IInternational Competitions

2024 World Scholar’s Cup Tournament of Champions

The opportunity is here again for junior and senior high school students to compete, interact, and learn in a college setting. In 2024, the World Scholar’s Cup (WSC) Tournament of Champions will still take place at Yale University.

The winning teams from the WSC Global Round will engage in absorbing team and community events that will reflect this year’s theme, “A World on the Margins.”

The World Scholar’s Cup is more than just an international competition for scholars. It is an international team academic program where students from over 82 countries participate. This international scholar’s program aims to attract students interested in learning beyond the typical school curricula.

Also, while the Tournament of Champions (ToC) will take place at Yale University from November 8 to 13, 2024, several WSC events have taken place in other locations in 2024.

The program takes a tournament format where academic competitions take place, regionally and globally before the final event – ToC.

In this post, we will give you all the information you need concerning the WSC 2024 edition at Yale.

But first, we will throw more light on the World Scholar’s Cup, its structure, and its events. We will also answer some frequently asked questions that you may also be asking.

Table of contents

About the World Scholar’s Cup

DemiDec’s president, Daniel Berdichevsky began the World Scholar’s Cup in 2006 as an International Education Program. The aim of founding the program was to attract students who would love to learn outside their normal school curriculum.

These students, from different nationalities and cultures, will come together in a College setting to discuss issues and ideas relevant to the present-day world.

While the program is educational, it is structured in the form of a tournament where teams compete for the Tournament of Champions at a stated college.

Organized teams comprising of three students from the same or different schools participate in four standard round events.

The teams begin their qualification process from the regional round, progress to the WSC global round, and finally to the Tournament of Champions.

However, this competition is exclusively for junior and senior high school students. So, the tournament is divided likewise.

Furthermore, the events that the teams participate in are grouped into team events and community events. While the team events involve exciting educative collaboration, the community events are highly entertaining and display talents.

A closing ceremony marks the end of the tournament after an emotional farewell. The junior category holds its closing ceremony a day before the senior category.

World Scholar’s Cup Tournament Structure

For the smooth flow and progression of this academic program, the WSC participating teams go through rounds of qualification, just like any major tournament.

Since the inception of the program, the World Scholar’s Cup season has always been in three (3) rounds where scholars from around the world participate.

These rounds are:

  • The Regional Round which holds in several locations in the world to introduce new participants to the program. The teams which meet the qualifying number of points proceed to the next round.
  • Global Round, which also holds in several locations around the world. Meanwhile, in this round, there are also the Mini Global Rounds. These two tournament rounds are open to all teams qualified from the Regional Rounds. in 2024, the WSC Global rounds occur in Beijing, Nur-Sultan, The Hague, Sydney, Manila, and Durban. Also, while the WSC Global Round lasts for five days, the Mini-Globals lasts for three days. Teams in this round participate for a spot in the next round.
  • Tournament of Champions (ToC) is the coming together of the champions of the Global Rounds for the final stage of the WSC season. The Tournament of Champions in 2024 will occur at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. The ToC takes place at the location every year for five days.

Soar high in poetry by participating in and winning the Commonwealth Youth Council Poetry Competition for Applicants of Commonwealth Country

WSC Global Rounds 2024

If you compare the WSC to the FIFA World Cup, the Global Rounds will be the Semi-Finals, only this time, there will be more than two teams progressing to the finals.

So, you see, the WSC Global Rounds are very crucial to this international educational program.

The 2024 WSC Global Rounds are even more worthy of note than previous years. This is because the 2024 Global Round holds the largest number of Global Rounds than previous years. 2024 will see six WSC Global Rounds.

WSC Subjects

World Scholar’s Cup revolves around a theme each year. These yearly themes don’t exist in isolation. There are subjects that relate to the larger theme.

This curriculum breaks down the World Scholar’s Cup theme into understandable bits for the scholars and shapes how they relate to each other.

There are six subjects every year to this effect. These subjects and their sub-themes relating to the WSC 2024 theme are:

  • Special Area – Unsolved Mysteries
  • History – Neglected Histories
  • Art & Music – Louder than Words
  • Science – Enabling Technologies
  • Social Studies – The Edges of Society
  • Literature – Voices from the Margins

At some point in time in the life of this educational program, there were Maths and Current Affairs on the list of subjects. WSC removed mathematics in 2009 because of its inflexibility and difficulty to debate. Also, Social Studies replaced Current Affairs in 2014.

