Academic WorldQuest Competition
The Academic WorldQuest Competition is an exciting global trivia competition for high school students, in teams of four, to test their international IQ. The winning team wins an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to compete in the National Academic WorldQuest Competition.
Academic WorldQuest is a flagship program of the World Affairs Councils of America, a network of over 90 councils that engages more than 4,000 high school students annually across the U.S. to test their knowledge of global issues and foreign policy. As the World Affairs Council of Hawai’i, PAAC annually host the Regional Academic WorldQuest Competition for state High School students.
When Soft Power Is "Acc Hella Interesting": 143 Hawaiʻi Students Compete in the 2026 Academic WorldQuest
Imin Internationa l Conference Center
Saturday, March 7, 2026
On March 7, 2026, 143 students from 19 schools across O'ahu, Hawai'i Island, and Maui gathered at the Imin Conference Center on the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa campus for PAAC's 2026 Hawaiʻi Regional Academic WorldQuest competition. Teams of four arrived PAACports in hand, filed into Keoni Auditorium to face 60 multiple-choice questions across six categories: Pop Culture & Soft Power in International Relations, the FIFA World Cup, Migration & Immigration, the Belt & Road Initiative, Tariffs & Trade, and Coffee & Chocolate: A Global Perspective. For three rounds of competition — broken up by intermissions, snacks, and the kind of quiet intensity that descends when four people are whispering strategy over a clipboard — students worked through questions that don't typically appear on a high school syllabus.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS
TEAM SHOCKED n’ APPALLED FROM KALANI HIGH SCHOOL
Congratulations to Ivan Tse, Anson Li, Bryce Hara & Jayden Tran, aka Team Shocked n’ Appalled from Kalani High School, for winning 1st place overall at our regional Academic WorldQuest competition and placing 11th overall at nationals in Washington, D.C. on April 27th, 2026!
Want to Learn more or get involved next year?
Follow the PAAC Instagram account for updates regarding next year’s competition or email Max Malmud for more information!