About Us

International Academic Competitions

A Legacy of Promoting Academic Excellence Through Competitions Since 2010

Established in 2010
250+ Annual Tournaments and Conferences
Competitions Worldwide, Including Asia, Australia and Oceania, Canada, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the USA

Model UN World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden

IAC History

Our Beginnings

International Academic Competitions (IAC) is a USA-based organizer of innovative and enriching competitions for primary and secondary school students around the world. Founded in 2010, IAC began by organizing history-themed quiz tournaments in the USA for individual students (National History Bee) and school teams (National History Bowl).

David Madden with champions from Livingston HS, NJ

In its second year, IAC launched its history quiz competitions in Asia and Europe as the International History Bee and Bowl. Today IAC organizes quiz and exam competitions in history, geography, science, math, and general knowledge (all subjects) for students in over 50 countries each year.

IAC has separate divisions for Asia (which also encompasses students in Australia and Oceania), Canada, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the USA.

Founders & Executive Directors

David and Nolwenn Madden

IAC is overseen by its founders and Executive Directors, David and Nolwenn Madden, who are assisted by over 10 full-time staff, and thousands of staffers worldwide who regularly assist with its 250+ annual tournaments and conferences. David and Nolwenn both credit their own experiences with academic competitions with giving them lasting benefits in supporting academic performance, gaining admission to top universities, building confidence in high-performance settings, making lifelong friendships, and much more. For all of us at IAC, it is both a privilege and a responsibility to organize our competitions in a way that give today’s students these same benefits.

Timeline of Events

From Simulations to Model UN Conferences

2015: Expanding to Simulation Competitions

In 2015, IAC organized the first-ever International History Olympiad as a multi-faceted world championship event for its top history competitors. One competition at the 2015 International History Olympiad was a historical simulation of the Boxer Rebellion, which was overseen by former Model UN delegates. This was the first simulation-style competition that IAC organized, and simulations now figure as major components of both the International History Olympiad and the International Geography Championships; IAC’s world championship competition for geography.

On the basis of IAC’s experience in running simulation style competitions at its summer world championships, IAC began offering an Introduction to Model UN competition at its 2024 USA Middle and Elementary School National Championships. This event annually attracts over 2000 students to Orlando in late May, and thus it provided a critical mass of intellectually curious students who wished to discover Model UN among the students who were competing in the various other quiz and exam competitions. Several hundred students took part in Intro to Model UN in 2024 and 2025, which also gave us experience in running a format of Model UN that was conducive to a National Championship setting.

2025-2026: Launching Regional Conferences & the Model UN USA National Championships

The next step was for IAC to launch a full-fledged Model United Nations USA National Championships, and to establish a network of our own Regional Conferences across the USA in support of it. During the 2025-26 academic year, IAC thus organized 8 Regional Conferences (7 in person, 1 online) and ultimately welcomed 139 students in grades 4-8 (aged 9-14) to the inaugural 2026 Model UN National Championships. IAC continues to offer its Intro to Model UN program as well, through which students can also qualify for the Model UN National Championship committees. Students can also qualify for IAC’s Model UN USA National Championships by winning any award at any Model UN conference, not just an IAC conference.

2026-27: Worldwide Conference Opportunities

For the 2026-27 academic year, and in conjunction with our China (ASEEDER) and India (INDAC) partner organizations, IAC will be launching a Model UN Asian Championships for students ages 9-18. This will take place at IAC’s annual Asian Championships at the JW Marriott Resort & Spa in Khao Lak, Thailand in June 2027. IAC also plans on organizing a series of Model UN Intramural and Regional Conferences in Asia in March-May 2027 through which students can qualify for the Asian Championships, though students can also do so by winning any award at any Model UN conference in Asia, Australia, or Oceania.

IAC is also looking to launch several intramural and regional conferences in Latin America and the Caribbean during the 2026-27 school year and will be opening its online conferences to students around the world in early 2027. In 2027-28, IAC looks forward to launching its Model UN Regional Conferences in Africa, Canada, and Europe as well.

Looking Ahead to the Inaugural 2028 Model United Nations World Championships

With a growing network of conferences around the world, IAC is delighted to announce the inaugural Model United Nations World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden from July 8-15, 2028! This will be held at the Clarion Hotel Stockholm, a major convention hotel in central Stockholm, in conjunction with the 2028 International Geography Championships, which will also be held there that same week. The 2028 Model UN World Championships will be offered for students in Grades 4-8 during the 2027-28 academic year who have won top awards at Model UN conferences in the period of August 2025-June 2028. Subsequent Model UN World Championships will be held every summer in conjunction with either the International History Olympiad or the International Geography Championships. High school grades (9-12) will be added to the Model UN World Championships in 2029 or 2030.

We welcome delegates and their families and schools around the world to International Academic Competitions, and we look forward to seeing you at one of our conferences soon!