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 was 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. At the conclusion of the 2016 International History Olympiad, it was announced that the 2018 Olympiad will take place in Berlin, Germany.
Hosts
Year | Host site | Host city and country | Medals table champion | Number of attending countries | Number of attending students |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | TBD | Berlin Germany | TBD | TBD | TBD |
2016 | University of Hawaii-Manoa | Honolulu, Hawai'i USA | Illinois | 15 | 85 |
2015 | College of William and Mary | Williamsburg, Virginia USA | California | 14 | 111 |
Overall champions
Varsity
Year | Champion | Second place | Third place | Number of students |
---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Jonathan Tran Oregon | Jakob Myers Illinois | Michael Nisenzon California | 26 |
2015 | Bruce Lou California | Suntiparp Somsak Thailand | Dashiell Yeatts-Lonske Maryland | 29 |
Junior varsity
Year | Champion | Second place | Third place | Number of students |
---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Alejandro Lim Philippines | Gareth Thorlakson Canada | Daniel Ma New York | 30 |
2015 | Luke Tierney New York | Jonathan Tran Oregon | John Peter Connor Washington | 40 |
Middle school
Year | Champion | Second place | Third place | Number of students |
---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Enzo Cunanan Florida | Shiva Oswal California | John Phipps Argentina | 29 |
2015 | Priyankar Kandarpa Singapore | Vijay Siddharth Singapore | Alejandro Lim Philippines | 42 |
International History Bee world champions
At the end of the International History Olympiad, the International History Bee World Championships are contested. For a full list of European, Asian, and Canadian International History Bee champions, see the International History Bee and Bowl page. For a full list of USA National History Bee National Champions, see the National History Bee and Bowl page.
Varsity
Year | Champion | Second place | Third place |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Jakob Myers Illinois | Devin Shang Massachusetts | Alwin Nocum California |
2015 | Bruce Lou California | Alexander Echikson Maryland | Andrew Leung California |
Junior varsity
Year | Champion | Second place | Third place |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Gareth Thorlakson Canada | Ryan Hamilton Canada | Jaya Alagar Pennsylvania |
2015 | Luke Tierney New York | Alex Schmidt Pennsylvania | Ryan Hamilton Canada |
Middle school
Year | Champion | Second place | Third place |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Enzo Cunanan Florida | Eshaan Vakil Nevada | Alexander Koutsoukos Connecticut |
2015 | Priyankar Kandarpa Singapore | Benji Chiu Oregon | Vijay Siddharth Singapore |
International History Bowl world champions
One of the marquis events at the International History Olympiad is the International History Bowl World Championships. In contrast with all other International History Bowl events, where students compete on teams representing their schools, at the Olympiad, students compete on their designated Olympiad-specific teams. Also, while teams at other International History Bowl events typically feature four students playing at once, and permit teams of 1-6 students (at regionals) and 1-unlimited students (at Championships), the Olympiad features only teams of either 2 or 3 students. Wherever possible, teams consist exclusively of students in an age division from one US state or country. However, if only one student registers for the Olympiad from a particular affiliation, then that student will be paired with 1 or 2 other students from other affiliations. For a full list of European, Asian, and Canadian International History Bowl champions, see the International History Bee and Bowl page. For a full list of USA National History Bowl National Champions, see the National History Bee and Bowl page.
Varsity
Year | Champion | Second place | Third place |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | California: Michael Nisenzon, Alwin Kyle Nocom | Team "Pakigonyland" Pakistan, Oregon, and Maryland: Minahil Nawaz (PAK), Jonathan Tran (OR), Howard Tripp (MD) | Team "Illiaysia" Illinois and Malaysia: Jakob Myers (IL), Sam Hofer (MAS) |
2015 | California: Andrew Leung, Bruce Lou | Maryland A: Ben Koppell, Dashiell Yeatts-Lonske | Team "Geornessee" Georgia and Tennessee: Garrett Johnston (GA), Jesse Bennett (TN), Eric Rosenthal (TN) |
Junior varsity
Year | Champion | Second place | Third place |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | India: Hari Parameswaran, Vijay Siddharth | Canada A, Ryan Hamilton, Jason Qu, Gareth Thorlakson | New York: Matthew Hasenwinkel, Daniel Ma, Jeremy Zhang |
2015 | Team "Washingtennessee": Washington and Tennessee John Connor (WA), Kevin Chen (TN) | Oregon Jonathan Tran, Connor Warren | Team "New Yorida": New York and Florida Luke Tierney (NY) and Grant Bianco (FL) |
Middle school
Year | Champion | Second place | Third place |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Team “Florikongrea” Florida South Korea Hong Kong Enzo Cunanan (FL), Jun Hyuk Lee (KOR), Yuto Lam (HKG) | California A Shiva Oswal, Josh Rollin, Alexander Goldberg | Team “Switzervadatina” Switzerland Nevada Argentina Anabel Mellinger (SUI), Eshaan Vakil (NV), John Phipps (ARG) |
2015 | Singapore Abeer Dahiya, Priyankar Kandarpa, Vijay Siddharth | Team "Philiwan" Philippines Taiwan Alejandro Lim (PHI), Dennis Yang (TAI) | Team "Illowahio" Illinois Iowa Ohio Braeden Forman (IL), Joseph Janssen (IA), Hari Parameswaran (OH) |
See also
References
- ↑ "International History Olympiad". www.historyolympiad.com. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
- ↑ "Sponsors : International History Olympiad". www.historyolympiad.com. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
- ↑ "Benji Chiu Wins Silver Medal at International History Bee". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
- ↑ "How to Qualify? : International History Olympiad". www.historyolympiad.com. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
- ↑ http://www.historyolympiad.com/iho2015/
- ↑ Bureau, INQUIRER.net U.S. "Fil-Am teen reaps 9 medals for PH at Int'l History Olympiad". globalnation.inquirer.net. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
- ↑ http://www.historyolympiad.com/iho2015/medals.php