The Carlos and Malú Alvarez Academic WorldQuest National Competition honors the tremendous dedication and philanthropic support of WACA National Board member Carlos Alvarez and his wife Malú to our flagship program and the Academic WorldQuest Endowment Fund. The national competition is attended by more than 250 of the nation's most promising high school students, along with their parents, teachers, and chaperones. The 5-hour AWQ competition is a unique opportunity for many students to visit the nation's capital for the first time.
2010 Competition Information
Winners and Prizes
First Place: duPont Manual High School - World Affairs Council of Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky
Brendan Croom, Evan Hollander, John Tamplin, and Vishnu Kadiyala
$1,000 scholarship
Second Place: J.R. Masterman High School - World Affairs Council of Philadelphia
Alba Baze, Kathleen McCarthy, Kirsten Lau, and Suneeta Kartha
Third Place: North Buncombe High School - World Affairs Council of Western North Carolina
Dylan Peifer, Jose Maldonado, Kelsey Keller, and Tyler Jacon
Competition Details
A welcome reception on Friday, April 23, was held at The George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs.
The 2010 Academic WorldQuest National Competition was held on Saturday, April 24, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC followed by a dinner reception at the National 4H Youth Conference Center featuring a West African dance performance by the Coyaba Dance Theater Company.
WACA provided the students with a tour and panel presentation on genocide at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Sunday, April 25.
Council VIPs for the 2010 AWQ National Competition were:
Click here to see the questions and answers for this year's National Competition.
Thank you to our sponsors: Exxon Mobil, Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center, and The George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs.
2009-2010 AWQ Topics
2009 Competition Information
Winners and Prizes
First Place: duPont Manual High School - World Affairs Council of Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky
Brendan Croom, Evan Hollander, John Tamplin, and Vishnu Kadiyala
Scholarship check
Second Place: J.R. Masterman High School - World Affairs Council of Philadelphia
Alba Baze, Christopher Carroll, Marisa McGarry, and Suneeta Kartha
Scholarship check
Third Place: Plano West Senior High School - World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth
Curtis Feronti, Evan Hadfield, Evan Rosenfield, and Shravik Sethi
Scholarship check
Fourth Place: Billings Skyview - Montana World Affairs Council
Amanda Zellar, Anders Landgren, Lance Pedersen, and Laramy Ayers
Scholarship check
Fifth Place: Ronald Reagan High School - World Affairs Council of San Antonio
Clayton Condie, Daanish Zaidi, Margaret Giltner, and Michael Mancini
Scholarship check
Competition Details
A welcome reception on Friday, April 3, was held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.
The 2009 Academic WorldQuest National Competition was held on Saturday, April 4, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC followed by a dinner reception at The Renaissance Hotel featuring featuring remarks from Georg Schulze Zumkley, Deputy Director of the German Information Center USA.
Council VIPs for the 2009 AWQ National Competition were:
Click here to see the questions and answers for this year's National Competition.
Thank you to our sponsors: Exxon Mobil, Michael Maibach and the Maibach Foundation, German Information Center USA, and Naples Council on World Affairs.
2008-2009 AWQ Topics
2008 Competition Information
Winners and Prizes
First Place: NC School of Science and Math - International Affairs Council of Raleigh
Jeremy Merrill, Mikal Drye, William Furr, and Zachary DeLarosa
$1,000 from the Maibach Foundation
Second Place: Oley Valley High School - World Affairs Council of Greater Reading
AJ Mell, Amanda Swartz, Bryan Shearer, and Kate Kemmerer
$500 from the Maibach Foundation
Third Place: duPont Manual High School - World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana
Nathan Nash, Sean Fitzpatrick, Sean Healey, and Will Tamplin
$250 from the Maibach Foundation
Fourth Place: Charter School of Wilmington - World Affairs Council of Wilimington
Henry Gorman, Judson Kempton, Neeraj Vijay, and Rajarajan Vel
$150 from the Maibach Foundation
Fifth Place: Scarsdale High School - World Affairs Forum (Stamford)
David Berke, Jason Goodman, Reid Bagwell, and Sam Roth
$100 from the Maibach Foundation
Competition Details
A welcome reception on Friday, April 4, was held at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The 2008 Academic WorldQuest National Competition was held on Saturday, April 5, at the National Association of Home Builders in Washington, DC followed by a dinner reception at The Hyatt Regency with remarks from Ambassador (ret.) Ronald Neumann, President of the American Academy of Diplomacy.
Council VIPs for the 2008 AWQ National Competition were:
Click here to see the questions and answers for this year's National Competition.