World Scholars Cup Team Events

Throughout the World Scholar’s cup tournament, there are only four major competitive events in which teams compete. These are the Scholar’s Challenge, Collaborative Writing, Team Debate, and Scholar’s Bowl.

However, there are additional events that are non-competitive, but all the same academic and social that also happens in the WSC tournament. These events help create a friendly atmosphere for the participants.

Based on this, WSC events are grouped into Team Events and Community Events.

Team Events

The team events are the major events that take place in the World Scholar’s Cup tournament. Teams take part in these events in every round of the WSC – Regional, Global, and ToC.

WSC Team Events include:

  • The Scholar’s Challenge is a multiple-choice exam of 120 questions for 60 minutes where participants apply their learning across the six official subjects. Top participants in each subject receive awards and top-scoring overall teams and individuals.
  • Collaborative Writing has an argumentative structure. Teams select and brainstorm three of six different topics then craft out individual persuasive compositions. If the teams finish early, they may draw sketches of alpacas.
  • Team Debate has teams pitched against each other where they argue motions on different subjects and then share constructive feedback with one another. At the end of the debate, the judge (or panel of judges) will announce a winning team that will proceed to a designated room.
  • The Scholar’s Bowl is a team event where team members work together to answer multiple-choice questions that are displayed on a large screen with their clicker. This event takes place in a theater. At this event, the tournament’s mascot, the alpaca, often makes its appearance. But questions relating to it do not carry points, or they are used as practice questions.

This $100,000 Siemens Competition for High School Students can also help you achieve your academic dreams.

Community Events

The community events, unlike the team events, do not occur at every round of the WSC tournament. These are mainly non-competitive academic and social events that add more spice to the tournament.

WSC Community Events include:

  • The Scholar’s Scavenge is an event where each scholar is teamed up with new friends from around the world to explore a site with cameras and score points. Even though these points don’t add up to competition scores, sometimes, teams with the highest score receive an award in an award ceremony.
  • The Debate Showcase event involves the regional round’s top 8 junior and senior debaters debating a curricular motion of global significance. When these speakers are done, volunteers from the audience and debaters from the showcase also share their thoughts on the topic.
  • Scholar’s Show is the platform in the World Scholar’s Cup where scholars showcase their talents. it started with students stomping their feet and clapping their hands to Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You.” Now, it has grown into a show where scholars showcase ambition, skills, and bravery.
  • Scholar’s Ball first started in 2011 at the Kuala Lumpur Global Round in Malaysia. The event is a “pseudo-prom” where students attend informal wears to mingle, dance, and make new friends.
  • Scholar’s Fair is a chance for scholars from other countries to share and experience their different cultures and customs.
  • Yale Ball is similar to the Scholar’s Ball only this one takes place in the halls of Yale University.
  • Flag March involves a representative (flag bearer) from every country participating in WSC marching up with their country’s flag to the stage.
  • Optional Tours is an event where scholars explore sites around the Globals and Yale University. Of course, this event is optional for scholars.

WSC Events Chart

In this section, we will draw up a table to show you the rounds where the events we’ve explained below take place.

EventsRegional RoundsGlobal RoundsTournament of Champions
Team Debate+++
Scholar’s Challenge+++
Collaborative Writing+++
Scholar’s Bowl+++
Scholar’s Scavenge–++
Flag March–++
Scholar’s Fair–++
Scholar’s Show +++
Debate Showcase+++
Scholar’s Ball–+–
Yale Ball––+
Optional Tours–++

The “+” denotes rounds of the World Scholar’s Cup Tournament where the events take place. On the other hand, “–” denotes rounds of the tournament where the events don’t take place.

Qualifying for the World Scholar’s Cup

So, you know that in the WSC tournament, scholars progress from Regional to Global round. And from the Global round to the Tournament of Champions.

But how do you get into the Regional Round in the first place? What do you need to do to progress to the World Scholar’s Cup ToC at Yale University in 2024?

Here’s how teams can participate in the World Scholar’s Cup rounds.

Regional Round: A WSC team comprise of three students from the same or different schools. This team, assisted by a coach, can register for a Regional Round happening in their location. Regional Rounds happen in several locations around the world, so you’ll have to look a look at the Rounds Calendar to see the Round closest to you.

