Download a copy of the current NHD Rule Book here.
National History Day is a yearlong academic program that engages students grades 6th through 12th in the hands-on discovery of history. N.C. History Day is an affiliate of the National History Day program.
National History Day students choose historical topics related to an annual theme; conduct extensive primary and secondary research; analyze and interpret their sources; draw conclusions about their topics’ significance in history; and present their work in one of five categories: historical papers, websites, exhibits, performances, or documentaries. These projects then go through a series of competitions. Students are encouraged to improve their projects at each stage of the competition to inspire continuous research and learning.
North Carolina is divided into eight History Day regions. The Southeast Regional Contest is sponsored by Cape Fear Museum in Wilmington. This contest serves the following counties: Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender, and Sampson.
North Carolina students must compete at their regional contest before qualifying to attend the state level contest held in late April or early May. The top two entries in each category at the state level contest qualify to attend the national contest in June.
N.C. History Day is administered by the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The N.C. program is made possible by the generous sponsorship support from the North Caroliniana Society and the Federation of N.C. Historical Societies.
Group Documentary
One group member needs to upload a single PDF of your group's written materials (title page, process paper, and annotated bibliography) and insert the shareable link to your .MP4 file of your FINAL Documentary on a Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox by the registration deadline. Your group will need to plan to bring 2 printed copies of your written materials to the contest.
Group Exhibit
One group member needs to upload a single PDF of your project's written materials (title page, process paper, annotated bibliography) by the registration deadline. Your group will need to plan to bring your exhibit and 2 paper copies of your written materials to the contest with you. No link is needed to be provided for this category.
Group Performance
One group member needs to upload a single PDF of your group's written materials (title page, process paper, annotated bibliography) by the registration deadline. Your group will need to plan to perform your project live and bring 2 paper copies of your written materials and any costumes or props to the contest with you. No link is needed to be provided for this category.
Group Website
Type in your NHDWebCentral Site Key by the registration deadline. This is the 8-digit code that is in your website’s URL. It can also be found by logging into your NHDWebCentral account. Your website will freeze at midnight following the registration deadline.
Individual Documentary
Upload a single PDF of your written materials (title page, process paper, and annotated bibliography) and insert the shareable link to your .MP4 file of your FINAL Documentary on a Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox by the registration deadline. You will need to plan to bring 2 printed copies of your written materials to the contest.
Individual Exhibit
Upload a single PDF of your project's written materials (title page, process paper, annotated bibliography) by the registration deadline. You will need to plan to bring your exhibit and 2 paper copies of your written materials to the contest with you. No link is needed to be provided for this category.
Individual Performance
Upload a single PDF of your written materials (title page, process paper, annotated bibliography) by the registration deadline. You will need to plan to perform your project live and bring 2 paper copies of your written materials and any costumes or props to the contest with you. No link is needed to be provided for this category.
Individual Website
Type in your NHDWebCentral Site Key by the registration deadline. This is the 8-digit code that is in your website’s URL. It can also be found by logging into your NHDWebCentral account. Your website will freeze at midnight following the registration deadline.
Paper
Upload a single PDF of your Paper (title page, process paper, your final paper, and annotated bibliography) by the registration deadline. You may want to plan to bring 1 print copy of your paper with you to the contest so that you can reference it if needed during your judge interview. No link is needed to be provided for this category.
Judges will use the updated 2022 Evaluation Forms to evaluate each entry. The evaluation form has two sections: Historical Quality (80%) and Clarity of Presentation (20%). The evaluation of Historical Quality is the same for all categories. This section focuses on the strengths of each project's historical argument, research, and relationship to the theme. Clarity of Presentation is different for each entry category. It evaluates how well a project communicates its argument using the tools of the particular category.
For judging resouces, please visit: https://sites.google.com/view/nhdjudge/home
For more information on the judging process, please visit the National History Day YouTube page.