In light of the coronavirus pandemic, the 12th edition of the National Olympiad in Brazilian History (ONHB), held by Unicamp, was reformulated and will be completely online, including the final. Registration has been extended and continues until September 7th, even though it was scheduled to start on September 6th. The closing date is scheduled for October 30th and, on November 22nd, the medalists will be announced.
The edition, which would have taken place in the first half of this year, was postponed due to the pandemic. Given this, the organizing committee made changes to make the project viable and make it as easy as possible for students to participate, including those with restricted internet access.
The coordinator of ONHB and professor at the Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences (IFCH) at Unicamp, Cristina Meneguello, explains that the competition traditionally takes place online, with only the final phase in person, for the finalists. However, this year, this phase is impossible due to safety reasons due to the pandemic. “We are looking for alternatives to maintain this edition, as we know the expectations of the participants and the contribution that ONHB has in teaching History, especially at a time when learning is compromised. Furthermore, the Olympics is a teaching tool for the entrance exam and Enem (National High School Exam),” she stated.
To achieve this, the test platform was adapted to technology that facilitates navigation via cell phone and reduces data usage as much as possible. Participants will also be able to take the test offline and use the internet only to send their answers.
There were also changes to the phases: each stage will last seven calendar days so that teams can use the weekends to answer the questions. In total, there will be seven phases, the first of which – called “phase zero” – will be experimental and training in nature so that students can adapt to the new format. The test will also be shorter, with three fewer questions.
Stages and grand final
The competition will have the same dynamics: teams made up of a History teacher and three students from the 8th and 9th years of Elementary School and all years of High School, from public and private schools, can participate. In phases 0 to 4, participants must answer multiple choice questions and complete a task. In phases 5 and 6, teams will perform a task and correct it from other groups, respectively. After these steps, the finalists will be announced and the choice of medalists will be determined by an evaluation of the phase 5 task, carried out by the ONHB developers (professors, doctoral students and post-doctoral students from Unicamp).
The announcement of the medalists, traditionally held in a grand final in Campinas-SP, will be made through a video published on ONHB's social networks. There will be at least 400 finalist teams – double the number of previous years –, with 20 gold, 30 silver and 40 bronze medals distributed. Medals and gifts – such as t-shirts – will be sent to schools.
CALENDAR:
Registrations: until 07/09/2020.
Values: R$58,00 per public school team and R$118,00 per private school team
Phases:
Phase Zero: 06/09/2020 to 12/09/2020
1st phase: 14/09/2020 to 20/09/2020
2st phase: 22/09/2020 to 28/09/2020
3rd phase: 30/09/2020 and ends on 06/10/2020
4st phase: 08/10/2020 to 14/10/2020
5st phase: 16/10/2020 to 22/10/2020
6st phase: 24/10/2020 to 30/10/2020
Final (medallists announced): 22/11/2020
For more information and regulations, visit: https://www.olimpiadadehistoria.com.br/
