-Tour (July 16-22): Stockholm > Helsinki (overnight cruise) > Tallinn, Estonia (high speed ferry) > Riga, Latvia > Vilnius, Lithuania (by coach bus within the three Baltic republics)
Shorter Post-Tour (July 16-18): Helsinki, including overnight cruise across the Baltic Sea
Additional information on the tours will be available in late summer 2027 once IAC staff have scouted out the tour routes and have confirmed the arrangements.
Registration is expected to open for IGC by October 1, 2027 once the planned program of events has been posted. The pre and post tours will also all open for registrations at that time, as will applications for financial aid. Please note that a significant discount on IGC 2027 and all tours will be available if payments are received prior to the end of the 2027 calendar year. Please check this website periodically as more information will be posted to it on a rolling basis in the months leading up to IGC 2028. For all questions, please contact us at igc@iacompetitions.com. Lycka till med förberedelserna inför IGC 2028 and we look forward to welcoming you to Stockholm in Summer 2028!