Founded by Daniel Berdichevsky the first World Scholar’s Cup took place in Korea in 2007: a small regional tournament hosted at the Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies. The first “global” round followed a few weeks later, bringing together students from Korea, Singapore, and the United States.

The idea behind the World Scholar’s Cup was to create something different than traditional academic competitions and conferences: a celebration of the joy of learning, a tournament as rewarding for the team that came in last as the for the team that came in first, an enrichment opportunity that motivated students not just to demonstrate their existing strengths but to discover new ones.

From that small beginning a “world finals” more aptly described as a “world starts”–the World Scholar’s Cup has grown to reach tens of thousands of students in dozens of countries.

• Inclusive
• Encouraging
• Interdisciplinary
• Discussion-based
• Forward-looking
• Team-oriented
• Whimsical