david

View to the Beach, JW Marriott Resort & Spa, Khao Lak, Thailand - Host Site of the 2026 IGC International Academic Competitions is pleased to announce that registration for the 2026 International Geography Championships at the JW Marriott Resort & Spa in Khao Lak, Thailand will open by November 25, 2025. At that point, costs will be confirmed for both IGC itself, as well as the pre-trip to Bangkok and the post-trip to Angkor Wat. A full schedule of events and competitions for IGC as well as itineraries for the pre-trip and post-trip will also be ready by then. Please note that as in past summers, [...]

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 [...]

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Go around Vienna and do things (mostly taking selfies) of yourself (at least 1 family member) in front of the following spots. 2. Then go to the checkpoints which are open from 4:30 to 6:30 and show us your photos / what you've done / brought / etc. 3. You can only go to a checkpoint ONCE and you can only check 10 things in at any one point. Quizzes are not things (i.e. you can do the quiz at the checkpoint and still check in up to 10 things at that checkpoint. CHECKPOINT LISTS AND NUMBERS Checkpoint number Location 1 Hauptbahnhof Starbucks (down, one floor, [...]

JULY 8 UPDATE EMAIL Dear IGC Geographers, Families, and Supporters, It's IGC week! Another email will go out on July 10/11 that will have all the details on when and where to check in on the 12th or the 13th. That said, for those of you itching to know, check-in will be at the host school (GRG 23) from 2pm-9pm on the 12th, and from 11am-9pm on the 13th. It will also reopen at 7:30am-8:30am on the 14th, but that’s ONLY if you really can’t make it to the school on either of the two main check in days. It’s OK if you are coming to Budapest and [...]

June 21 Update Email Text (June 6, May, February and March email texts are below) Dear IGC 2024 Participating Students, Families, Chaperones, and Staff, Greetings from Vienna, where the city is abuzz after Austria's win tonight in the Euro 2024! We wanted to pass along the latest IGC update email with some important reminders and a list of some important things to bring. We’ll be in touch with another email at some point next week with further tips and updates, but as always, remember to contact igc@iacompetitions.com if you need any assistance. Please note: if you can no longer attend IGC, please email david@iacompetitions.com as soon as possible so that we can plan accordingly. [...]

A list of suggested hotels for the 2024 is now available here. Note that any hotel that is within a 5 minute walk to any stop along the U6 subway (U-Bahn) line between Thaliastraße and Siebenhirten, or within a 5 minute walk to any stop along the U4 subway (U-Bahn) line between Hietzing and Pilgramgasse can work well too. If you are looking to stay closer to the city center, then we recommend a hotel close to Karlsplatz, Stadtpark, or Landstraße. These are all stops on the U4 slightly farther from Pilgramgasse, but still within 30 minutes of the host school at the U6 Alt-Erlaa stop.

We are pleased to announce that GRG 23-Alterlaa has been selected as the host school for the 2024 International Geography Championships! GRG 23-Alterlaa is an Austrian public high school in the 23rd District of Vienna, and is a three-minute walk from the Alterlaa station on the U6 subway (i.e. Metro / U-Bahn) line; the location is here on a map. Families who are looking to book hotels should look anywhere that is within a 5 minute walk from any U6 subway stop between Burggasse-Stadthalle and Siebenhirten, or along the U4 subway line between Hietzing and Pilgramgasse. A list of suggested hotels is posted here. Most of the competitions [...]

Happy Holidays from International Academic Competitions! We've just spent several weeks in Vienna doing some advance planning for next summer, and we're delighted to present the Draft Schedule of the 2024 International Geography Championships! There are 30 different medal events and nearly 20 different field trip destinations in Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest! Descriptions are now online for all of the buzzer quiz tournaments, exams, other medal events, field trips, and the optional day trip to Budapest. Registration will open by December 10; we will send out an announcement to everyone on our contact list when it does. If you are not yet receiving updates on IGC, please contact [...]

International Academic Competitions is delighted to announce a new expansion of our programs. Branching out from our usual academic competitions, we will be offering a full week-long tour of Central Europe from Vienna to Berlin from July 21-27! Stops will include the Wachau Valley, Český Krumlov, Prague, Dresden, and Berlin on a tour designed specifically for families of children age 9-17 with an interest in geography, history, and culture. Details are available on the website here, which will be updated continually throughout the coming months. Of course, with this being an IAC tour, there will be any number of optional competitions that participants and their families can take [...]

Vienna's famous Ferris Wheel overlooks the Prater amusement park. International Academic Competitions is delighted to announce that the 2024 International Geography Championships will be held in Vienna, Austria from July 13-20! This will be the first world championship level event that IAC has organized in what has routinely been called the world's most livable city, and which is an outstanding nexus of culture and history in a spectacular geographic setting at the far eastern end of the Alps along the Danube River. Please explore this website for further details for what lies in store at IGC 2024 this coming summer. This website will be continually updated [...]