Top 9 History Competitions for High School Students

Why Participate in History Competitions?

History cannot exist in a bubble. As a historian, I believe meeting other researchers and discovering new contexts or angles from which to view a document or event is one of the most valuable experiences for history scholars — especially young ones. While it can be challenging for a high schooler to connect with other budding historians from around the country or the world, history competitions offer students the opportunity to meet other researchers while engaging with topics and frameworks that could be completely new to them.

Should I Join History Competitions?

Participating in history competitions is an excellent way to make connections with other students like you, as well as potential mentors. It can also help you develop skills in research and writing and give you the chance to demonstrate your interest in history and the humanities when applying to colleges for history.

Most importantly, putting your all into a challenging history competition can inspire you to explore your passion for historical research and analysis!

For more information on how you can enhance your historical research with Polygence, explore our Research Mentorship Program! This program lays a solid foundation for your academic journey by helping you develop crucial skills. 

If you're looking to take your historical research even further, consider adding our Premium Showcasing Support. This add-on offers personalized guidance to help you prepare your research for competitions, conferences, or academic journals. With expert mentorship, you'll refine your historical analysis skills and create standout projects that truly reflect your hard work and dedication. 

Top History Competitions for High School & Middle School Students

1. National History Day

National History Day is a nonprofit organization that administers, among other history programs, the annual National History Day Contest. This contest includes a junior division for students in grades 6-8 and a senior division for students in high school. Participants are required to create an original project through which they present historical research, arguments, and interpretations to an in-person panel of judges. The contest starts at the local level, and invites the top participants to advance through to the regional and affiliate rounds. The top two participants from each division at the affiliate contests advance to the National Contest. Students receive feedback and can revise their projects after each round.

The National History Day Contest allows students to explore their passion for historical research through a traditional history research paper or a creative project. Projects are judged 80% on the student’s historical research and 20% on the clarity of their presentation. Pursuing historical research through the creation of a documentary, performance, exhibit, or website allows students to dive deep into the story while developing skills in communication and project management. Participants can also choose to work on a creative project as a group, developing the skills to collaborate with other historians. History research is, after all, a collaborative project!

• Eligibility: Middle (grades 6-8) and high school (grades 9-12) students

• Application Deadline: Varies by regional affiliation

• Location: National Competition at the University of Maryland, College Park

2. International History Olympiad

Founded in 2015, the International History Olympiad is one of the younger competitions administered by International Academic Competitions. The fifth edition of the event took place in Rome in 2023, with participation from 258 total students. The next event is currently set for Paris in the summer of 2025, but the dates and exact location have not yet been announced. Students compete in one of four categories based on their grade levels: 

• Elementary division

• Middle school division

• Junior varsity (9th and 10th graders)

• Varsity (10th and 11th graders)

Depending on the division, the competition events can include a variety of testing styles, including multiple-choice exams, historiographical assessments, and the “Hexathlon,” which combines audio clues, maps, and crosswords in a test of speed. Students must be selected at their regional and national competitions to qualify for the International History Olympiad. For students in the U.S., the affiliated national contests are the United States History Bee and the National History Bowl.

Qualifying for and competing in the International History Olympiad is an honor for any student. In addition to representing their home country as a budding historian, students get to know one another through group field trips, non-competitive academic events, and historical simulations. For more international contests, check out our list of international academic competitions for high school students!

• Eligibility: 4 divisions for each grade level

• Application Deadline: Varies by regional and national contest

• Location: Paris (2025)

3. The United States History Bee

The United States History Bee is a two-stage history contest that tests high school students’ knowledge of historical topics through buzzer-style questions. The first stage is the online National Qualifying Exam. Students must score a minimum of 75 points on the online test in order to advance to Nationals, where participants compete in preliminary buzzer matches, followed by playoffs, semifinals, and finals. The top scorers at the National Championships can also qualify for the International History Olympiad.

The U.S. History Bee tests students’ knowledge of historical facts while challenging them to think quickly and analyze information on the fly. The 2025 edition of the National Bee will take place on April 25 in Arlington, VA. 11th and 12th graders compete in the varsity division, while 10th-grade and younger students compete at the junior varsity level.

Tip: If you’re hoping to get a leg up in buzzer- or Jeopardy!-style competition formats, some of Polygence’s mentors (like Shadrick) have actually competed on Jeopardy! and would love to teach you their strategies while amplifying your knowledge of history!

• Eligibility: Students in grades 9-12

• Application Deadline: TBA

• Location: Arlington, VA (2025)

4. The National History Bowl

In addition to the United States History Bee, students can also qualify for the International History Olympiad based on their performance in the National History Bowl. This competition is similar to the United States History Bee, but participants compete as teams instead of as individuals. Teams of students who are all in 10th grade or younger enter the junior varsity category. Past questions for both varsity and junior varsity categories can be found on their website for practice. The competition organizers select questions from a broad range of topics, including European history, military history, and the history of science, to name just a few. The competition requires teams to participate in one of their regional qualifying rounds in order to advance to the national level.

Competing as a team in the National History Bowl is an opportunity for students to build collaborative and strategic skills while deepening their knowledge of a broad range of historical topics and competing for a chance to represent the United States at the International History Olympiad.

