National History Bowl

Varsity & JV Divisions Homepage

2023 Varsity – Livingston High School, Livingston, NJ
2023 Junior Varsity – Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, VA
2023 Varsity Small School – Mountain Lakes High School, Mountain Lakes, NJ
2023 Junior Varsity Small School – Vilonia High School, Vilonia, AR

National History Bowl
National History Bowl

The National History Bowl Varsity & Junior Varsity Divisions Overview

National History Bowl

The National History Bowl is a quiz competition for teams of students, testing knowledge of the history of all eras and all parts of the world. Founded as one of the first two IAC events in 2010, the National History Bowl has welcomed tens of thousands of students since then in a competition celebrating knowledge of all facets of human history. The National History Bowl consists of a network of Regional Tournaments, which are held both in-person and online from late October through early April. Qualified teams then contest the annual National Championships each year in Arlington, VA in late April. At Regionals and Nationals, the Junior Varsity Division is contested for teams of students entirely in 10th grade and younger. At Nationals, there is also a separate classification for small schools, for which a national championship title is also awarded.

  • Eligibility: Students in 12th grade and younger. Teams that are entirely composed of 10th graders and younger play in the Junior Varsity Division.
  • Competitors:  Teams. Up to 4 students play at once. At Regional Tournaments, teams can have up to 2 alternates. There is no limit on team size at Nationals. Schools and Homeschool Associations can enter as many teams at a Regional Tournament as they want; Nationals requires qualification at Regionals.
  • Competition Style: Buzzer-based except for 2nd quarter bonus questions and 3rd quarter 60 second rounds.

  • Inquiries: Contact hs-info@iacompetitions.com

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David Madden with Livingston High School (NJ), 2023 National History Bowl Varsity National Champions

Competition Format

For students competing in the Varsity & JV Divisions, the National History Bowl is a two-stage competition, consisting of the Regional Tournaments, and the National Championships. Students can also qualify for the International History Olympiad by competing in the National History Bowl.

Stage
1

Regional Tournaments

The first stage of the National History Bowl are the Regional Tournaments. Between 60-80 of these are held each year both in-person around the USA and online. Tournaments consist of 5 preliminary rounds and 1-5 playoff rounds depending on the field size. Each tournament has a Varsity and Junior Varsity Division; the JV Division is limited to teams that are composed entirely of students in 10th grade and younger.

The Regional Tournament season runs from late October to early April each academic year. A list of tournaments is maintained on the website here; registration is done by clicking on the tournament you wish to attend, and filling out the registration form on that tournament’s website. Each tournament runs on one of three question sets which are labeled A, B, and C. Past questions can be found on the website here for practice. Chronologically, C Set is offered first, beginning in the fall, followed by B, and then A, which is first played in February. However, C and B Set tournaments take place throughout the later months of the Regional Tournament season as well. Teams can thus play up to 3 times each year: once on each question set. No Regional Tournament requires prior qualification, and out-of-state teams are always welcome at all tournaments, even those designated as a State Championships.

At each in-person regional tournament, the National History Bee is also offered, as well as the National Qualifying Exams for the US History Bee, National Geography Bee / US Geography Championships, National Science Bee, and National Political Science Bee. The four exams are given during the lunch break. The typical schedule of a tournament is 3 History Bowl preliminary rounds, 3 History Bee preliminary rounds, lunch, 2 more History Bowl preliminary rounds, History Bee final round, History Bowl playoff rounds. For each online Regional Tournament, the Bee is typically on one day on a weekend, and the History Bowl on the other day.

Teams qualify for the National Championships by finishing in the top 50% at a Regional Tournament. There is no requirement to bring the same students to Nationals as who competed at the Regional Tournament where a school or homeschool association qualified.

For all questions on the 2023-24 National History Bowl Regional Tournaments, please email hs-info@iacompetitions.com

Stage
2

National Championships

The second stage of the National History Bowl for the Varsity and Junior Varsity Divisions is the National Championships, which for the 2023-24 academic year will take place at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA from April 26-28, 2024. We expect 150-200 teams to attend from throughout the USA, and we hope that you and your team will be able to join us! All teams play ten preliminary matches on Saturday, with playoff rounds taking place on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon.

