2024 IBB World Championship

01 October 2024

FENS News

The 2024 International Brain Bee (IBB) World Championship will take place virtually from 27 September to 5 October 2024, in conjunction with Neuroscience 2024, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Chicago, IL. A record number of 37 National Brain Bee Champions from around the globe will come together for an exciting competition and educational social programme. Each participating student had previously won the highest level of Brain Bee competition in their country to qualify for the World Championship.

The first part of the competition involves a written exam, a neuroanatomy and histology component, and a patient diagnosis section. The results of the online tests will determine the number of top students who will advance to the final Live Judging Session on 3 October. This exciting event will be live streamed, along with most of the
social/educational programming. The virtual Award Ceremony announcing 2024 IBB World Champion and runners-up will take place on 5 October. The winners will also be announced at Neuroscience 2024 in Chicago, during the Brain Awareness Campaign Event later that day. The schedule with live streaming links can be accessed on the IBB website. The IBB World Champion will receive a monetary prize of US $3,000 and a personalised plaque. The second and third place winners will be awarded monetary prizes of US $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. The top five winners will receive a medal and have the unique opportunity to participate in the second IBB NextGen event to be hosted at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Toronto, Canada, in July 2025.

About IBB

The IBB’s primary goal is to motivate students to learn about the brain and to inspire them to pursue careers in neuroscience and medicine. The competition was founded in the US in 1998 and has spread to over 50 countries around the world, almost entirely run by volunteers. The culmination of this programme is the World Championship held every year in conjunction with major scientific conferences. The IBB is so much more than a competition – it brings together students from across the world for an important cultural experience. Students are encouraged to support one another and to continue to foster a network throughout their ambitious careers.

The IBB was incorporated in 2018 as a non-profit educational organisation. It is supported and governed by the Alzheimer’s Association, the American Psychological
Association, the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS), the International Brain Research Organization, and the Society for Neuroscience.

The IBB gratefully acknowledges its Governing Partners, programme partners and 2024 IBB World Championship sponsors, including The Alex Manful Fund, and Eleanor Thompson for sponsoring this year’s Career Panel in memory of Dr. Drew C. Richardson. The 2024 World Championship is also supported in part by a grant from the Dana Foundation.

For more information, contact Astrid Eberhart (IBB Executive Director) at astrid.eberhart@thebrainbee.org.