The International History Bee and Bowl 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 and Asia. 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 will debut to complement the International History Bee and Bowl - European Division[1] and International History Bee and Bowl - Asian Division.[2] During 2014-15, IHBB will also expand to Slovakia, Ireland, and Scotland within the European Division, and Taiwan, Vietnam, and India within the Asian Division.
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 the 2014-15 school year, 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.[3]
Regional Tournaments
Regional tournaments are held throughout Asia and Europe; 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.[4]
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. 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 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 Sports and Entertainment History Bee which is open to all.[5] 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. In 2014, the European Championships were held in Rome; the Asian Championships were held in Hong Kong.
International History Bee - European Division Champions
Varsity
| Year |
Champion |
School |
Country |
|---|
| 2012 |
Maria Witteman |
American School of Madrid |
 Spain |
| 2013 |
Maria Witteman |
American School of Madrid |
Spain |
| 2014 |
Cameron Bainbridge |
College du Leman |
 Switzerland |
Junior Varsity
Middle School
International History Bowl - European Division Champions
Varsity
| Year |
Champion |
School |
Country |
|---|
| 2012 |
American School of Madrid |
Madrid, Spain |
Spain |
| 2013 |
American School of Madrid |
Madrid, Spain |
Spain |
| 2014 |
College du Leman |
Geneva, Switzerland |
Switzerland |
Junior Varsity
Middle School
International History Bee - Asian Division Champions
Varsity
| Year |
Champion |
School |
Country |
|---|
| 2014 |
Suntiparp Somsak |
International Community School of Bangkok |
 Thailand |
Junior Varsity
Middle School
International History Bowl - Asian Division Champions
Varsity
| Year |
Champion |
School |
Country |
|---|
| 2014 |
International Community School of Bangkok |
Bangkok, Thailand |
Thailand |
Junior Varsity
Middle School
See also
References
External links
England
Singapore
Hong Kong