Josefina Allie, Saint Ignatius College Prep, 2026
Awards won:
- Outstanding Delegate at CSMUN
- Best Delegate at EMPIREMUNC
- Outstanding Delegate at NDMUN
- Outstanding Delegate at LABMUN
- Outstanding Delegate at FWPMUN
- Verbal Commendation at NAIMUN
Tip: During committee, especially during multi-day conferences, try the whole time. You might not be the best speaker or writer, but if you put your full effort in the whole time you will stand out.
Lukas Beltz, Saint Ignatius College Prep, 2025
Awards won:
- Best Delegate at EMPIREMUNC
- Best Delegate at NDMUN
- Best Delegate at LABMUNC
- Outstanding Delegate at FWPMUN
- Outstanding Delegate at NAIMUN
- Outstanding Delegate at LYMUN
- Outstanding Delegate at FIMUN
Tip: Confidence is key. Fake it till you make it, and even after you make it.
Sean Burke, Glenbrook South High School, 2026
Awards won:
- Best Delegate at KnightMUN
- Best Delegate at LabMUNC
- Outstanding Delegate at MITMUN
- Outstanding Delegate at WVMUN
- Outstanding Delegate at SIMUN
Tip: Every time there’s a major development in committee, pause and try to view it the way that your assigned position would. This is very important in staying on-policy, coming up with unique reactions, and generating impressive solutions that stand out from overly generic, recycled clauses.
Sasha Eckler, Saint Ignatius College Prep, 2025
Awards won:
- Best Delegate at CSMUN
- Best Delegate at EMPIREMUNC
- Outstanding Delegate at NDMUNC
- Best Delegate at LABMUNC
- Best Delegate at FWPMUN
- Best Delegate at NAIMUN
- Best Delegate at LYMUN
- Best Delegate at FIMUN
Tip: Come to conferences prepared and never be afraid to lean on your teammates for help.
Helen Glass, North Broward Preparatory
School, 2026
Awards won:
- Best Delegate at JAGMUN
- Honorable Mention at BULLSMUN
- Honorable Mention at EMPIREMUN
- Best Delegate at ARCHIEMUN
- Outstanding Delegate at GATORMUN
- Honorable Mention at MICSUN
Tip: Study! Study! Study! I really can’t stress how being prepared and knowing everything you possibly can helps, especially when it comes to thinking on your feet, coming up with diverse solutions on the spot, and giving speeches without reading off a paper. My personal favorite way of studying for conferences is by printing out the background guide and annotating on it!
Naiha Hernandez, UHS, Puerto Rico, 2027
Awards won:
- Best Delegation at CENUPR Boneville
- Great Delegation at CENUPR Robinson
- Best Delegation at CENUPR St. Francis
- Best Delegation at CENUPR St. Mary
- Great Delegation at SJSMUN
Tip: Find someone to collaborate with that matches your personality, dynamic duos for the win!
Maggie Marcus, Saint Ignatius College Prep, 2026
Awards won:
- Honorable Delegate at SMUNC
- Best Delegate at CSMUN
- Outstanding Delegate at EMPIREMUNC
- Outstanding Delegate at LABMUNC
- Outstanding Delegate at FWPMUN
- Best Delegate at NAIMUN
- Outstanding Delegate at LYMUN
- Best Delegate at EAGLEMUNC
Tip: Be authentic and let your personality show through in committee, and always try to learn something new from others.
Alexa Pla, Independent Delegate, 2027
Awards won:
- FIMUN 36/ International Court of Justice/ Diplomatic Commendation
- HUDMUN II/ Pre-Korean War/ Honorable Mention
- KnightMUN XXIII/ F1 Board of Directors/ Outstanding Delegate
- DAMUN I/ Gotham Crisis/ Best Delegate
- MISUN XII/ Formula 1: Temple of Speed/ Outstanding Delegate
- FIMUN 37/ Crisis Ad-Hoc / Diplomatic Commendation
Tip: Patience is key in Model UN. As a crisis delegate, I have seen how tumultuous a committee can be but the most important thing is to maintain a steady pace. Don’t rush yourself and burn out by the second day of the conference, build yourself up slowly to leave an impact in your committee. And don’t forget to be amicable and befriend your fellow delegates!