Rounds Calendar

Global Round: A team qualifies from the Regional Round to the Global Round by exceeding a point threshold of 20,000 in the Regional Round. However, a team that did not participate in the Regional Round can earn a wildcard through strong point performance or for no performance at all (exceptional wildcard).

Tournament of Champions: Teams from the WSC Global round qualify for the Tournament of Champions by beating a point threshold of 22,000 at the Global Round.

Also, all members of the team must have qualified at a Global Round and two members out of the three-team members must have been teammates at the Global Round which they qualified from.

You can also experience Yale with this Yale Young Global Scholarships At Yale University in the USA.

The Tournament of Champions at Yale University in 2024

The World Scholar’s Cup brings together the best of the WSC tournament to one of the leading universities in the world – Yale University. This tournament is the culminating event of the World Scholar’s Cup season, and the Yale International Relations Association hosts it.

The teams that will participate in the WSC ToC at Yale University must have qualified at any of the Global Rounds held in 2024. Also, these teams must meet the other qualification criteria for the ToC which we spelled above.

Being the last round of the WSC tournament, the ToC is more than just another Global Round. Students will have the opportunity to interact with and learn directly from Yale University’s students and faculty.

Also, they will attend a special panel on college life. In addition to this, students can leverage their World Scholar’s Cup experience to build a really attractive admissions portfolio.

Furthermore, think of eating at Yale’s dining hall, listening to a Yale Professor, and experiencing student life at Yale University. There’s just no way students won’t enjoy the 2024 World Scholar’s Cup ToC at Yale University.

Yale University ToC Highlights

In addition to the four compulsory World Scholar’s Cup team events that will take place at Yale in 2024, here are other event highlights:

Yale Ball: Students will dance or just mingle with fellow scholars from over fifty countries in Yale’s Woolsey Hall. They will also participate in a special Thanksgiving meal.

The Debate Showcase and Scholar’s Show will take place in the beautiful historic Shubert Theatre.

Scavenger Hunt will also take students to every interesting corner of Yale’s campus and the surrounding community. Students will not only encounter the official alpaca of the ToC and his sidekick, Trevor but also real alpacas.

The Optional Tour is a tour around Boston. This $165 per person tour will take students to see the historical areas of Boston, Harvard University, and MIT. They will also visit Quincy Market for lunch. You can book your reservation for the tour online below:

Tour Reservation

Housing, Transport, & Climate at Yale for the World Scholar’s Cup

For Housing and Accommodation for the World Scholar’s Cup at Yale, students should lodge in the WSC recommended hotels.

Of the Four Hotels near the Yale Campus, only the Graduate New Haven is available. Book here.

However, the following hotels away from the Yale Campus is available:

Book a room in any of these hotels by clicking on the links on their names. Additionally, for The Hyatt House, Shelton, book with the group code “G-WS10“.

For Local Transportation, there are shuttle buses that will shuttle you around if you stay in hotels away from the Yale Campus. You can book a seat on this optional shuttle bus at a nominal fee of $72 a person per week. Book below.

Bus Reservation

If you’ll be flying into New Haven, WSC recommends that you fly into any New York area airport or directly into New Haven. Also, you should use the Go Airport Shuttle if you’re looking for airport-to-Yale transfers. You can also see Yale University’s transportation options below.

Transportation Options

Finally, the weather at Yale during the period of the 2024 World Scholar’s Cup is usually cold. So, you may need gloves, especially at night.

World Scholar’s Cup at Yale Important Dates

Here are dates that you should keep in mind if you’ll be attending the Tournament of Champions in 2024 at Yale University:

08 NOVEMBER, 2024

Start Date

The World Scholar’s Cup Tournament of Champions at Yale begins.

13 NOVEMBER, 2

End Date

The World Scholar’s Cup Tournament of Champions at Yale ends

8 & 12 NOVEMBER, 20202422

Boston Tour – Seniors

7:30 am

The WSC Senior Division will leave on this date and at this time to Boston for the Optional Tour.

11 & 13 NOVEMBER, 2024

Boston Tour

7:30 am

The WSC Junior Division will leave on this date and at this time to Boston for the Optional Tour.

For more information about the WSC Tournament of Champions at Yale University in 2024, visit the official website below.

