Contest Categories

Students may participate in one of the following contest categories: Junior Division (grades 6-8) Senior Division (grades 9-12) In these divisions, students may participate as individuals or in groups of two to five. There are five contest categories:

Exhibit
An exhibit is a visual representation of a topic and its significance in history, much like a small museum exhibit. Labels and captions should be used creatively with visual images and objects to enhance the message of the exhibit.

Documentary
A documentary may take the form of a videotape, slide show, Power Point presentation, or similar types of multimedia presentations. It uses images such as film, video, or photographs and audio such as music, excerpts from tapes, and voice-overs to present a topic.

Performance
A performance is a dramatic portrayal of a topic and its significance in history. It should be original and creative, not simply an oral report or a recitation of facts.

Historical Paper
A paper is the traditional form for presenting historical research and interpretation. As an alternative to a research paper, students may choose to write an historically-based creative paper, such as a fictional diary or an epic poem. Please note: The historical paper category is for individual students only.

Web Site
The web site category is the newest addition to National History Day, first appearing at the national contest in 2008. Please note: During the 2007-2008 school year, web site entries at NHD competitions will participate in a combined category. This means that students may work as individuals or groups to create their web sites, but both group and individual entries will compete against each other at competitions (i.e. junior web sites or senior web sites). Junior and senior division students will not compete against each other.