ACADEMIC WORLDQUEST

Training our future leaders on the  importance of global issues!

23-24  Academic WorldQuest™
Local Event 

Feb 10, 2024

Winning Team: Bluffton High School!

(pictured bottom left)

Academic WorldQuest Categories

1. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO): Alliance and Collective Defense in a Changing World
2. Demographic Dividends - Population Shift in Africa
3. The Global South
4. Sports and Diplomacy
5. Country in Focus: South Korea
6. Promoting a Green Europe
7. Women's Contributions to Track II Diplomacy
8. Navigating AI: The Global Workforce
9. Great Decisions
10. Current Events 

2024 Academic WorldQuest™ National Competition

April 18-20, 2024

Academic WorldQuest (AWQ) is the World Affairs Councils of America’s (WACA) flagship education program which engages more than 3,000 high school students annually across the U.S. to test their knowledge of global issues and foreign policy. The program offers young people a fun and interactive way to learn about critical challenges facing the U.S. and the world.

Founded in 2003, the AWQ competition is a team game testing high school students’ knowledge of international affairs. During the academic year preceding the national competition, approximately 3000 students across the country participate in competitions hosted by over 40 local World Affairs Councils in 26 states. AWQ is a team game, like the “College Bowl” from the 60’s & 70’s. The students’ knowledge of international affairs, geography, history, and culture is tested in competitions throughout the school year.

Winning teams are invited to represent their high school, city, and local council at the national competition, held in the spring each year in Washington, D.C. The national competition is attended by more than 225 of the nation's most promising high school students annually, along with their parents, teachers, and chaperones.

World Affairs Council of Hilton Head is proud to be part of this great program and works in cooperation with the Beaufort County School District to bring AWQ to the six county high schools. Students work outside their regular curriculum to prepare for the final county competition in February. The winning team gets to participate in the national competition in Washington, DC in April of each year with the WACHH paying for all their expenses. The AWQ competition is a unique opportunity for the students to visit the nation's capital and other historical sites in and around D.C. (White House, U.S. Capitol, Supreme Court, Organization of American States, etc.). 

Over the ten years of our participation, the winning high schools for our local round have been Hilton Head Island in the first year, Beaufort (3 times), May River (2 times) and the 2022 winner, Hilton Head Christian Academy. 

If you’d like to volunteer, coach, mentor or provide other support to the program, please fill out the Volunteer Form or contact the WACHH office (Officemgr@wachh.org).

World Affairs Council of Hilton Head