Siya Shah, Glenbrook South High School, 2026
Awards won:
- Best at Boston University
- Outstanding at University of Chicago Lab
- Honorable at University of Central Florida
- Honorable at Carl Sandburg
- Outstanding at Carl Sandburg
- Honorable at Lyons Township
Tip: My top piece of advice for the MUN community is to never give up. There are a lot of times where MUN can feel very discouraging however, you cant allow this feeling to consume you. A mistake that has been made, or one thing not going your way isn’t the end of the world, and in essence, you just have to forget about any mistakes you have made, because we all make them! Also, DO NOT get intimidated, especially with people who appear to have a louder voice than you. Most likely you are just as good as them! You have an equal chance of winning and you should stick with it all the way through the end of the conference!
Nicolas Silva, Saint Ignatius College Prep, 2027
Awards won:
- Best Delegate at CSMUN
- Best Delegate at LYMUN
- Outstanding Delegate at LABMUNC
- Outstanding Delegate at NAIMUN
- Honorable Mention at SMUNC
- Honorable Mention at EMPIREMUNC
- Honorable Mention at FWPMUN
- Verbal Commendation at EAGLEMUNC
Tip: Be confident and be sure to take pride in your unique ideas. Not every conference will go as planned, but focus on the things you are able to control such as your speeches, resolution ideas, and teamwork with other delegates. Once you stop obsessing over results and focus on what you are able to control, the successes and awards will follow.
Want to see the full list of students who received a High School Model UN Excellence Award during the 2024-2025 School year? Click here.
Every year, thousands of high schoolers around the world dedicate their time to diligently study the complexities of the world’s conflicts and develop their diplomacy skills in order to be best prepared to lead the world. While not limited to competitions, this is the work of high school Model UNers. This year, Best Delegate has decided to launch its High School Model UN Diplomatic Excellence Awards to best represent and honor the hard work of high school students who distinguish themselves on the Model UN circuit and best reflect the values of diplomacy. All recipients must have won at least 3 awards at high school Model UN conferences over the course of the 2024-2025 Academic Year to qualify. Of the over 70+ respondents and awardees Best Delegate received, there were 10 delegates who stood out. Here is their advice for competing on the Model UN circuit.
Josefina Allie, Saint Ignatius College Prep, 2026
Awards won:
- Outstanding Delegate at CSMUN
- Best Delegate at EMPIREMUNC
- Outstanding Delegate at NDMUN
- Outstanding Delegate at LABMUN
- Outstanding Delegate at FWPMUN
- Verbal Commendation at NAIMUN
Tip: During committee, especially during multi-day conferences, try the whole time. You might not be the best speaker or writer, but if you put your full effort in the whole time you will stand out.
Lukas Beltz, Saint Ignatius College Prep, 2025
Awards won:
- Best Delegate at EMPIREMUNC
- Best Delegate at NDMUN
- Best Delegate at LABMUNC
- Outstanding Delegate at FWPMUN
- Outstanding Delegate at NAIMUN
- Outstanding Delegate at LYMUN
- Outstanding Delegate at FIMUN
Tip: Confidence is key. Fake it till you make it, and even after you make it.
Sean Burke, Glenbrook South High School, 2026
Awards won:
- Best Delegate at KnightMUN
- Best Delegate at LabMUNC
- Outstanding Delegate at MITMUN
- Outstanding Delegate at WVMUN
- Outstanding Delegate at SIMUN
Tip: Every time there’s a major development in committee, pause and try to view it the way that your assigned position would. This is very important in staying on-policy, coming up with unique reactions, and generating impressive solutions that stand out from overly generic, recycled clauses.