WSC Website

Fulfill your dream as a Kenyan or Nigerian with the Interswitch SPAK 2.0 Competition 2024 for Nigerians & Kenyans

2024 World Scholar’s Cup Tournament of Champions FAQs

Can schools participate as a team in the regional rounds?

Schools can field unlimited teams at regional rounds. Any given team can only participate at one regional round per season. Also, teams that qualify at regional rounds can participate at their choice of Global Rounds.

Is the world scholar cup only the best student in each school?

The World Scholar’s Cup isn’t just for the “top” three students at each school. No, it is meant to reach deep into the student population, inspiring a love of learning and introducing participants to new subjects and skills.

Is the world scholar’s cup a free tournament?

The World Scholar’s Cup is a not-for-profit organization. All its materials are free to all participants. However, there is usually a small tournament fee that varies by round to help cover tournament expenses, including bringing WSC staff out to manage the event. WSC almost always provides meals as part of that fee.

Must the teams be from the same school?

No, all members of the team don’t have to be from the same school. You can form mixed teams with students from other schools or countries. It is not a common practice, but it can be a great opportunity to get to know students outside your school.

Is there any indication that shows on the form that someone is from another school?

There is a field on the registration form to indicate if someone is from another school, but if you are registering separately, please let WSC know in the text of the email who the other teammates are.

Is there any senior and junior divisions?

There are the junior and senior divisions. The junior division includes students up to 13 years old. Although there is no bottom cut-off, most participants are at least 10 years old.
The senior division, on the other hand, is for students 14 years of age and older. However, to ensure consistent divisions throughout the 2024 season, any student who turns 14 by January 1, 2024, will be considered a senior division student.
Also, “Skittles” events are also held in select countries for students 10 and younger only. These younger scholars are also welcome in the standard Junior Division.

Is there ant program advisor that helps in team planing

Most schools have a program advisor or sponsor who helps teams plan and prepare for tournaments. However, the program is mostly student-driven, and at many schools, there is no specific “club advisor,” just a chaperone who accompanies teams to events.

Can two team members compete in the tournament?

Two-member teams are welcome to compete in the WSC tournament, but they can score only a maximum of 30,000 instead of 40,000 points.
Also, they are extremely unlikely to win team recognition in Collaborative Writing, the Scholar’s Challenge, or Team Debate, as they will be missing one-third of their scores in each of these events.

What do I do if I only have two members on my team?

They are on equal footing, however, for Team Bowl, as well as all individual awards. As the World Scholar’s Cup is built around teams of three, two-person teams will be required to reach the same threshold as three-person teams to receive berths to the Global Round and the Tournament of Champions. You can contact WSC to help you find a third team member if you have only two members in your team.

How do delegates get their certificates and invitation?

WSC email all certificates and invitation letters to your delegation contact person after each round. This is the name listed on your registration form. This is typically your coach.
Please ask them for your certificate. If you are a delegation leader and you have not received such an email, please contact WSC via email at contact@scholarscup.org.
Of course! The standard invitation letter sent post-round usually suffices in most cases, but if you need a more specific one with passport information, please email contact@scholarscup.org. However, WSC may ask you to register before they issue you the visa letter.

Conclusion

The World Scholar’s Cup is almost the educational equivalent of the FIFA World Cup. However, while the World Scholar’s Cup is mainly for junior and senior high school students, the tournament runs like a football season.

It takes place in different parts of the world all year round. Even if you aren’t participating in the 2024 World Scholar’s Cup at Yale University, you can apply for the tournament next year through this post.

References

We Also Recommend

Ajah Excel is a team growth and performance expert with over nine years of experience in blogging and personal development. He leads a team of 36 crazy, restless innovators with an enviable work culture at Silicon Africa Technologies Limited – a fast-rising tech firm from the SouthEast. Excel is the founder of Kiiky.com and WriterGig. He is also the co-organizer of TEDx Ikenegbu and convener of Social Media Fest. He is a vibrant learner who yearns to share his knowledge to educate and inspire young Africans. He has a B.Tech in Information Management Technology with certifications in growth hacking, effective communication, leadership, team, and personal development, to mention a few. Ajah Anayochukwu Excel is a passionate public speaker, creative writer, and brand storyteller.

Comments are closed.

DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.


— Previous article

10 In-demand Courses leading To Great Jobs/Careers After University in 2024

Next article —

10 Online Tutoring Jobs for College Students

You May Also Like