Other Medal Events

All students attending the 2025 International History Olympiad will be required to compete in the Written Exam. The prompts will cover time periods from ancient to modern history, various regions of the world, and different historical themes, including politics, society and culture, religion, economics and geography. Some questions will focus on a single region or country, while others may cover multiple regions or countries but have a single theme or focus.

For the Elementary, Intermediate, and Middle School divisions, the exam will consist of 9 short answer questions. Elementary students will answer any 4 of these questions, Intermediate students will answer 5 and Middle School students will answer 6. Elementary Division students will have 70 minutes; Intermediate Division students will have 80 minutes, and Middle School students will have 90 minutes to complete the Written Exam.

The Varsity and Junior Varsity Division exam will consist of 9 short answer questions and 2 long essay questions. Junior Varsity students will choose 5 short answer questions plus 1 long essay, while Varsity students will write 6 short answer questions and 1 long essay. All Varsity and Junior Varsity students will have 90 minutes to complete the Written Exam.

The Hextathlon (sometimes spelled Hexathlon; both versions are considered correct) is a collaborative team event where team members will work together to come up with correct answers on six different quiz sections:

1. Crossword Puzzle Quiz
2. 4-3-2-1 Quiz – Teams will hear questions audibly and have the chance to submit an answer off a difficult clue for 4 points, a moderate clue for 3 points, an easy clue for 2 points, or with multiple-choice options given for 1 point. Clues will be read in 4-3-2-1 order, with teams having an opportunity to submit an answer before the next clue is read. Teams can only submit one answer per question, however (i.e. you cannot submit an answer after each clue, or go back and change your answer upon hearing a later clue)
3. Multiple Choice Quiz
4. Map Quiz
5. Audio Quiz
6. Picture Quiz

There will be a limited amount of time for each section of the Hextathlon (approximately 15 minutes each), and each quiz will be worth the same amount in the overall score.

French Revolution Simulation Background Guide – Final Version
Start List of Students for Historical Simulations
This simulation is open to all age divisions except the Elementary School Division.

At the International History Olympiad, interested students will have a chance to simulate a historical event in a dynamic competition that reimagines how history could have played out differently. Students will be assigned a character in advance, and will need to act out that character’s point of view in a “crisis simulation” in which the events unfold. However, the simulation is dynamic: meaning that depending on what decisions are made within the committee, history may unfold somewhat differently than it did.  All simulations will have a preliminary round and a final round which will be open solely to the top students from the preliminary round. The final round will place the students in a slightly different situation, but one related to the topic, so that they will still be able to utilize their preparation to good effect.

At past Olympiads, the simulations have been very popular, so in 2025 we will be enlarging this portion of the Olympiad to include three separate simulations. Chronologically, the first of these is the French Revolution Simulation. It is 1789 and the Estates General has just been convened! You have been summoned to Versailles to deal with the ensuing chaos. How will you respond to the tumult unfolding around you? Will you loyally serve le roi, Louis XVI? Or will you help foment revolution with the sans-culottes? Liberté! Egalité! Fraternité! – or not?

For reference the guide for the 2023 International History Olympiad (the topic was Roman politics in the aftermath of the assassination of Julius Caesar) is available here. Similar guides for each of the simulations at the 2025 Olympiad will be posted in early 2025.

Paris Peace Conference Simulation Background Guide – Final Version
Start List of Students for Historical Simulations
This simulation is open to all age divisions except the Elementary School Division.

At the International History Olympiad, interested students will have a chance to simulate a historical event in a dynamic competition that reimagines how history could have played out differently. Students will be assigned a character in advance, and will need to act out that character’s point of view in a “crisis simulation” in which the events unfold. However, the simulation is dynamic: meaning that depending on what decisions are made within the committee, history may unfold somewhat differently than it did.  All simulations will have a preliminary round and a final round which will be open solely to the top students from the preliminary round. The final round will place the students in a slightly different situation, but one related to the topic, so that they will still be able to utilize their preparation to good effect.

At past Olympiads, the simulations have been very popular, so in 2025 we will be enlarging this portion of the Olympiad to include three separate simulations. Chronologically, the second of these is the Paris Peace Conference Simulation. It is 1919 and the Great War has finally ended with Germany exhausted, the Soviet Union out of the picture, and the emergence of the USA on the European stage. Representing one of the belligerent parties, how will you deal with the cries for revenge? The strivings of the nations of Central and Eastern Europe (to say nothing of the world under the yoke of colonialism…)? Wilson’s Fourteen Points? Will this really be the war to end all wars? Or will the armistice be merely an interlude of peace? This is your chance to help determine the fate of the 20th century, and beyond!

