2024 National
Championship
Chicago, IL
The 2024 Great History Challenge National Championship was a spectacular event over Memorial Day weekend at McCormick Place in Chicago!
The students who competed were the crème de la crème, representing the top 1% of the 40,000+ participants from across the country.
Students enjoyed meeting Abraham Lincoln and an excursion to Millennium Park, but the main event of the weekend was the over 300 games that pitted students' knowledge of history against each other.
Two days and more than 7000 questions later, the top nine students faced off on the big stage!
Here are the outstanding finalists:
6th Grade:
Jaison Desai, Medea Creek Middle School, Oak Park, CA
Eric Lewis, John Poole Middle School, Poolesville, MD
Andrew Stehman, Belvidere South Middle School, Belvidere, IL
7th Grade:
Landon Bargen, Immanuel Lutheran School, Wentzville, MO
John Bell, Orlando Gifted Academy, Orlando, FL
Aris Smaragdis, Next Generation School, Champaign, IL
8th Grade:
Matthew Lesar, Loveland Middle School, Loveland, OH
Caleb Mekonnen, Briggs Chaney Middle School, Silver Spring, MD
Elijah Scott, Orlando Gifted Academy, Orlando, FL
The competition was nothing short of fierce, and in the end, Eric Lewis from Poolesville, MD, was crowned the 6th Grade National Champion and the National Grand Champion!
Aris Smaragdis from Champaign, IL, was crowned the 7th Grade National Champion, and
Caleb Mekonnen from Silver Spring, MD, was crowned the 8th Grade National Champion.
Congratulations to all competitors! Full results can be found here:
6th Grade Results
We look forward to seeing everyone next year!