National History Bee & Bowl Llc

What National History Bee & Bowl Llc does

International Academic Competitions (IAC), legally organized as National History Bee & Bowl LLC and headquartered in Burlington, Vermont, runs a portfolio of buzzer-based and team academic quiz competitions for K-12 students in the United States and internationally. The organization was founded in 2010 by David Madden, a 19-day Jeopardy champion, beginning with the Tri-State History Bowl and expanding into the National History Bee, National History Bowl, and a broader suite of individually branded Bees (History, Geography, Science, US History, US Geography, Biology, Humanities, Mathematics, Citizenship, Academic, Political Science) and team Bowls (History Bowl, Geography Bowl, Academic Bowl), plus Model UN, US Spelling Championships, and National Championship Exams. Operationally, IAC runs 200+ regional tournaments annually across 40+ US states and reaches students in 50+ countries through online qualifying exams (ORQE/NQE systems hosted at iac-exams.com), in-person regionals, National Championships at hotel venues in Orlando and Arlington, and biennial world championship-level events including the International History Olympiad, International Geography Championships, International Environmental Science Olympiad, and forthcoming International Science Championships. International delivery is executed through distribution partners including XpressMinds Edutainment (India, INDAC) and ASEEDER (China).

The technology stack is a set of custom digital platforms supporting online exam administration, online regional tournaments, results tracking, and multi-set question distribution (Red/White/Blue/Gold color sets for regionals; A/B/C sets for History Bee/Bowl), with content produced by a dedicated question production team. Revenue is generated almost entirely through unit-priced pay-as-you-go registration and exam fees: regional bee registrations at $54 per subject, regional bowl teams at $59-$99, National Qualifying Exams at $20 each, International Qualifying Exams at $30 each, and National Championship fees ranging from $65-$170 for individuals, $225-$770 for teams, and $114 per Model UN committee; schools with 10+ students can use bulk registration, and a 5% credit card processing fee applies. Customers are individual K-12 students, families (including homeschool associations up to ~5,000 students), and public/private/charter schools, and the go-to-market relies on school and teacher networks, regional outreach coordinators, email blasts by division, and community-driven word-of-mouth.

The company remains privately held and founder-owned by David Madden and Co-Executive Director Nolwenn Madden, with no disclosed institutional funding, no parent company, and a small core team of 1-10 employees plus broader network of regional coordinators, tournament staff, and question writers.

Name

National History Bee & Bowl Llc

Legal name

International Academic Competitions

Website

https://iacompetitions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

International Academic Competitions (National History Bee & Bowl LLC) operates a portfolio of K-12 buzzer-based academic quiz competitions — individual Bees, team Bowls, and biennial world championships in history, geography, science, and other subjects — delivered through 200+ US regional tournaments and partners across 50+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Quiz Tournament Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Quiz Bowl & Academic Team Competitions (EDAMAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Academic Olympiads & Subject Competitions (Science, Math, Informatics) (EDAMAGAE), Competitive Exam Prep (Olympiads, academic competitions, entrance contests) (EDANABAI)

Keywords

• Academic quiz competitions
• K-12 academic tournaments
• History bee bowl events
• Scholastic quiz bowl
• Educational tournament services

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Regional Tournament Registration Fees: Students pay per bee subject ($54 in-person and online for Science/History/Geography Bee Regionals). History Bowl teams pay $99 for 3-6 students, $79 for duo, $59 for solo team. Late registration adds $10 surcharge.
2. National Qualifying Exam (NQE) Fees: $20 per exam for online or in-person NQEs. Schools can purchase site licenses for $100 per subject. AP teachers administer A Set exams free to classes.
3. National Championship Fees: Individual bee events range $80-$170 per student. History Bowl teams $330-$770 depending on size. Model UN $114 per committee. Multiple family/teacher events ($55-$75 each).
4. International Qualifying Exam Fees: $30 per international qualifying exam for International History Olympiad and International Geography Championships qualification.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

International Academic Competitions (IAC) operates a portfolio of buzzer-based academic quiz tournaments for K-12 students across the United States and internationally. The company organizes regional qualifying events, national championships, and biennial international olympiads in history, geography, science, biology, humanities, mathematics, citizenship, political science, and general academic subjects, plus Model United Nations simulations and spelling championships. Students progress through a structured pipeline from online qualifying exams to regional tournaments, national championships, and ultimately international olympiads.

Product overview

International Academic Competitions (IAC) operates a comprehensive portfolio of academic quiz bowl competitions for students in grades K-12, with the National History Bee & Bowl being its flagship brand. The organization offers a multi-tiered competition structure including buzzer-based individual Bee competitions (National History Bee, National Geography Bee, National Science Bee, US History Bee, US Geography Bee, National Biology Bee, National Humanities Bee, National Mathematics Bee, National Citizenship Bee, National Academic Bee, National Political Science Bee) and team-based Bowl competitions (National History Bowl, National Geography Bowl, National Academic Bowl). Additional offerings include Model United Nations programs, National Championship Exams, United States Spelling Championships, and Online/Regional Qualifying Exams as qualifying pathways. IAC also administers four biennial world championship-level events: International History Olympiad, International Geography Championships, International Science Championships, and International Environmental Science Olympiad. Competitions are offered at regional, national, and international levels across all 50 US states and over 50 countries worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• National History Bee: Individual buzzer-based quiz competition in history for students in grades K-12
• National History Bowl
• National Geography Bee
• National Science Bee
• National Academic Bowl
• International History Olympiad
• International Geography Championships
• International Environmental Science Olympiad

