High school students participate in this exciting competition that tests contestants' knowledge of world affairs, geography, history, culture, flags, sports, current events, world organizations, countries and more. At the regional level, the Council's participating high schools compete against one another in teams comprised of four members. At the national level, the winners go on to represent the Council at the national World Affairs Council of America WorldQuest competition in Washington, D.C.

Taking Part

All schools that intend to participate in our regional Academic WorldQuest must complete the required application prior to the registration deadline.

Academic WorldQuest Application

Deadline for registration: December 7, 2009

Understanding the Rules

Each participating high school may send one team of four students and one alternate. The alternate may participate only in the event that an original team member is absent on the day of the competition.

The competition will consist of ten rounds; each round is comprised of seven multiple-choice or photo identification questions. Every round will focus on a different category (see this year's categories below). Teams have 45 seconds to answer each question on an answer sheet provided to them. The answer sheet will be collected after each round.

After five rounds, there will be a short break, and team standings will be given.

Scoring: One point will be given for each correct answer. There is no penalty for a wrong answer.

If, at the end of the competition, there is a tie for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd places, a sudden death tie-breaker round will be played by the tied teams. Questions will be drawn from a set of additional questions from all ten rounds. A team answering incorrectly at any point in a tie breaker round is eliminated.

Researching the Topics

In order to prepare for the competition, students must study information from a variety of sources. This year, our topics are the following:

Great Decisions 2009
This year's Great Decision Topics are:

• U.S. and Rising Power
• Afghanistan and Pakistan
• Energy and the Global Economy
• The Arctic
• Egypt in the 21st Century
• Global Food Supply
• Cuba after Castro
• Universal Human Rights

Pandemics
As the H1N1 virus spreads throughout the globe, this round of questions will address HIV/AIDS, pandemic influenza and malaria.

Genocide
This round of questions will focus on genocides of the 20th and 21st centuries.

International Migration Trends
This category will focus on the movement of people and populations.

Food Production and Consumption
While consumption of food grows in parts of the world, other parts face increasing scarcity, this topic will focus on regions in need and how food is both produced and traded.

World Cup
With excitement building for the FIFA World Cup taking place in South Africa in 2010, this category will cover the history and format of international soccer competition.

World Music
Music is a highly effective bridge between people and nations; this category will focus on musical styles and artists from around the world.

The Islands of the Caribbean
This category of questions will cover the Caribbean islands region.

Current Events
In this category, students will answer questions about world events happening in the beginning of 2010.

The Sultanate of Oman
Questions will focus on the cultural heritage that defines Oman.

For more information about our education programs, please contact our Associate Director of Education, Kayla Haidara, at 215-561-4700, ext. 216.