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 International Academic Competitions, though prior participation in IAC 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 12-19 as long as they have not completed a year of university and have qualified. Students compete in three separate age ranges: Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Middle School, as is the case at other IHBB events. The International History Olympiad is sponsored by publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, which helps cover travel costs and registration fees for participants who perform well in Olympiad qualification events. For the first time in 2018, a geography equivalent of the International History Olympiad took place in conjunction with the Olympiad: The International Geography Bee World Championships.
Qualification
Students typically qualify for the Olympiad either by finishing in the top 25% 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. 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. 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 with students competing individually. Students answer comprehensive, paragraph-length questions about specific topics in history, depending on the type of competition.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 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. The Olympiad also features a number of guest speakers, field trips, medals ceremonies for each event, and opening and closing ceremonies.
Three events 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.
Affiliation and medals
All students at the International History Olympiad compete for a US state or for their country of citizenship or residence. Students who would be eligible to compete for two affiliations must select one. 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.
Future Olympiads
After 2016, the Olympiad became a biennial model; Olympiads thus occur in even-numbered years. The location of the 2020 International History Olympiad was revealed to take place on a boat in the Caribbean. However, it and the International Geography Bee World Championships were both canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Hosts
| Year | Host site | Host city and country | Medals table champion | Number of attending countries | Number of attending students |
| 2018 | Berlin Brandenburg International School |  Berlin, Germany | 24 | 224 | |
| 2016 | University of Hawaii-Manoa |  Honolulu, Hawaii | 15 | 85 | |
| 2015 | College of William and Mary | Williamsburg, Virginia | 14 | 111 |
Overall Champions
Varsity
Junior Varsity
Middle School
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
Junior Varsity
Middle School
The Middle School division is open to some students age 14 and under, depending on month of birth. Some of the winners below were high school students at the time they won the competition.| Year | Champion | Second place | Third place |
| 2018 | Shiva Oswal | Karsten Rynearson | Vivek Sapru |
| 2016 | Enzo Cunanan | Eshaan Vakil | Alexander Koutsoukos |
| 2015 | Priyankar Kandarpa | Benji Chiu | Vijay Siddharth |