International History Olympiad

The International History Olympiad is a competition for top history students from around the world which debuted in 2015. The International History Olympiad was founded and is overseen by the International History Bee and Bowl (IHBB), though prior participation in IHBB events is not required for students to attend the Olympiad. The qualification process, events, and awards structure at the International History Olympiad are markedly different from the International Science Olympiads. The International History Olympiad is open to students age 12-20 as long as they have not completed more than one year of college and qualified while they were still in secondary school. Students compete in three separate age ranges: Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Middle School, as is the case at other IHBB events.^[1] The International History Olympiad is sponsored by publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, which helped cover travel costs and registration fees for participants who had performed well in Olympiad qualification events.^[2]

Qualification

Students typically qualify for the Olympiad either by finishing in the top half of a regional or championship level tournament in either the International History Bee or the International History Bowl. US students must either win a National History Bee and Bowl regional bee or bowl or finish in the top half in either at the National Championships. Students who finish among the top students at the US National Championships or IHBB Divisional Championships may be awarded discounted or free entry, and/or travel stipends.^[3] Students who live over 400 kilometers from the nearest History Bee or Bowl tournaments or who could not attend due to extenuating circumstances may qualify by taking a specific exam administered by a teacher at their school. Qualification is valid for both the current academic year and the following (e.g. a student who qualifies in November 2015 could attend all Olympiads through the summer of 2017).^[4] There is no limit to the number of students from any one country or US state who can attend the International History Olympiad.

Events

The majority of the competition events at the International History Olympiad follow a quiz bowl style format (utilizing a lock-out device buzzer system) with students competing individually. Students answer comprehensive, paragraph-length questions about specific topics in history, depending on the type of competition (e.g. Ancient History Bee, Art History Bee, etc.).

Two of the buzzer-based competitions, the International History Bee World Championships, and the International History Bowl World Championships, do not focus on specific aspects of history, but are meant to be comprehensive. The Bowl World Championships feature students on teams (usually from the same US state or country) rather than from the same school, as is the case at other IHBB tournaments.

Other competitions at the Olympiad include a research competition, various types of exams, games, and simulations of historical events (similar to Model UN historical crisis committees). The Olympiad also features a number of guest speakers, field trips, medals ceremonies for each event (complete with flags and national/state anthems), and opening and closing ceremonies.

Three events (the International History Bee World Championships, the Written Exam, and the Battery Exam) combine to form the official Olympiad championship. Students are ranked in order of their performance on these three competitions; the students with the combined best ranks are the official Olympiad champions.^[5]

Affiliation and Medals

All students at the International History Olympiad compete for a US state (if they attend school in the USA or are an American citizen) or for their country of citizenship or residence. Students who would be eligible to compete for two affiliations must select one.^[6] Medals are awarded solely to the top three competitors in each event, but they are awarded for every event. In this way, the Olympiad more closely approximates the Olympics than the International Science Olympiads. A medals table is maintained as well - the ranking is first done by total number of golds, then total number of silvers, then total number of bronzes. Students are also assigned to teams for the team events at the Olympiad based on a number of factors, though every effort is made to keep students from the same country or state together. Teams consist of either 2 or 3 students. For team events, if a "mixed" team wins a medal, the medals are credited fractionally on the medals table depending on how many students from a state or country were on the team.^[7]

Future Olympiads

The 2016 International History Olympiad will be held at the University of Hawaii-Manoa in Honolulu; subsequent Olympiads will be held in Asia and Europe. After 2016, the Olympiad will become a biennial model, making the next olympiad in 2018.