For reference the guide for the 2023 International History Olympiad (the topic was Roman politics in the aftermath of the assassination of Julius Caesar) is available here. Similar guides for each of the simulations at the 2025 Olympiad will be posted in early 2025.

French Resistance Simulation Background Guide – Final Version
Start List of Students for Historical Simulations
This simulation is open to all age divisions.

At the International History Olympiad, interested students will have a chance to simulate a historical event in a dynamic competition that reimagines how history could have played out differently. Students will be assigned a character in advance, and will need to act out that character’s point of view in a “crisis simulation” in which the events unfold. However, the simulation is dynamic: meaning that depending on what decisions are made within the committee, history may unfold somewhat differently than it did.  All simulations will have a preliminary round and a final round which will be open solely to the top students from the preliminary round. The final round will place the students in a slightly different situation, but one related to the topic, so that they will still be able to utilize their preparation to good effect.

At past Olympiads, the simulations have been very popular, so in 2025 we will be enlarging this portion of the Olympiad to include three separate simulations. Chronologically, the final of these is the French Resistance Simulation. It is 1940 and German panzers are circumventing the Maginot line and smashing through the Ardennes! Paris is threatened; talk is circulating of the government evacuating to Bordeaux – or beyond. Citizens of all social classes and backgrounds are asking themselves whether to stay or flee. And if Paris falls, how to deal with the occupiers. A nation’s most difficult hour awaits, and it is up to you to serve la Patrie and defend the honor of France!

For reference the guide for the 2023 International History Olympiad (the topic was Roman politics in the aftermath of the assassination of Julius Caesar) is available here. Similar guides for each of the simulations at the 2025 Olympiad will be posted in early 2025.

For years, students have asked about the possibility of a historical debating tournament, and for the 2025 Olympiad, we will debut this as an event for the Varsity and Junior Varsity Divisions. Competing students will be seeded (according to Battery Exam results) into a single elimination bracket. Each match will take an hour, and will consist of the following:

A. A thesis statement will be drawn from a hat. No two topics will be the same. The topic may come from any aspect or field of history. A sample topic could be something like “Christianity was the primary factor that led to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire.” or “The Central Powers would have won World War I had Germany not resorted to unrestricted submarine warfare.”
B. Students will have 25 minutes to study from their materials. They may (and are encouraged to bring) a smartphone and/or laptop, but this – and ensuring wifi – is up to them, and not the responsibility of Olympiad staff.
C. Students will then draw either “Affirmative” or “Negative” – they will not know which side they are preparing for while doing their research.

The debate format will be a modified version of the Lincoln-Douglas format outlined here. Speed reading will be negatively evaluated; students should assume that their judge is a history teacher, but not anyone with experience with formal competitive debate. We will consult with debaters on the format, but something close to, if not exactly the following format will be used:

1. The Affirmative side will make the first 4 minute speech (known as an Affirmative Constructive)
Notes from the research period may be used, but it is the responsibility of students to bring writing implements, paper, and a surface (e.g. a book) to write on. Smartphones and laptops are not permitted during the debate itself.
2. Then the Negative side will have 2 minutes to cross-examine the Affirmative case.
3. The Negative side will then have up to 3 minutes to reference their preparation materials; the Negative side should prepare their case against the Affirmative’s case they have just heard.
4. The Negative side will have 5 minutes to speak (known as a Negative Constructive), where they should also address the Affirmative’s case.
5. The Affirmative side will have 2 minutes to cross-examine the Negative case.
6. The Affirmative will then have up to 3 minutes to reference their preparation materials; the Affirmative side should prepare their case against the Negative’s case they have just heard.
7. The Affirmative side then has 3 minutes for the Affirmative Rebuttal.
8. The Negative side then has the balance of their preparation time.
9. The Negative rebuttal then has 4 minutes for the Negative Rebuttal. New arguments should be kept to a minimum at this point.
10. The Affirmative side then has the balance of their preparation time.
11. The Affirmative rebuttal then has 2 minutes for the Negative Rebuttal. No new arguments may be introduced at this point, as the Negative side cannot further respond.
This is a total of 28 minutes. With natural pauses, a round should likely take about 35 minutes.