The Opening Buzz of the National History Bowl (featuring last year’s National Champion and their first round opponent on Saturday) takes place during the Opening Ceremonies on Friday evening. Then, the first five preliminary rounds take place on Saturday morning. Based on their performance in the Saturday morning rounds, teams then advance to either the Upper Bracket or Lower Bracket rounds on Saturday afternoon; only teams in the Upper Bracket remain eligible to contend for the National Championship. The top Upper Bracket teams advance to the first group of playoff rounds on Saturday evening; the top teams from those rounds play off for the National Championship on early Sunday afternoon. While the National History Bowl is the centerpiece of the Varsity & Junior Varsity National Championships, there are numerous other competitions that take place at other times during that same weekend at the same hotel (e.g. the National History Bee, National Geography Bee, US History Bee, National Championship Exams [a number of these have a history focus], National Science Bee, etc.), so students can take part in all of them if they are eligible to do so. A full schedule of 2024 Varsity & Junior Varsity National Championships Events is available here. 

The cost to compete at the 2024 National Championships depends on the number of students per team, and whether registration takes place prior to the end of 2023. The cost for all National Championship events, including the National History Bowl, are posted here on the website. Registration for the National Championships opens in November and runs through early April on this page.

For all questions on the 2024 National Championships, please email hs-info@iacompetitions.com.

Bonus
Stage

International History Olympiad

Students who compete in the Varsity & Junior Varsity Divisions of the National History Bowl can qualify for the 2025 International History Olympiad which will likely be held in London in July 2025! Students qualify for the International History Olympiad by finishing in the top 25% in their age division at any 2023-24 or 2024-25 Regional Finals tournament or National History Bowl Regional Tournament, or in the top 50% at the 2024 or 2025 National Championships of the National History Bowl or National History Bee. There are other qualifying methods as explained here, but qualifying through performance in the National History Bowl or National History Bee is the most common approach.

The International History Olympiad is a week-long event with numerous competitions, field trips, family activities and more. In each event, medals are awarded to the top 3 competing students in each age division. US students compete for their state; students from other countries (or students in the USA who were born abroad or who have foreign citizenship) represent those countries. Two of the most prestigious events at the Olympiad are the International History Bowl World Championships and the International History Bee World Championships; an overall Olympiad Championship title is also awarded in each age division; please view the website at www.historyolympiad.com for further details on all events and to register. We are expecting 300-400 students from around the world to attend the 2025 International History Olympiad!

For all questions on the 2025 International History Olympiad, please email david@iacompetitions.com.

National History Bowl Practice Resources

Study Guides

Study Guides for this current academic year’s B and C Set Regional Tournaments

Past Questions

Past Questions from Regional Tournaments and National Championships

IAC National Capitals Study Guide

International History Olympiad

Additional history questions are found under the Schedule & Event Information tab on the International History Olympiad site though some are in different formats from those used in the National History Bee.

Quiz Bowl Packets

This site has links to hundreds of thousands of additional questions; most of which are not history-themed, though a good many are

Rules & FAQs

Please see the files here that pertain to the National History Bowl

Students and teams can compete up to three times each academic year at Regionals, once on each set of questions: A, B, and C. No Regional Tournament requires prior qualification.

No, we welcome teams of solo-students frequently, and have even had several National Champions who have been solo-student teams!

There is no difference in terms of content focus, but there are some differences in difficulty. B Set is meant to be slightly harder than C Set, but A Set is meant as preparation for the National Championships, so it is notably a more challenging set than B or C. Still, it is accessible enough for teams to play even if they have not played

The hotels where we have room blocks, especially the host hotel, provide us with meeting space to hold the competitions and with sleeping accommodations for our staff, which we need to fly in from around the country. They do this in return for a commitment to fulfill a large number of sleeping room bookings over the course of Nationals weekend. For students who live near the Nationals host site for whom it would make sense to attend Nationals as a day trip and go back to their home each night, this rule does not apply.

