The International History Bee and Bowl (IHBB) are history quiz competitions for individual students and school teams outside the United States. Within the United States, students compete in the comparable National History Bee and Bowl; the same organization oversees the International and National (i.e. American) tournaments. The International History Bee and Bowl debuted in the 2011-2012 school year in Europe[1] and Asia.[2] A European Championship has been held since 2012; the Asian Championships debuted in spring 2014. For the 2014-15 school year, the Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand divisions also debuted, along with the first-ever tournaments in Sweden and Taiwan. IHBB also organizes the International History Olympiad, which debuted in 2015 at The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.[3] Students can qualify for the Olympiad by participating at IHBB tournaments around the world or by taking an official qualifying exam administered by a teacher if no IHBB tournament exists nearby.
The International History Bee and Bowl test knowledge of all aspects of history in a buzzer-based competition format, which bears a resemblance to some television quiz shows. However, unlike on a quiz show most IHBB questions are paragraph-length, and move from harder to easier information. When students think they know the answer, they ring in with the buzzer. If they are correct, they, or their team members get points, if incorrect, then the other students (in the History Bee) or the other team (in the History Bowl) has an opportunity to hear the rest of the question. As of 2015, all IHBB matches are conducted in English - tournaments in other languages may be added at some point in the future. IHBB has also partnered with the World Scholar's Cup to run demonstrations of History Bees at their tournaments.[4]
The International History Bee and Bowl are also sponsored by History Asia (the Asian division of the American TV Channel known as History), which is providing prizing, promotional, and broadcast support for the tournaments in Singapore, as well as the 2015 Asian Championships.[5]
Regional Tournaments
Regional tournaments are held throughout Asia, Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Any school or student may attend as long as they have not participated at an earlier regional tournament that school year. Each tournament features a Varsity division for students roughly 16–18 years of age, a Junior Varsity division for students roughly 13–15 years of age, and a Middle School division for younger students.[6]
Each tournament features a series of preliminary rounds for the History Bee for individual students and the History Bowl for teams. Students who finish in the top half in their age classification for the History Bee, and Bowl teams who finish the preliminary rounds with a .500 winning percentage or better qualify for the European or Asian Championships, as well as the International History Olympiad. At the end of the preliminary rounds, the top Bee students advance to the Bee Finals, while Bowl teams are seeded according to their preliminary results and advance to the playoffs.
Championships
Students and teams who finish in the top half of their regional tournament earn the right to compete at the Canadian, European and Asian Championships. The Championships also feature a Consolation Bee for students attending with their History Bowl team who did not qualify for the Bee Championships, as well as a Geography Bee which is open to all.[7] The Championships function similar to a Regional Tournament except they are held over two separate days, and also feature a separate Sports and Entertainment History Bee which is open to all participants, including coaches. The 2012 European Championships were held in Grasse, France; the 2013 European Championships were held in Paris; the 2014 Championships were in Rome and the 2015 Championships were in Switzerland. The Asian Championships were held in Hong Kong in 2014 and will be held in Khao Lak, Thailand in 2015. The inaugural Canadian Championships were held in 2015 in Ottawa. Currently, there is not yet a championship for students in Australia or New Zealand, but students from those countries who finish in the top half at regional tournaments are welcome to attend the Asian Championships.
International History Bee - European Division Champions
Varsity
Junior Varsity
Middle School
International History Bowl - European Division Champions
Varsity
Junior Varsity
Middle School
International History Bee - Asian Division Champions
Varsity
| Year |
Champion |
School |
Country |
|---|
| 2014 |
Suntiparp Somsak |
International Community School of Bangkok |
 Thailand |
| 2015 |
Suntiparp Somsak |
International Community School of Bangkok |
Thailand |
Junior Varsity
Middle School
International History Bowl - Asian Division Champions
Varsity
Junior Varsity
Middle School
International History Bee - Canadian Division Champions
Varsity
Junior Varsity
Middle School
International History Bowl - Canadian Division Champions
Varsity
| Year |
Champion |
City |
Province |
|---|
| 2015 |
Lisgar Collegiate Institute |
Ottawa |
 Ontario |
Junior Varsity
Middle School
See also
References
External links
Spain
Switzerland
Germany
England
Singapore
Hong Kong
China
Quebec