What is Academic WorldQuest?

Academic WorldQuest is a Flagship Program of the World Affairs Council system. The game was invented by the Charlotte, N.C. Council and is now widely played at the adult and high school levels in the council system around the country. It is an annual knowledge-based team competition for area high schools with questions focusing on international affairs, current events, the global economy, geography, world history, general knowledge about the world, and more.

The World Affairs Councils of America started the national competition in Washington, DC in March 2003. Participants come from high schools that work with our councils. Academic WorldQuest is unique to the world affairs council system and has no direct competitor among K-12 knowledge-based competitions in the US or abroad.

It has been a huge success since its inception.

The Mid-Hudson Valley Competition

Local councils organize area high school competitions to select a team to represent them at the national competition in Washington, D.C. The World Affairs Council of the Mid-Hudson Valley has organized competitions for high schools in Dutchess, Orange and Ulster counties. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday morning, March 24th, 2012 at the Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library in Hyde Park, NY.

The Council will sponsor the winning team and their teacher to travel to Washington, D.C. to compete in the national-level competition organized by the World Affairs Councils of America.

The National Competition

The 2012 National Academic WorldQuest Competition will be held in Washington, DC on April 21, 2012 at the Georgetown University Hotel & Convention Center. The Convention Center is located at 3800 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, D.C. (Details regarding accommodations will follow shortly.)

The 3-hour competition is embedded in a long weekend of activities in Washington including a dinner and mixer on Friday night, free time for participants to tour the museums and monuments, a luncheon featuring an open-floor discussion with a member of the media, the competition, and a performance by Capitol Steps, Washington’s favorite political satire group. Sunday morning was free time for participants to sightsee in Washington, DC.

Details of the previous national competition schedule can be found at the WACA site.

How To Play

The game is a contest between four-person teams representing a high school, a city, or a council. It is moderated by a prominent figure in the field of international affairs or journalism. Teams compete by answering rounds of questions displayed by PowerPoint.

A full competition is 100 questions, 10 rounds of 10 questions per round. (Note: Our regional competition will consist of 10 rounds of 9 questions each and a “Roosevelt Round” of 10 questions. (Separate awards will be made for the winners of that round.) Tie-breaker rounds will be played if necessary. Each team has to come up with a single answer to each question. The team with the highest number of right answers wins. Prizes are awarded to the top three teams.

What makes up a team?

A team consists of four students and may include one alternate. (Note: Locally, a team shall consist of up to 4 students and an alternate. Should that team advance to the national competition it must conform to the rules of the national board.) Team members can be freshmen, sophomores, juniors, or seniors. No alternates or substitutes during the competition unless there is an emergency. Student observers are welcome.

For more information, visit the World Affairs Councils of America at: http://www.worldaffairscouncils.org/

Rounds for 2012 & Contest Questions

Each round will have 10 questions (9 for our regional competition). There will be 10 rounds. Rounds with descriptions are listed in our Resources page. All questions will have four multiple choice answers. Questions will be projected on a screen by PowerPoint and will be read by a Moderator. The rounds will not necessarily be in the order below.

NOTE: In the event of a tie, there will be tie-breaking rounds. A “Sudden-Death” option may of necessity be used if time runs out.

For more information please contact our coordinator, Joe Lombardi at AcWQ@hvworldaffairscouncil.org

For a preparation study guide and other resources see: Academic WorldQuest Study Guide

To register your team, click here!

Teams must be registered by March 15, 2012

To register your team’s members, click here!

Members must be registered by the same day March 15, 2012