About this tournament
IAC is delighted to announce that the Bay Area Fall tournament will be held on Sat, Nov 14, 2026 at Redwood Middle School! This tournament, like all IAC Regional Tournaments in the US, is open to all students regardless of what state they are located in, as long as they have not yet played the set of questions in use at this tournament in the 2026-27 academic year.
Competition Format
Subjects: Science Bee, Geography Bee and History Bee Format: 3 preliminary rounds of 30 questions each, followed by a final round for top scorers Qualification: Top one-half of each division advances to National Championships; top one-third advances to International Championships
Middle & Elementary School Student Information
Students in K-8th Grade must take the Online Regional Qualifying Exam (ORQE) before registering for a Regional Tournament. Please note your child's or student's Player Number to include it in your registration. EMS National Qualifying Exams (NQEs):
- National Mathematics Bee NQE
- US Geography Bee NQE
- US History Bee NQE
- National Biology Bee NQE
- National Citizenship Bee NQE
- National Humanities Bee NQE
- National Spanish Bee NQE
We recommend students take up to 3 exams in-person to ensure they have sufficient time to complete all exams. Students can also take additional exams online. Middle & Elementary School students can also choose to take the Varsity & Junior Varsity exams to qualify for the Varsity & Junior Varsity National Championships.
High School Student Information
New this year: students in 9th-12th grade must also take the Online Regional Qualifying Exam (ORQE) before registering for a Regional Tournament. Please note your Player Number to include it in your registration. To hold a Junior Varsity, Varsity, or Combined division, we must have at least 3 students registered in grades 9–12. Varsity & JV National Qualifying Exams (NQEs) — offered at in-person tournaments as well as online. Available Exams:
- US History Bee NQE
- National Geography Bee NQE
- National Political Science Bee NQE
- National Science Bee NQE
- National Biology Bee NQE
- National Humanities Bee NQE
The Geography exam also qualifies for the US Geography Championships, the US Geography Bee and the 2027 International Geography Championships.
Please Note
The Online Regional Qualifying Exams (ORQE) are a pre-requisite for competing at a Regional tournament (i.e. must be taken BEFORE a Regional tournament in each subject) The National Qualifying Exams (NQE) are pre-requisites for competing in the related Bee at the National Championships. For example, a student must take and qualify via the National Biology Bee NQE in order to compete in the National Biology Bee at the Nationals (the one exception is the National Mathematics Bee, as students can also compete in a Regional Math Bee event to qualify for the Math Bee at the EMS Nationals).
Refund Policy
View our Events Costs & Policies here
Quiz Bowl for All
Students eligible for Free or Reduced Lunch can apply to Quiz Bowl for All (QB4All) for financial aid to cover their tournament registration. This organization is separate from International Academic Competitions. Please refer to their website for more information and to apply for assistance. Quizbowl For All (QB4ALL) Financial Assistance Request Form
Registration & Deadlines
- Registration deadline: Mon, Nov 2 · 11:59 PM PT: late fees apply after
- Tournament day: doors open 8:30 AM · day ends 5:45 PM (Pacific Time)
- Late fee window (+$10/bee): closes Tue, Nov 10 · 11:59 PM PT
- Very late fee window (+$25/bee): after Tue, Nov 10, while the waitlist is open: waitlist closes Fri, Nov 13 · 5:00 PM PT, after which contact the tournament director
- Bees: refunded minus $10 per event until Mon, Nov 2 · 11:59 PM PT
- After the registration deadline: no refunds; seats can still be rescheduled to another tournament
- NQE exams: not refundable
Schedule
Events & Pricing
Buzzer-based bees
| Event | Price |
|---|---|
| Science Bee | $54 |
| Geography Bee | $54 |
| History Bee | $54 |
Middle & Elementary School National Qualifying Exams
| Event | Grades | Price |
|---|---|---|
| National Mathematics Bee NQE | Grades K–8 | $20 |
| US Geography Bee NQE | Grades K–8 | $20 |
| US History Bee NQE | Grades K–8 | $20 |
| National Biology Bee NQE | Grades K–8 | $20 |
| National Citizenship Bee NQE | Grades K–8 | $20 |
| National Humanities Bee NQE | Grades K–8 | $20 |
| National Spanish Bee NQE | Grades K–8 | $20 |
Varsity & JV National Qualifying Exams
| Event | Price |
|---|---|
| US History Bee NQE | $20 |
| National Geography Bee NQE | $20 |
| National Political Science Bee NQE | $20 |
| National Science Bee NQE | $20 |
| National Biology Bee NQE | $20 |
| National Humanities Bee NQE | $20 |
Questions?
Email help@iacompetitions.com or call 802-822-2899 during business hours. Confirmation emails arrive within one hour of registration.