Products and services

• National History Bee A buzzer-based individual quiz competition for students in grades K-12 covering history topics, with separate Varsity/Junior Varsity and Middle/Elementary School divisions.
• National History Bowl A team-based buzzer competition for teams of up to 4 students (with substitutes) playing at regional and national levels in history topics.
• National Geography Bee A buzzer-based individual quiz competition for students covering geography topics at regional tournaments and national championships.
• National Science Bee A buzzer-based individual quiz competition for students covering science topics, requiring qualification through regional tournaments or exams.
• National Academic Bowl A team-based buzzer competition for students up to 8th grade covering broad academic topics with team sizes of up to 4 players.
• National Academic Bee A buzzer-based quiz competition for individual students covering broad academic topics, with no prior qualification required for nationals.
• US History Bee An individual competition covering United States history topics, requiring qualification through National Qualifying Exams for national championship participation.
• US Geography Bee An individual competition covering United States geography topics, held online for V/JV divisions at nationals.
• National Political Science Bee An individual competition covering political science topics for Varsity and Junior Varsity divisions, requiring qualification through National Qualifying Exams.
• Model United Nations A simulation program for students in grades 4-8 covering Model UN regional conferences, introduction to Model UN at nationals, and Model UN National Championships.
• National Championship Exams Multiple-choice exams available across multiple divisions (Open, Varsity, Junior Varsity, and grade-based) that test knowledge in various academic subjects.
• Online Regional Qualifying Exams (ORQE) Online exams that students must pass to qualify for National Science Bee, National History Bee, and National Geography Bee regional tournaments.
• National Qualifying Exams (NQEs) Multiple-choice qualifying exams for Varsity/Junior Varsity level covering Biology, Geography, Humanities, Political Science, Science, and US History topics.
• International History Olympiad Biennial world championship level competition in history bringing together top students from around the world, next held summer 2027.
• International Geography Championships Biennial world championship level competition for geography bringing together top students from around the world, next held July 2026 in Khao Lak, Thailand.
• International Science Championships Biennial world championship level competition for science, debuting in 2028.
• International Environmental Science Olympiad Biennial world championship level competition for environmental science, returning in 2029.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students qualify for National Championships by finishing in top 50% at regional tournaments
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• XpressMinds EdutainmentcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndia-based leader in quizzes and academic competitions. Has run over 3500 events and engaged 3 million+ students from 40,000 schools for over a decade. Led by BBC Mastermind semifinalist Kunal Savarkar and Seema Chari. Administers IAC's international tournaments (International History Bee, International Geography Bee, International Science Bee, International Academic Bee) in India through INDAC: the Indian Academic Championship.
• ASEEDERcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommitted to 'Helping Every Learner to Achieve' with programs for Grade 1-12. Operates Asia's largest international competition platform, engaging over 400,000 students from more than 1,800 schools annually. Administers International Science Bee and International Geography Bee for students in China.
• LeafminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSelective online program preparing talented teenagers (ages 15-19) to make positive impact. History course brings together future leaders in law, politics, philosophy, and academia, perfect for students with History Bee and Bowl success. Offers live seminars with Oxford/Cambridge mentors, curated curriculum, $1,000 project grants, and $10,000 scholarships. Sliding tuition scale including free access.
• Eat2ExploreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural education through food exploration. Provides country cooking kits with ingredients, recipes, and fact sheets about countries and their cuisines. Award-winning cultural education program in explorer boxes. Complements IAC's geography and history competitions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT): NAQT is the most established US academic quiz tournament organization, running high school and middle school competitions with buzzer-based formats. It directly competes with IAC for the same schools, coaches, and students at regional and national levels.
• MATHCOUNTS: MATHCOUNTS runs the leading middle school math competition program in the US, with school, chapter, state, and national rounds. Comparable to IAC's National Mathematics Bee in targeting math-talented K-12 students through structured tournament pathways.
• International Science Olympiad (IPhO, IChO, etc.): The International Science Olympiads (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, etc.) are global subject-specific academic competitions for high-achieving high school students. They compete with IAC's International Science Championships for the same elite international student audience.
• National History Day: National History Day is the dominant K-12 history competition in the US, running project-based contests at local, state, and national levels. Directly comparable to IAC's National History Bee/Bowl as the primary US academic history competition for students.
• Science Olympiad: Science Olympiad runs STEM-focused academic team competitions for K-12 students across the US, with regional, state, and national tournaments. It overlaps directly with IAC's National Science Bee and International Science Bee/Championships in subject and audience.
• US Academic Decathlon: USAD runs team-based academic competitions across 10 subjects for high school students with regional, state, and national levels. Comparable in subject breadth and team format to IAC's National Academic Bowl and National Academic Bee.
• Model United Nations conferences (e.g., NAIMUN, HMUN): Major university-hosted Model UN conferences serve the same K-12 student population with similar team-based simulation formats. IAC's Model UN regional and national competitions compete with these established independent conferences for student participation.

Emerging players

• National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA): NSDA is the dominant US organization for high school speech, debate, and supplemental academic events including Model UN. It overlaps with IAC's Model UN program and shares the same school/coach target market for extracurricular academic competition.

Broad incumbents

• National Geographic Society (GeoBee legacy): National Geographic ran the National Geographic Bee for K-12 students from 1989-2019 and remains the most recognized geography competition brand historically. IAC's National Geography Bee and International Geography Championships occupy the space after the GeoBee's discontinuation.

Regional players

• Scholastic Bowl / Knowledge Bowl associations (state-level): State and regional Scholastic/Knowledge Bowl associations run buzzer-based academic quiz competitions for US high schools, often affiliated with activities associations. They compete with IAC's regional History Bowl network for the same school teams and coaches at the state level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iacsocialmedia
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@iacompetitions
• Facebookfacebook.com/iacompetitions
• Instagraminstagram.com/iacompetitions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-academic-competitions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National History Bee & Bowl Llc