The idea of Bebras was born in Lithuania, by Prof. Valentina Dagiene.
The first Bebras contest was organized in Lithuania in 2004.

One of Valentina Dagiene’s goals was to establish Bebras as an international initiative. Since its beginnings, several European countries have joined Bebras: Estonia, Germany, The Netherlands, and Poland were the first to join in 2006. In 2007, Austria, Latvia, and Slovakia (school year 2007/2008) organized their first Bebras contests, while Czech Republic and Ukraine started their contests in 2008. In 2009, Italy joined Bebras, and 2010 saw first Bebras contests in Finland and Switzerland. In 2011, France, Hungary, and Slovenia jumped in, and Japan saw the first non-European Bebras contest.

The success of Bebras has made other countries from all over the world interested in the idea, too. Israel has already contributed to Bebras task creation. In 2011, trial contests were run in Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Israel, and Spain.