Thank you to our sponsors: Exxon Mobil, Michael Maibach and the Maibach Foundation, American Society of International Law, The People Speak, and Naples Council on World Affairs.
2007-2008 AWQ Topics
2007 Competition Information
Winners and Prizes
First Place: Daniel Hand High School - World Affairs Forum (Stamford)
Alex Taubes, John Zhang, Laura Bomke, and Nick Gonsalves
$1,000 from the Maibach Foundation
Second Place: Hellgate High School - Montana World Affairs Council
Chase Maxwell, Joel Dalenberg, John Marks, and Hannah Rolston
$500 from the Maibach Foundation
Third Place: Saint Andrew's School - World Affairs Council of Palm Beach
Kevin McGinnis, Grant Dubler, James Sunshine, and Daniel Reilly
$250 from the Maibach Foundation
Fourth Place: Raleigh Charter School - International Affairs Council of Raleigh
Gautam Sanka, John Eick, Katie Huddleston, and Josh Sokol
$150 from the Maibach Foundation
Fifth Place: Charter School of Wilmington - World Affairs Council of Wilimington
Robert Poirier, Henry Gorman, Jordan Leitner, and Neeraj Vijay
$100 from the Maibach Foundation
Competition Details
A welcome reception on Friday, March 23, was held at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel.
The 2007 Academic WorldQuest National Competition was held on Saturday, March 24, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC followed by a dinner reception at the Center for Strategic and International Studies with remarks from Ambassador James Jones, Co-Chairman of Manatt Jones Global Strategies.
Council VIPs for the 2007 AWQ National Competition were:
Click here to see the questions and answers for this year's National Competition.
Thank you to our sponsors: Exxon Mobil, Michael Maibach and the Maibach Foundation, Merrill Lynch, Coca-Cola, and McGraw Hill.
2006-2007 AWQ Topics
2006 Competition Information
Winners and Prizes
First Place: Thomas Jefferson HSST - World Affairs Council of DC
Lily Young, Natalia Lerner, Scott Ylinen, and Vikram Rao
Second Place: Raleigh Charter School - International Affairs Council of Raleigh
Andrew Zonderman, Katie Huddleston, Scott Hermann, and Will Schultz
Third Place: Bellaire High School - World Affairs Council of Greater Houston
Anand Habib, Danila Kabotyanski, Kyle Bean, and Will Flaherty
Competition Details
A welcome reception on Friday, March 31, was held at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel with remarks from David Sadoff, Executive Office of the President.
The 2006 Academic WorldQuest National Competition was held on Saturday, April 1, at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington, DC followed by a dinner reception at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.
Council VIPs for the 2006 AWQ National Competition were:
Click here to see the questions and answers for this year's National Competition.
Thank you to our sponsors: The Claremont Group, Foreign Policy Association, Kaiser Family Foundation, and The New York Times Knowledge Network.
2005-2006 AWQ Topics
2005 Competition Information
Competition Details
A welcome reception on Friday, April 1, was held on the Spirit of Washington boat with dinner and dancing.
The 2005 Academic WorldQuest National Competition was held on Saturday, April 2, at the Organization of American States in Washington, DC with remarks from John Donvan, ABC News, followed by a dinner reception at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.
The students received a tour of the National Museum of the American Indian on Sunday, April 3.
Council VIPs for the 2005 AWQ National Competition were:
Click here to see the questions and answers for this year's National Competition.
Thank you to our sponsors: European Union Delegation to the U.S., The Claremont Group, Foreign Policy Association, Kaiser Family Foundation, and The New York Times Knowledge Network.
2004-2005 AWQ Topics
2004 Competition Information
Competition Details
A welcome reception on Friday, March 26, was held at the Hotel Washington with remarks from Ambassador Bruce Laingen.
The 2004 Academic WorldQuest National Competition was held on Saturday, March 27, at the World Bank in Washington, DC followed by a dinner reception at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center with a performance by the Capitol Steps.
The students received a tour of the International Spy Museum on Sunday, March 28.
Click here to see the questions and answers for this year's National Competition.
Thank you to our sponsors: World Bank, The Claremont Group, Kaiser Family Foundation, and The New York Times Knowledge Network.
2003-2004 AWQ Topics
2003 Competition Information
Competition Details
The inaugural Academic WorldQuest National Competition was held on Saturday, March 29, at the Organization of American States in Washington, DC with a tour led by Sandra Honore, Chief of Staff for Ambassador Luigi Einaudi.
Click here to see the questions and answers for this year's National Competition.
Thank you to our sponsors: Ambassador Jim Jones, The Claremont Group, Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Organization of American States.
2002-2003 AWQ Topics
AWQ Competition History (2020-2011)
AWQ Competition History (2010-2003)