Yes! They are actively encouraged to do so, and if they do so, they would play in the Junior Varsity Division which includes students in the 9th and 10th grade. Students cannot transfer qualification in the National Championships at the Junior Varsity level to the Middle or Elementary School level National Championships. For more information on how the National History Bowl works for students in 8th grade and younger, please visit the National History Bowl Middle School, Intermediate, & Elementary School Divisions Homepage.

Yes, this is permitted, though this must be for non-selective public high schools, or for private or selective public schools that have grades 8 and younger attached in the same school.

Past National History Bowl National Champions

Small School National Champions are shown in a separate table below. On mobile, swipe right to view all columns

 

Year Division National Champion School City State
2023 Varsity Livingston High School Livingston NJ  NJ
2023 Junior Varsity Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Alexandria VA  VA
2022 Varsity Hunter College High School New York City NY  NY
2022 Junior Varsity Livingston High School Livingston NJ  NJ
2021 Varsity Hunter College High School New York City NY  NY
2021 Junior Varsity Wakeland High School Frisco TX  TX
2020 Varsity Adlai Stevenson High School Lincolnshire IL  IL
2020 Junior Varsity Montgomery Blair High School Silver Spring MD  MD
2019 Varsity Beavercreek High School Beavercreek OH  OH
2019 Junior Varsity Hunter College High School New York City NY  NY
2018 Varsity Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Alexandria VA  VA
2018 Junior Varsity Adlai Stevenson High School Lincolnshire IL   IL
2017 Varsity Westview High School Portland OR   OR
2017 Junior Varsity Beavercreek High School Beavercreek OH  OH
2016 Varsity Liberal Arts and Sciences Academy Austin TX   TX
2016 Junior Varsity James E. Taylor High School Katy TX  TX
2015 Varsity Saratoga High School Saratoga CA  CA
2015 Junior Varsity Hunter College High School New York City NY  NY
2014 Varsity Liberal Arts and Sciences Academy Austin TX  TX
2014 Junior Varsity Westview High School Portland OR  OR
2013 Varsity Bellarmine College Prep San Jose CA  CA
2013 Junior Varsity Northmont High School Clayton OH  OH
2012 Varsity Hunter College High School New York City NY  NY
2012 Junior Varsity Northmont High School Clayton OH  OH
2011 Varsity Maggie Walker Governor’s School Richmond VA  VA
2011 Junior Varsity Charter School of Wilmington Wilmington DE  DE

Past Small-School National History Bowl National Champions

Note that results are shown for all years in which a Small School National Title was awarded. In certain years, no Small School National Title was awarded. On mobile, swipe right to view all columns

 

Year Division National Champion School City State
2023 Varsity Mountain Lakes High School Mountain Lakes NJ  NJ
2023 Junior Varsity Vilonia High School Vilonia AR  AR
2019 Varsity Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy Mooresboro NC  NC
2019 Junior Varsity Archimedean Upper Conservatory Miami FL  FL
2018 Varsity Leonia High School Leonia NJ  NJ
2018 Junior Varsity The Wheatley School Old Westbury NY  NY
2017 Varsity Lehigh Valley Academy Regional Charter School Bethlehem PA  PA
2017 Junior Varsity Leonia High School Leonia NJ  NJ
2016 Varsity Tippecanoe High School Tipp City OH  OH
2016 Junior Varsity Aptakisic Junior High School Buffalo Grove IL  IL
2015 Varsity Advanced Math & Science Academy Charter School Marlborough MA  MA
2015 Junior Varsity George W. Hewlett High School Hewlett NY   NY
2014 Varsity Beachwood High School Beachwood OH   OH
2014 Junior Varsity Advanced Math & Science Academy Charter School Marlborough MA  VMA
2013 Varsity Plymouth Regional High School Plymouth NH   NH
2013 Junior Varsity Rolla Junior Senior High School Rolla KS  KS