Please note that this competition will take place in the evenings so that it is possible to schedule the matches without overlapping with over events that students have signed up for. Matches will be held from 8pm-11pm each evening in front of historical locations throughout Paris and will be open to spectators, including the general public. Students should be prepared for this.

Knockout is a competition unique to the Olympiad and the International Geography Championships. The players sit or stand in a circle. One player begins, and then selects another player – that player then has to answer a question correctly. If they don’t, they get a strike. If they answer correctly, then they get the chance to pick the next player. If you get four strikes in the prelims, or three strikes in the finals, then you’re out! The top players in each room move on to the finals. At the end of the round, the last players to get knocked out receive bronze and silver medals, and the sole survivor is the gold medalist. If more than three students are still alive at the end of the round, then ties are broken first by the number of strikes a player has, and then secondly by the number of questions tied students answered correctly, and then finally by tiebreaker questions, if necessary. See the Official Rules file here for details:

Knockout – Official Rules            Knockout Scoresheet

* Olympiad trivia note – The idea for this event comes from Jeder Gegen Jeden (translation: Each Against Everyone) – a German language TV quiz show. If you’re interested in seeing an episode of Jeder Gegen Jeden, click here. Even if you don’t speak German, you can probably get the gist of the show – and if you listen carefully, you may even be able to figure out a few of the questions and answers.

This competition is open only to students in the Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Middle School Divisions. 

Update June 11, 2025 – The Symposium will have three components. First, students will write a research paper on a topic of their choice on Modern European History (defined for the purpose of this particular event as from the year 1453 onwards). It does not need to be on French history specifically. The Ottoman Empire and Russia writ large are considered germane to Modern European History for this purpose, though the paper should not focus exclusively on historical events solely in their Asiatic or African portions. If you are writing on a particular theme (e.g. communism, international trade, etc.) that is not inherently tied to a particular country or countries, make sure that the vast majority (i.e. >90%) of your paper focuses on the theme within the context of modern Europe, and not other before then within Europe or since 1453 but in other parts of the world. If you have questions regarding whether your paper topic is permissible for the Symposium, please email olympiad@iacompetitions.com.

The research paper must be entirely original, though it is permitted for students to submit a relevant paper that they have previously written as part of their academic studies in school or homeschooling. Papers must be formatted to include proper footnotes and a bibliography and should include a wide variety of sources. Any evidence of plagiarism will lead to immediate disqualification. Middle School Division papers must contain 2000-3000 words. Varsity and Junior Varsity Division papers must be 2500-3500 words. All papers must be submitted with a 300-400 word summary of their findings. Research Papers that are submitted for consideration must not have been submitted for the Symposium at any previous International History Olympiad or International Geography Championships. All papers are due by submission to olympiad@iacompetitions.com by 11:59pm PDT (i.e. Los Angeles / San Francisco) time on July 8.

Students’ papers will be due prior to the start of the Olympiad, and will be read by Olympiad staff. The top students (this is not a defined percentage; it’s more that the author of any paper of general high quality will be considered favorably) will be invited to defend their papers in an oral defense at the Olympiad in the second stage of the competition. Once all students have defended their papers, the evaluators will score all students with 50% of the weight being given to paper quality, and 50% to the oral defense.

Then, the top three students from each of the three age divisions will then be invited to the actual Symposium, which is the third and final stage. This will take place over dinner at an upscale French restaurant with historians and IAC staff who will have read their papers. Students will then be given the summaries of the other students and then should ask insightful questions about other students’ topics, and defend their papers among the other students. The dinner is a required portion of the competition for the medalists, but the discussion does not count as part of the medal calculus. Semi-formal attire is requested (gentlemen: pack a jacket and/or a tie, ladies, pack a suitable dress or comparable attire). IAC will cover the cost of the dinner for all participants.

Note: You are welcome to use whichever citation format you prefer, although you must cite sources. Footnotes are preferred over endnotes, if you are using footnotes. You are also welcome to use MLA format (whereby, you would just indicate the author’s name [and work if citing more than one source by the same author] in parentheses, followed by the relevant page number). For all papers, a bibliography must be included, and a wide variety of sources (especially primary sources) is encouraged.

The winning Symposium paper from the 2022 International History Olympiad is attached here for reference as to what an example of a Gold Medal paper looks like: Iraq’s Forgotten Period by Ameer Sadi