National History Bee and Bowl

Key facts

Eligible grades

Varsity division is grades 11 and 12 only. Junior Varsity is grade 10 and younger, including middle and elementary school students. Separate Elementary and Middle School divisions also exist. not yet checked against the official source

Younger students may play up into JV but are not permitted to play in the Varsity division. The US History Bee's Middle and Elementary divisions are open to grade 8 and younger who have qualified. Source note: the only reference found for this was a third-party listing or encyclopedia, not the organiser. Eligibility must come from the organiser, so this is marked unconfirmed until a first-party page confirms it.

Source, checked 2026-09-02

Official divisions

Varsity is grades 11 and 12 only and younger students may not play up into it. Junior Varsity takes grade 10 and below, with separate Middle and Elementary divisions.

Based on the organiser's own divisions.

Eligible ages

Not confirmed. This organiser may set eligibility by grade rather than age. We do not convert one into the other.

IAC sets divisions by grade, not age.

Individual or team

Individual or team · Individual. The related National History Bowl is the four-player team event.

Where it runs

Online and in person · United States, International

Entry cost

Modest exam and event fees plus travel to championshipsNot confirmed for 2026-27. A first-party US History Bee page, though from an older cycle, listed qualifying exam pre-registration at $10 per exam plus processing, or $15 on site. Regional tournament and National Championship fees are separate and were not confirmed. Late registration reportedly adds a $10 surcharge per subject.

Registration deadline

Set locally, not published as a single national date Varies by tournament. Regional Finals registration reportedly closes the second Monday before the tournament at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Reported National Championship deadlines are 18 April for individual events and 14 April for bowl teams, with late fees after 11 April and 7 April respectively. Not confirmed for 2027.

Competition dates

Online qualifying exams from autumn, regional championships in winter and spring, national championships in spring.

Difficulty

Some preparation neededYou will want a few weeks of targeted practice. Most motivated students place respectably.

Prizes

Trophies, medals and national titlesTitles at the National Championships and qualification for the International History Olympiad. No cash prize schedule found.