• Eligibility: Students in grades 9-12

• Application Deadline: TBA

• Location: Arlington, VA (2025)

5. The Great History Challenge

The Great History Challenge is a multi-tiered competition for middle school students with a passion for history. Over 40,000 middle schoolers participated in the 2024 Challenge, culminating in the National Championship in Chicago, IL. The competition takes place annually over three rounds between December and May:

1. Online competition (December): Students complete a 30-minute online history test in school. Their teacher gets a report of students’ scores, and the top student from each grade level gets to attend the Regional Championship.

2. Regional Championships (February - April): A Jeopardy!-style event bringing together the top students from each grade from each participating school

3. National Championship (May): The top students from around the country compete and participate in history-themed events.

Participating in the Great History Challenge allows students to explore history through a fun, game-show-style structure. In addition, participants who advance to the regional and national stages get to meet other young history buffs and compete for national recognition.

• Eligibility: Middle school students (grades 6-8)

• Application Deadline: Online stage in December

• Location: TBA

6. Joseph S. Rumbaugh Historical Oration Contest

The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution sponsors the Joseph S. Rumbaugh Historical Oration Contest for high school students in the United States. This is an excellent opportunity for students with an interest in history and a desire to hone their public speaking abilities. The contest takes place on an annual basis. Participants must write and deliver from memory an original, 5-6-minute speech on a historical event, person, or document with a connection to the American Revolution. The speech must also mention the nation’s 250th anniversary. The first-place submission will receive an $8,000 prize.

Participants are judged on their historical research, as well as their clarity and persuasiveness in the delivery of the speech. So, to effectively prepare for this competition, we recommend practicing your research, writing, and speaking skills with a mentor like Emily G., who specializes in American founding history and public speaking!

• Eligibility: High school students in the United States

• Application Deadline: Varies by state chapter of the Sons of the Revolution

• Location: Online

Interested in public speaking? Check out our article on getting started with debate competitions for high schoolers!

7. George S. & Stella M. Knight Essay Contest

In addition to their oration contest, the Sons of the American Revolution also sponsors the George S. & Stella M. Knight Essay Contest. This contest is open to all high school students who are U.S. citizens or legal residents. Participants are asked to compose an original essay of between 800 and 1,200 words that discusses a topic related to the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence, or the United States Constitution.

Tip: Check out our article on how to write a history research paper! Plus, don’t miss this Polygence student who created a board game inspired by the American Revolution!

• Eligibility: High school students in the United States

• Application Deadline: February 15, 2025

• Location: N/A

8. World Historian Student Essay Competition

The World Historian Student Essay Competition is an international essay contest for high school students. Essays should be approximately 1,000 words and must be on one of the following topics:

• Your view of a family story related to a historical event or your personal family cultural background

• An issue of personal relevance or specific regional history

Historical research can be a powerful tool for connecting your own family to broader global events. To prepare for this essay competition, we suggest working with a Polygence mentor like J.T.,  who specializes in cultural history, or even myself (my research is on music history in the United States and Europe)!

• Eligibility: High school students anywhere

• Application Deadline: May 1

• Location: N/A

9. John F. Kennedy Profiles in Courage Essay Contest

The John F. Kennedy Profiles in Courage Essay Contest is open to high school students with an interest in 20th and 21st-century American history. Essay submissions should be between 700 and 1000 words (not including the citations or bibliography). The theme of the essay should discuss an “act of political courage” by an elected official at the local, state, or national level during or after 1917. Additional requirements and suggestions can be found here.

This is an excellent opportunity for students to demonstrate the depth of their interests in history, government, and leadership. Working with one of Polygence’s expert mentors like Benjamin or Alyssa, who are accomplished scholars in twentieth-century U.S. history and government, can give you the courage to write and submit a brave and original essay. 

• Eligibility: High school students in the U.S. and U.S. territories and U.S. citizens attending high school abroad

• Application Deadline: January 17, 2025 at 11:59 PM (EST)

• Location: N/A

The David McCullough Essay Prize

The David McCullough Essay Prize is open to high school students enrolled in one of the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s Affiliate Programs. The contest welcomes essay submissions on American history from 1491 to 2001 in one of two categories:

• Research papers incorporating primary and secondary sources

• Interpretive essays, including a close reading and analysis of one primary source in the Institute's archive
  

The author of the top submission will receive an award of $5,000.

Conducting original research on American history with one-on-one support from an expert Polygence mentor like Nate can help prepare you to make the academic jump from high school to college. Nate is a published history author who has taught U.S. history at the high school and undergraduate levels and enjoys helping students improve their research and writing skills!

• Eligibility: High school students in an affiliated program

• Application Deadline: TBA

• Location: N/A

Leveraging Polygence to Excel in History Competitions

Take advantage of Polygence’s mentorship program to supercharge your preparation for history competitions this year! We offer one-on-one sessions with expert researchers in your field of interest. Your mentor can help you plan for, prepare for, and get excited about the upcoming contests of your choice!

Enhance Your Historical Research with Polygence

Want to stand out? Polygence’s mentorship and research programs can help emerging historians perform at the top of their game with middle school and high school history competitions! We’ll match you with an individual expert mentor — kind of like a history coach — as you work towards your competition goals. You and your mentor will get ten one-on-one sessions to advance your research, writing, and competition abilities leading up to the big day.

Explore our offerings for emerging historians!