The National History Day program started in Cleveland, Ohio in 1974. In 1999 more than 600,000 students took part in the national program. First, second and third-place entrants qualify for the state finals in Columbia. First and second place winners at Columbia proceed to the national finals in Washington, D.C. each June. Prizes, certificates, and scholarships are available at each level of the competition.
Students can enter either as an individual or as a group.
Students must present their entry based on this theme. The Library has developed a guide to materials related to this year's theme to help you get started. Area educators, historians, museum professionals, librarians, archivists, and others base their rankings of the student entries on guidelines produced by the office of National History Day. The three main criteria are historical quality, adherence to the theme, and quality of presentation. For all the rules see the Student Contest Guide .