Funding

Self Funded

Forum / Summit•Global

World Scholar’s Cup

The World Scholar’s Cup

Application Deadline

Rolling admission

Official Page

The World Scholar’s Cup is an international academic tournament for pre-university students, run by an organisation of the same name based in Oak Park, California. Teams of two or three compete in four events — Team Debate, Collaborative Writing, the Scholar’s Challenge (multiple choice) and the Scholar’s Bowl (a buzzer round for the whole team) — on a curriculum built around one theme each season. The 2026 theme is “Are We There Yet?”, and it applies to every round held after 22 January 2026; subject areas span science and technology, history, social studies, literature and media, art and music, and a rotating special area.

Scholars enter at a regional round, and qualifying teams choose one of the Global Rounds, held in 2026 in cities including Shanghai, Bangkok, Dubai, Da Nang, Christchurch and Yokohama. Top teams at each Global Round earn an invitation to the Tournament of Champions at Yale University. The programme reports more than 100 regional rounds a year across roughly 70 participating countries on six continents.

Benefits & funding

  • Study materials for the season’s theme are provided free to every participant.
  • Each round charges its own tournament fee, described by the organisers as small and varying by location; meals during the round are almost always covered by it.
  • Delegation contacts receive certificates and invitation letters after a round.
  • Qualifying teams may pick any Global Round they wish to attend; Global Round teams can earn invitations to the Tournament of Champions at Yale University and New Haven.
  • Travel, visas and hotels are paid by participants. Optional extras are priced separately — for example, event shuttle buses cost USD 110 at the 2026 Tournament of Champions and USD 50 at the Da Nang Global Round, where partner hotels are listed at VND 2,100,000–2,800,000 per night.

Eligibility

  • Open to students of any nationality who have not yet started university; rounds run in around 70 countries.
  • Junior division: scholars up to age 13. Senior division: scholars aged 14 and over, through the final year of pre-university study (high school, A-levels, IB and equivalents). For the 2026 season, a scholar who turned 14 by 1 January 2026 competes as a senior.
  • The usual minimum age is 10; separate “Skittles” events exist for scholars aged 10 and under, and some rounds add a Super Junior wave — at Da Nang 2026 it is for scholars not yet 12 as of 1 January 2026.
  • Everyone attending the Tournament of Champions must be at least 11 years old.
  • Teams are ideally three scholars; two-person teams may compete but can score a maximum of 30,000 points instead of 40,000.
  • Teammates may come from different schools or different countries, and individuals can register alone and be matched with others.
  • A school coach or sponsor is not required, though most schools appoint one.
  • Attending a Global Round requires qualifying at a regional round first. Some rounds carry their own conditions — the Beijing Intro Round is open only to scholars who have not yet participated in a Regional or Global event in 2026.

Can you apply?

Here's who can apply

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  • Education required

    High School

  • Appears to have an age limit “aged 14”

    confirm in the requirements

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Application process

  1. 1
    Form a team of two or three scholars, or register on your own and ask to be matched with teammates.
  2. 2
    Choose an upcoming round from the calendar and submit an intent to participate early, since places are limited and some divisions fill up.
  3. 3
    Complete that round’s registration form before its cut-off date and settle the tournament fee through the organisation’s online payment system.
  4. 4
    Prepare with the free season materials; most teams spend two to eight weeks getting ready.
  5. 5
    Compete at the regional round; qualifying teams then register for the Global Round of their choice.
  6. 6
    Teams that place highly at a Global Round receive invitations to the Tournament of Champions at Yale University.

Program timeline

  1. Shanghai Global Round, Shanghai Poly Grand Theatre.

    5–10 August 2026

  2. Bangkok Global Round.

    28 August – 2 September 2026

  3. Dubai Mini Global Round.

    5–8 September 2026

  4. 11–16 September 2026

    Da Nang Global Round (Super Junior wave 11–15 September).

  5. Christchurch Mini Global Round.

    26–29 September 2026

  6. Tournament of Champions cancellation terms change; this is not a registration deadline.

    30 September 2026

  7. Tournament of Champions, Yale University and New Haven.

    12–18 November 2026

  8. Tokyo-Yokohama Mini Global Round.

    11–15 December 2026

  9. The regional season continues, including Montreal, Accra, Jeju, Hong Kong, Paris-Chartres, Vancouver, Cairo, San Francisco and Tokyo.

    February–May 2027

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