There are several ways to qualify for the Olympiad, depending on the country in which the student is attending school during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 academic years. Please note that in addition to the methods described below, students who have medaled at past Olympiads continue to be qualified for future Olympiads (subject to age eligibility restrictions).
If you are unsure whether your student has already qualified, please email olympiad@iacompetitions.com.
Students residing in the United States
With the exception of students affected by the age or grade restrictions, students and teams in the USA who finish in the top half in the Bee or the Bowl at the Varsity, Junior Varsity, Middle School, Intermediate, or Elementary National Championships in the 2023-2024 or 2024-2025 academic years will be eligible to participate in the Olympiad. Students on History Bowl teams with at least a .500 winning percentage in the preliminary rounds at Nationals are eligible as well.
Please note that any student who qualified and is in 3rd grade or higher for the 2024-2025 academic year can attend.
Students who are on a History Bowl team that wins a state or regional National History Bowl tournament, or are in the top quarter of students in the Varsity or Junior Varsity Division at any state or regional National History Bee tournament, or the top quarter of students in any Middle or Elementary School age division at any regional finals tournament for the National History Bee in either the preliminaries or final standings are also eligible (provided they are not rendered ineligible by the aforementioned grade restrictions) as are all students finishing in final positions 1-3 in the Bee regardless of how many students competed (as long as they score at least 1 point). You can find the closest tournament and tournament results in the USA by visiting www.iacompetitions.com. Official online tournaments qualify students based on the above criteria as well. If you are a student in the USA and are uncertain as to whether you qualify, please email olympiad@iacompetitions.com.
Students who make the playoffs of the US History Bee at the US National Championships qualify for the International History Olympiad.
Students in the USA may also qualify for the International History Olympiad by taking the International History Olympiad Qualifying Exam. Students must score 60 or higher if they will play in the Varsity Division in 2025, 50 or higher if they will play in the Junior Varsity Division in 2025, 40 or higher if they will play in the Middle School or Intermediate Divisions in 2025, and 30 or higher if they will play in the Elementary Division in 2025.
Students residing outside the United States and foreign students residing in the United States
With the exception of students affected by the age restrictions as explained in the following paragraph, students who finish in the top half in the History Bee or the History Bowl at any regional or championship tournament outside the USA in the 2023-2024 or 2024-2025 academic years will be eligible to participate in the 2025 International History Olympiad. Students on History Bowl teams with at least a .500 winning percentage in the preliminary rounds or a playoff win are eligible as well.
You can find the closest tournament by visiting www.iacompetitionsasia.com www.ihbbeurope.com, www.ihbbcanada.com, or www.ihbbanz.com (for Australia and New Zealand) and following the links to events in your area.
Please note that any student who qualified and was born on or before August 31, 2014 can compete. All students competing in the Elementary and Middle School Divisions must come with a parent or guardian. Students who will have graduated high school prior to January 2023 are ineligible to compete in the Varsity Division.
Please note that students may not represent Belarus, Russia, or North Korea at the International History Olympiad, but students from these countries are welcome to attend as independent students if they fulfill other qualifying criteria. For further information, please contact olympiad@iacompetitions.com.
With the exception of students affected by the age or grade restrictions as explained above, all students currently living outside the USA and foreign Nationals living in the USA who are interested in attending the Olympiad also have the option of taking a multiple choice Qualifying Exam, which must be administered by a teacher at their school or community proctor.
Students who obtain a high enough outright score (i.e. at least 60 for the Varsity, 50 for the JV, and 40 for the Middle School and 30 for the Elementary Divisions) on the qualifying exam typically qualify for the Olympiad, though IAC reserves the right to require an additional qualifying exam and/or interview via video depending on the score. There are two versions of the exam, so there are several chances to qualify this way; students may take both.
Please note that students may not represent Belarus, Russia, or North Korea at the International History Olympiad, but students from these countries are welcome to attend as independent students if they fulfill other qualifying criteria. For further information, please contact olympiad@iacompetitions.com.