History Day project categories have very specific rules; the rules are not hard to follow, but projects cannot advance unless they meet all of the rules, both project specific rules and general NHD rules. Below are links to the contest rules and please note that there are general rules for the contest plus specific rules for each category.
The 2020 NHD Rule Book is the most current, available here in English and Spanish:
NHD Rule Book 2020
NHDSpanishRuleBook2021Digital.pdf
If you have questions about any of the rules, and the rule book isn't making sense, please check with your teacher advisor or Amanda Venable, Frederick County District Coordinator. We will be happy to provide clarification.
Reminder:
Papers, websites, AND documentaries are due February 20th. By submitting materials earlier, judges can preview them and focus fully on the interviews during the contest.
NHD is no longer using Weebly for websites, because of security issues.
What is History Day?
NHD, a non-profit education organization based in College Park, Maryland, offers a year-long academic programs that engages over half a million middle- and high-school students around the world annually in conducting and presenting original research on historical topics. Since 1974, NHD has continuously improved history education by providing professional development opportunities and curriculum materials for educators. It provides the organizational structure for students to enter contests at the local and affiliate levels, then state, and finally the national competition at the University of Maryland at College Park.
Through participation in the contest, students will experience important benefits beyond learning about interesting issues, ideas, people, and historical events of their choosing. Students present their research projects through one of the competition’s formats: paper, exhibit, performance, documentary, or website. Success in researching and producing an NHD entry may take students to the state or national level, where they receive recognition and have the potential to earn prizes and scholarships.
Theme:
Each year NHD selects a theme for the contest. Although students may select a topic on any aspect of local, regional, national, or world history, their projects' research and conclusions must relate clearly to the annual theme.
Topic:
Effective NHD entries not only describe an event or a development, but they also analyze and place it in its historical context. To help students draw conclusions about their topiics' significance in history, they should the following questions:
- How was my topic significant in history in relation to the NHD theme?
- How did my topic develop over time?
- How did my topic influence history?
- How did the events and atmosphere (social, economic, political, and cultural aspects) of my topic’s time period influence my topic in history?
- Why is my topic important?
Rewards for Participation:
The most important rewards are the skills and new knowledge that students will acquire as they move through the NHD program. At each level of competition, outstanding achievement also may be recognized through certificates, medals, trophies, scholarships, or monetary awards. A number of special prizes may be given at the regional, affiliate, or national level.
Adapted from the National History Day Contest Rule Book
What should students and teachers expect at the contest?
1. Check-in - check-in begins at 8:30 and continues until the last interviews are conducted.
2. Interviews - part of participating is being interviewed by a panel of 3 judges. Each interview takes approximately 15 minutes. During this time the student or group of students will talk about the project and answer judges questions. Interview times are scheduled several days prior to the contest.
3. Award Ceremony - the medal ceremony will be held at 3:00pm on the day of the contest. If a student's interview is set in the morning, the student is free to leave the site and return just prior to the ceremony.
4. Post-ceremony - at this time all students should pick up any remaining project materials to take home.
5. After the Contest - if a student or group advances to the state level, the Frederick District Coordinator will also notify them by email, with instructions on how to register for MD History Day. Judges' score sheets will be sent to the students via their advisors. Advancing students are allowed and encouraged to modify their projects prior to the state contest after reading the judges' comments.
Judge Criteria
Frederick History Day judges review student projects in a preferred division and category, interview students, rank the projects and select winners to advance to the state contest. Judges provide constructive written feedback via evaluation forms (see forms below). Students whose projects are ranked for advancement to the state contest will use your feedback to improve their projects before the state event.
You will be assigned to a team of three judges, one of whom will be designated as the captain. It is important that everyone on your team agrees on the overall rankings of the entries you judge. Your comment forms will eventually make their way back to the students, so make sure your judging team writes comments that are similar and complementary to one another.
Resources:
Judge.BestTips.pdf
Judges.tipsandsamplequestions.doc
17. NHD Contest Rule Book.pdf
Documentary.pdf
Exhibit.pdf
Paper.pdf
Performance.pdf
Website.pdf