Academic WorldQuest

• 2011-2012 Tennessee AWQ Program Information
• 2011-2012 AWQ Study Guide (PDF)
• 2011-2012 Competition Rules – How to Play
• 2011-2012 National Competition Details
• AWQ Questions from 2011 National Championship (PDF)
• AWQ Team Pledge Form (PDF)
• AWQ Announcement Flyer (PDF)

Academic WorldQuest

What is it?

Academic WorldQuest is the flagship youth education program of the Tennessee World Affairs Council and the national network of World Affairs Councils. It is a team game testing high school students’ knowledge of international affairs. In the game, four-person teams compete by answering multiple-choice and fill-in the blank questions divided into ten unique and engaging thematic categories. 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.  The Tennessee World Affairs Council organizes an annual State Championship (Apr 1, 2012) match hosted at Belmont University. The winning team advances to the National Championship hosted by the World Affairs Councils of America national office in Washington, DC with transportation and lodging provided by TN WAC.  [The TNWAC organizes WorldQuest for university students and for young professionals but a national competition is not available at these levels.]

History

Academic WorldQuest was created by the Charlotte Council and is now widely played at the adult and high school levels around the country. It is a team game testing competitors’ knowledge of international affairs, geography, history, and culture. The World Affairs Councils of America started the national competition in Washington, DC in March 2003. Participants come from high schools that work with the World Affairs Council network.

Why Academic WorldQuest is Important

With funding for school programs other than “basics” falling away, the opportunities for high school students to learn geography, world history, and world affairs have dwindled to almost nothing in American high schools while globalization and interdependence continues to knit the world more closely together each passing day and year.

The Tennessee World Affairs Council does a lot to counter this trend already through its programs: distinguished visiting speakers; availability of global affairs curriculum units for high schools through our national network; the organizing of teachers’ workshops, and the sending abroad of teachers and students. We want to build on our already existing and successful programs that seek to reverse this disturbing trend regarding global affairs awareness education. Toward that end: Academic WorldQuest is a “Game with a Purpose.”

Program Structure

The competition is played between 4-person teams who answer rounds of multiple-choice and fill in the blank questions projected onto a screen. The questions test their knowledge of current affairs, world leaders, geography, recent history, flags, international organizations, countries, regions, the world economy, culture, religion, and more. A full competition is 100 questions, 10 rounds of 10 questions per round. The winning team is the team with the highest number of right answers.

Approximately 3000 students across the country participate in local competitions hosted by over 40 local World Affairs Councils in 26 states. Winning teams are invited to represent their high school and the Tennessee World Affairs Council at the national competition, held in the spring each year in Washington, DC.

The national Academic WorldQuest competition is attended by more than 225 of the nation’s most promising students, along with their parents, teachers, and chaperones. The 3-hour competition is a unique opportunity for many students to visit the nation’s capital for the first time. There is a weekend of substantive programming to enhance the experience.

2010-2011 Competition

The Tennessee World Affairs Council sends congratulations to the winners of the 9th annual Academic WorldQuest National Championship:

• First Place: Plano Senior High School WAC of Dallas/Ft. Worth
• Second Place: Keystone School WAC of San Antonio
• Third Place: Clayton High School WAC of St. Louis
• Fourth Place: St. Henry District High School WAC of Kentucky and So.Indiana

The inaugural Academic WorldQuest match in Tennessee was won by a team from Martin Luther King, Jr., Magnet High School, in Nashville.

The 2009 Tennessee Academic WorldQuest Champions from Nashville's Martin Luther King, Jr., Magnet High School: (L-R) Cody Simons, Kannan Raju, Will Scheving and Jordan Willis.