National History Day (NHD)

National History Day is a national academic competition for grades 6-12 encouraging historical research and presentation on an annual theme, serving over half a million students yearly and culminating with a national contest.

National History Day (NHD) is a nationwide academic competition run by National History Day, Inc. that engages over half a million students annually in grades 6-12. The competition encourages students to conduct original historical research and present their findings through varied project formats such as documentaries, exhibits, papers, performances, and websites, all centered around an annual theme. NHD fosters critical thinking, creativity, and skills in research and communication, culminating in a national contest at the University of Maryland.

Competition Details

Judging Criteria

Projects are judged by professional historians, educators, and experts according to criteria outlined in the NHD Contest Rule Book, which includes historical quality, relation to theme, clarity of presentation, creativity, and thoroughness of research. Scoring occurs at multiple contest levels: local, affiliate, state, and national. At each level, top placing projects advance to the next round, culminating in a national contest where finalists are awarded monetary prizes and recognized for excellence.