Each year the International Relations Council (IRC) awards the Eliot S. Berkley Award to a high school junior or senior in the Kansas City metropolitan region who has shown superior interest and competence in the field of international relations. Students write a three to five page essay on an international topic. Students are also required to receive a letter of recommendation from one of their teachers. Finalists are selected by a committee of IRC members. After personal interviews with the finalists, the winner is selected and is presented an inscribed award and a $500 prize at an IRC fall event.