Academic WorldQuest™

Some 50 World Affairs Councils hold local Academic WorldQuest (AWQ) competitions for high school students in their communities. Since 2003, winning teams have traveled to Washington, DC, every April to vie for the national championship.

The Carlos and Malú Alvarez Academic WorldQuest National Competition is made possible by sponsors and sustained by our AWQ Endowment. To become a sponsor, please contact WACA by phone at 202-833-4557 or email waca@worldaffairscouncils.org.

2023 Academic WorldQuest National Competition

The Carlos and Malú Alvarez 2023 Academic WorldQuest National Competition will take place April 28-29 2023.

Please find the full schedule for AWQ weekend here. This will be updated as we have more information.

WACA HOTEL BLOCK RELEASED!

AWQ Study Guide 

2022-2023 AWQ Topics

• • Securing the Future of the World's Wildlidfe
  • The Arctic Council: Frozen Cooperation
  • Atrocity Prevention and Accountability
  • Combating Global Food Insecurity
  • Economic Sanctions - A Double-Edged Sword
  • Great Decisions
    • Changing Demographics
    • Outer Space
    • Climate Change
    • Russia and the U.S.
    • Myanmar and ASEAN
    • Quad Alliance
    • Drug Policy in Latin America
    • Industrial Policy
    • Biden's Agenda
  • Country in Focus: Ethiopia
  • The Future of Supply Chains
  • Battle of the Century: Autocracy vs. Democracy
  • Current Events

Great Decisions Glossary Book

Previous Year: 2021-2022 AWQ Topics

• Where Climate and Migration Meet
• Afghanistan: End of the 20-Year U.S.-Led Intervention
• Human-Centered Agenda to the Future of Work
• CDC and the Global Health Agenda
• Technology and Democracy: Threat or Promise?
• Great Decisions
  • Global Supply Chains and National Security
  • Persian Gulf Security Issues
  • Brexit and the European Union
  • Struggles Over the Melting Arctic
  • China’s Role in Africa
  • The Korean Peninsula
  • Roles of International Organizations in a Global Pandemic
  • The End of Globalization?
• 21st Century Money: Dollars to Digital Currencies
• Working for Peace Through Legacies of War: The Case of Vietnam
• Insecurity in China’s Neighborhood
• Current Events

Academic WorldQuest Sponsors