National History Day is a nonprofit organization that builds opportunities for both students and teachers to engage in historical research on a specific topic. The program allows students to apply their research to a specific project - an exhibit, paper, documentary, performance - and then compete at the annual history contest for students in grades 6 -12.

Each year, more than half a million students and over 30,000 teachers participate in History Day. Competing in History Day can help students improve their research and reading skills, develop problem solving skills and critical thinking, and most importantly foster individual self-esteem and confidence.

Students develop projects around the annual theme; and enter their projects at History Day contests at the local level. Students then compete in a series of regional contests with top entries advancing to state/affiliate contests. The top two entries in each category and division are invited to compete at the National Contest at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Junior Division: grades 6, 7, 8

Senior Division: grades 9, 10, 11, 12

Each year, National History Day frames student projects and research within a historical theme. The theme is chosen for broad application to world, national, or state/local history and its relevance to ancient history or to the more recent past.

Open and/or download the theme book for this year’s topic: Turning Points in History.

Students construct entries as an individual or a group in one of five categories:

1. Documentary: A documentary should reflect your ability to use audiovisual equipment to communicate your topic’s significance. The documentary category will help you develop skills in using photographs, film, video, audio, computers, and graphic presentations. Your presentation should include primary source materials and also must be an original production. To produce a documentary, you must have access to equipment and be able to operate it.

2. Exhibit: An exhibit is a visual representation of your research and interpretation of your topic’s significance in history. The analysis and interpretation of your topic must be clear and evident to the viewer. Labels and captions should be used creatively with visual images and objects to enhance the message of your exhibit.

3. Paper: A paper is the traditional form of presenting historical research. Various types of creative writing (for example, fictional diaries, poems, etc.) are permitted, but must conform to all general and category rules. Your paper should be grammatically correct and well written.

4. Performance: A performance is a dramatic portrayal of your topic’s significance in history and must be an original production. It should be scripted based on research of your chosen topic and should have dramatic appeal, but not at the expense of historical information.

5. Website: The website category is the most interactive of all NHD categories. A website should reflect your ability to use website design software and computer technology to communicate your topic’s significance in history. Your historical website should be a collection of web pages, interconnected by hyperlinks, that presents both primary and secondary sources and your historical analysis. To engage and inform viewers, your website should incorporate interactive multimedia, text, non-textual descriptions (e.g., photographs, maps, music, etc.), and interpretations of sources. To construct a website, you must have access to the Internet and be able to operate appropriate software and equipment.

Get started by identifying and evaluating topics using NHD's Turning Points worksheet. Stay organized with a project notebook:

1. Write down ideas

2. Create an outline for your project

3. Keep research organized

4. Select and record information about the resources to be used in your project

5. Create a section for primary source materials

6. Create a section for secondary source materials

Explore more of the exhibit using the page links below.