Note. Model UN is not one competition but hundreds of independently run conferences, each with its own dates, fees, eligibility and rules. This listing describes the two largest high school conferences, NHSMUN in New York and THIMUN in The Hague, as reference points. Your local university or regional conference will differ, often substantially, and is usually far cheaper. Check the specific conference you intend to enter.

Debate and speech Civics and social science

Model United Nations

Name: Model United Nations
Location: International

Model United Nations conferences

Represent a country in simulated UN committees, negotiate resolutions, and compete for awards at hundreds of conferences.

Run by Individual universities, schools and organisations worldwide

Official website How to prepare Reviews and tips

Eligible grades: Not confirmed. Check the organiser's rules before entering.
Conferences define eligibility by secondary school enrolment rather than grade.
Eligible ages: NHSMUN accepts students of secondary school age, most often 13 to 18.
Source, checked 2026-09-02
Individual or team: Individual or team · School delegations; committee work is individual or in pairs depending on the committee.
Where it runs: Online and in person · International
Entry cost: Per-delegate conference fees plus travelLayered and substantial at the big conferences. NHSMUN charges a participant fee per student AND per advisor or chaperone, plus one school fee per group, plus a delegation fee for each country or role requested. Credit card payment adds 3.5%, or 4.5% for international cards, and wire transfer adds a $20 bank fee. A third-party guide reports roughly $125 to $175 per delegate plus $200 to $300 for hotel, but NHSMUN's own tiered figures were not captured here. THIMUN charges a non-refundable pre-payment including a delegation fee, and €30 per changed ID badge. Local and university-run conferences are typically a fraction of this.
Registration deadline: NHSMUN 2027: early registration 14 May to 31 August 2026, regular registration 1 September to 31 October 2026, with payment required by the final date of each tier to hold the rate and the seats. THIMUN 2027: FORM I registration and non-refundable pre-payment due Friday 25 September 2026, remaining balance by Friday 15 January 2027. At NHSMUN, registration alone does not secure a place; payment must arrive by the tier deadline. The conference expects to fill to capacity and maintains a waiting list, so registering early matters. Dates differ per conference; the entries here are NHSMUN's and THIMUN's.
Competition dates: NHSMUN 2027 runs two identical sessions in New York: Session I Friday 12 to Monday 15 March 2027, and Session II Wednesday 17 to Saturday 20 March 2027, with schools choosing their preferred session. THIMUN The Hague runs in late January.
Difficulty: Some preparation neededYou will want a few weeks of targeted practice. Most motivated students place respectably.
Prizes: Delegate awards and delegation awardsDelegate awards vary by conference; there are no cash prizes at the major conferences.

What Model United Nations is

Model UN is not one competition but a global circuit of conferences, each run independently by a university or school. Delegates are assigned a country and a committee, research their country's position on the committee topics, and spend several days debating, negotiating and drafting resolutions. Awards go to delegates judged most effective. Because conferences run at every level from a single school's day event to large international conferences, it scales from complete beginner to serious competitor.

How the competition works

Students are assigned a country and given topics developed by conference staff in advance, then debate to find viable solutions, writing and negotiating resolutions. NHSMUN provides individualised background guides after registration and offers Introductory committees with simplified rules for beginners, plus free webinars and delegate preparation resources.

Eligibility notes

Each conference sets its own eligibility. Most high school conferences accept any school delegation; some large ones are selective or have waiting lists.

How to register

Join or start a Model UN club at your school. Delegations rather than individuals usually register.
Choose conferences appropriate to your experience. Start local and small; the large international conferences are a poor first experience.
Once assigned a country and committee, research the country's actual foreign policy position, not just the topic.
Write and submit the position paper if required. Many awards correlate with position paper quality.
Prepare an opening speech and know the rules of procedure before you arrive.

What skills you need

How to prepare

Awards in Model UN go to delegates who move the committee, not to those who speak most. That means research depth, a workable policy proposal, and the social skill to build a bloc around it. The most common beginner mistake is preparing speeches instead of preparing positions.

What to study

Country research: Know your country's actual position: its alliances, its economy, what it has voted for at the real UN. Delegates who argue their personal opinion rather than their country's position are marked down.
Topic research: The background guide the conference publishes is the floor, not the ceiling. Read past UN resolutions on the topic; they show what language is acceptable.
Rules of procedure: Moderated and unmoderated caucus, points and motions. Delegates who know the rules control the flow of the committee, which is a large share of the award.
Bloc building: Resolutions pass because a group backs them. The skill is finding the countries whose interests align with yours and getting your language into the working paper.
The position paper: Often required and often scored. It is also the cheapest way to signal preparation to a chair before the committee starts.

Full preparation guide, including a week-by-week plan

Recommended resources

UNA-USA Model UN resources Official · free
Guides to rules of procedure, position papers and how conferences work, published free.
United Nations Digital Library Research · free
Actual UN resolutions and voting records. The best possible source for what your country really supports.
Best Delegate Community · free
Conference listings, strategy guides and rankings from the Model UN community.

Past problems and materials

Only materials the organiser or an authorised archive publishes openly are listed here.

Past conference background guides
Most conferences publish their background guides openly, and past guides from any conference are useful preparation.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get started with no experience?

Join your school's club and attend a small local conference first. Read the background guide, write a position paper and learn the rules of procedure. Most first-time delegates find the procedure harder than the content, and one conference fixes that.

Is Model UN standardised?

No. Every conference is run independently by a university, school or organisation, with its own rules of procedure, committees, fees and award structure. Check each conference's own materials rather than assuming.

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Something out of date?

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Verification

Not yet re-checked 2026-08-29

Model UN is a decentralised circuit rather than a single competition, so this listing describes the general format rather than any specific event. Fees, deadlines, eligibility and award structures are set independently by each conference and must be confirmed with the conference you plan to attend.

Not confirmed for this cycle: Who can enter, Registration deadline, Competition dates, Entry cost, Individual or team, Prizes, How to register. Check these on the official site.

Source: the organiser's own site. No individual fact on this page has been re-checked against it for the current cycle.

Cycle checked: 2026-27; NHSMUN and THIMUN dates confirmed

Looked for and not found: entry_fee, grades, prizes. These are shown as not confirmed rather than estimated.

Rules and dates change. Confirm everything on the official site before you rely on it.

At a glance

CategoryDebate and speech
Grades6 to 12
CostPer-delegate conference fees plus travel
FormatEither
LocationBoth
Difficulty2 of 5

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