Georgia College no longer hosts the national history day competition.
Contact the Program
Website: www.lagrange.edu/nhd
Email: nhdhistory@lagrange.edu
Phone 706-880-8033
Kevin Shirley: kshirley@lagrange.edu
Jessica Burke at jburke@georgiahumanities.org
National History Day (NHD) is open to students in grades 6 through 12
Junior Division: Grades 6, 7, 8
Senior Division: Grades 9, 10, 11, 12
Each Division has 7 categories which students may enter:
- Individual Papers
- Individual Exhibits
- Group Exhibits
- Individual Performances
- Group Performances
- Individual Documentary
- Group Documentary
Any public or private school in Georgia may participate in the NHD competition at Georgia College & State University. Also, home-school students are welcome to participate in the contest.
How to prepare your submission to History Day:
- Student or students choose a historical from any time period and any area of the world
- Student or students connect(s) the historical topic to the annual theme
- Student or students research a variety of sources that support the topic's connection to this year's theme.
Examples of sources include:
- Libraries
- Archives
- World Wide Web/Electronic Sources
- Interviews of people who experienced the event
- Places where the event occurred
- Student or students WRITE a short (500 word) paper that contains:
- Information on researching the topic and collecting evidence
- A bibliography of primary source and secondary sources
- Student or students decide on a type of presentation:
- An original performance
- An exhibit or display
- A filmed or computer-generated documentary
- An historical paper
All entries, except for the Individual Paper category, must include a PROCESS PAPER with a title page, annotated bibliography, and a description of approximately 500 words that describes the research process and methods used in the project.
Entries are judged and ranked by historians on the basis of historical quality, quality of presentation, and adherence to this year's theme and contest rules. First, Second, and Third place winners in each category are eligible to compete in the State History Day competition. Winners in the state contest will compete in the National History Day competition.
Judging for the History Day Competition:
History Day is more than a student competition; it is a campaign to change the way history is taught across the nation. Participating teachers learn to stop relying on history textbooks and to send their students to library and museum archives in search of the real historical picture . Students learn to combine both content and the process of historical inquiry and analysis using various sources of information and presentation choices.
The judging process is one of the most important aspects of the History Day program. It is at this stage that students receive evaluations of their work from history and education professionals and encouragement to continue their quest for knowledge. Fair and effective judging is essential to the success of History Day and is critical for ensuring that students receive useful evaluations of their work.
Contact Dr. Aran MacKinnon for more information (aran.mackinnon@gcsu.edu)