About IAC Asia
Welcome to the International Academic Competitions Asian Division homepage! IAC is a network of over a dozen separate academic competitions, all of which have been founded since 2010. IAC’s staff administers and oversees events in over 60 separate countries, and is deeply committed to the growth and development of academic competition. Please explore our website to learn more about our competition opportunities for you and your school. For further information on any of our competitions in Asia, please email the Director of International Academic Competitions’ Asian Division, Mr. Suopeng Gao at suopeng@iacompetitions.com.
IAC Competitions for Students in Asia
IAC has been administering competitions in Asia and Oceania since 2011. The following competitions are available to students in Asia and Oceania:
International History Bee and Bowl
The International History Bee and Bowl are two academic quiz competitions with a history focus (the Bee is for individual students, the Bowl is for teams) that are held throughout Asia each school year. All IHBB events are held in English and feature comprehensive questions on all aspects of history. We pride ourselves on running competitions that are well-designed, logistically smooth, fair to all participants, and intellectually stimulating. We firmly believe that academic competitions can help students develop confidence, deepen historical understanding, and lead to friendships formed at tournaments. University admissions officers also are often keenly interested in past participation and achievements in academic competitions.
International Science Bee
The International Science Bee is a science quiz competition for individual students. The Science Bee consists of the Online Regional Qualifying Exam, Regional Finals, and Divisional Championships. Questions may cover any discipline in the field of science including, but not limited to, biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, earth science, astronomy, computer science, non-computational mathematics, and the history of science.
International Geography Bee
The International Geography Bee is a worldwide geography quiz competition, consisting of the Online Regional Qualifying Exam, Regional Finals, Divisional Championships, and the biennial International Geography Championships. The Regional Finals and Divisional Championships are entirely buzzer-based; the Championships is multifaceted and takes place over a week. The next International Geography Championships will take place in Ecuador in July 2024.
Stages
For the International Geography Bee and the International Science Bee, students compete in three stages, listed below. For informational about the International History Bee and Bowl, please visit the IHBB Asian Division website.
Stage 1: Online Regional Qualifying Exam
The Online Regional Qualifying Exam for the International Geography Bee and International Science Bee is now open and will stay open until midnight PST on the evening of March 31, 2023.
The ORQE is a 50-question multiple choice exam. Students earn 2 points for a correct response and -1 points for incorrect responses, and 0 points for blank. This exam must be supervised by a teacher, parent, or other responsible adult who may not provide assistance to the exam taker. There is no cost for students to take the Online Regional Qualifying Exams. All students are encouraged to participate. Scores on the Online Regional Qualifying Exam will be utilized to determine which students have qualified for the Regional Finals. Scores will not be made public.
Stage 2: Regional Finals
All Regional Finals are buzzer-based competitions taking place in-person or online. In each Regional Final, there will be 3 preliminary rounds and 1 final round. There are 30 tossup questions per round for Varsity and Junior Varsity divisions and 25 questions for Middle School and Elementary divisions. For in-person competitions, the top 50% of students (including ties) from each age division will qualify for the annual Asian & Oceania Championships. The top ⅔ of students (including ties) from each age division of the online Regional Finals will qualify for the annual Asian & Oceania Championships.
For the 2021-22 competition year, there will be two Regional Final competitions: one in the Winter and one in the Spring. If the pandemic improves, we will try to hold in-person Regional Finals in the Spring of 2022.
Stage 3: Asian Championships
The 2023 IAC Asian & Oceania Championships will be held from June 16-18, 2023 at the JW Marriott Resort & Spa Khao Lak, Thailand. The IAC Championships will include the History Bee and Bowl, Geography Bee, Science Bee, and Academic Bowl Asian Championships.
Age Divisions
All of the competitions are divided into 3 to 4 age divisions, which for the 2022-23 academic year are divided as follows:
| Division | Ages |
| Varsity | For students born on or before 1 September 2006 |
| Junior Varsity | For students born from 1 September 2006 to 31 August 2008 |
| Middle School | For students born from 1 September 2008 to 31 August 2010 |
| Elementary | For students born on or after 1 September 2010 |