Sasha Eckler, Saint Ignatius College Prep, 2025
Awards won:
- Best Delegate at CSMUN
- Best Delegate at EMPIREMUNC
- Outstanding Delegate at NDMUNC
- Best Delegate at LABMUNC
- Best Delegate at FWPMUN
- Best Delegate at NAIMUN
- Best Delegate at LYMUN
- Best Delegate at FIMUN
Tip: Come to conferences prepared and never be afraid to lean on your teammates for help.
Helen Glass, North Broward Preparatory
School, 2026
Awards won:
- Best Delegate at JAGMUN
- Honorable Mention at BULLSMUN
- Honorable Mention at EMPIREMUN
- Best Delegate at ARCHIEMUN
- Outstanding Delegate at GATORMUN
- Honorable Mention at MICSUN
Tip: Study! Study! Study! I really can’t stress how being prepared and knowing everything you possibly can helps, especially when it comes to thinking on your feet, coming up with diverse solutions on the spot, and giving speeches without reading off a paper. My personal favorite way of studying for conferences is by printing out the background guide and annotating on it!
Naiha Hernandez, UHS, Puerto Rico, 2027
Awards won:
- Best Delegation at CENUPR Boneville
- Great Delegation at CENUPR Robinson
- Best Delegation at CENUPR St. Francis
- Best Delegation at CENUPR St. Mary
- Great Delegation at SJSMUN
Tip: Find someone to collaborate with that matches your personality, dynamic duos for the win!
Maggie Marcus, Saint Ignatius College Prep, 2026
Awards won:
- Honorable Delegate at SMUNC
- Best Delegate at CSMUN
- Outstanding Delegate at EMPIREMUNC
- Outstanding Delegate at LABMUNC
- Outstanding Delegate at FWPMUN
- Best Delegate at NAIMUN
- Outstanding Delegate at LYMUN
- Best Delegate at EAGLEMUNC
Tip: Be authentic and let your personality show through in committee, and always try to learn something new from others.
Alexa Pla, Independent Delegate, 2027
Awards won:
- FIMUN 36/ International Court of Justice/ Diplomatic Commendation
- HUDMUN II/ Pre-Korean War/ Honorable Mention
- KnightMUN XXIII/ F1 Board of Directors/ Outstanding Delegate
- DAMUN I/ Gotham Crisis/ Best Delegate
- MISUN XII/ Formula 1: Temple of Speed/ Outstanding Delegate
- FIMUN 37/ Crisis Ad-Hoc / Diplomatic Commendation
Tip: Patience is key in Model UN. As a crisis delegate, I have seen how tumultuous a committee can be but the most important thing is to maintain a steady pace. Don’t rush yourself and burn out by the second day of the conference, build yourself up slowly to leave an impact in your committee. And don’t forget to be amicable and befriend your fellow delegates!
Siya Shah, Glenbrook South High School, 2026
Awards won:
- Best at Boston University
- Outstanding at University of Chicago Lab
- Honorable at University of Central Florida
- Honorable at Carl Sandburg
- Outstanding at Carl Sandburg
- Honorable at Lyons Township
Tip: My top piece of advice for the MUN community is to never give up. There are a lot of times where MUN can feel very discouraging however, you cant allow this feeling to consume you. A mistake that has been made, or one thing not going your way isn’t the end of the world, and in essence, you just have to forget about any mistakes you have made, because we all make them! Also, DO NOT get intimidated, especially with people who appear to have a louder voice than you. Most likely you are just as good as them! You have an equal chance of winning and you should stick with it all the way through the end of the conference!
Nicolas Silva, Saint Ignatius College Prep, 2027
Awards won:
- Best Delegate at CSMUN
- Best Delegate at LYMUN
- Outstanding Delegate at LABMUNC
- Outstanding Delegate at NAIMUN
- Honorable Mention at SMUNC
- Honorable Mention at EMPIREMUNC
- Honorable Mention at FWPMUN
- Verbal Commendation at EAGLEMUNC
Tip: Be confident and be sure to take pride in your unique ideas. Not every conference will go as planned, but focus on the things you are able to control such as your speeches, resolution ideas, and teamwork with other delegates. Once you stop obsessing over results and focus on what you are able to control, the successes and awards will follow.
