Every year National History Day frames students' research within a historical theme. History is more than facts and dates. The annual theme is broad to allow students to explore topics in ancient, world, national or state history. Students draw a connection to the theme by understanding their topic's historical context and significance. The 2024 NHD theme is Turning Points in History.
Need some ideas to help get you started? Check out what previous Ohio History Day students have done in the sample projects below.
Documentary
Exhibit
Paper
Performance
Website
See below for brief descriptions of the contest submission procedures for each category. Pay close attention to the requirements for the written materials (title page, process paper, annotated bibliography). Please note: For full instructions and required guidelines read the 2024 Submission Guidelines (Coming Soon!)
Websites
URLs for Website entries should be submitted through your contest’s NHD registration site.
Papers
Students who compete in this category should upload their papers and written materials to their contest’s registration site. Please note, your original paper uploaded with your registration at the regional level will follow your project to the state contest registration if you advance to the state contest. If you need to edit your paper, remember to upload the updated entry before the registration deadline.
Documentary
Documentary students need to record and save their projects in .MP4 format and their required written materials as a PDF. These will then be uploaded to your contest’s registration site.
Exhibit
All exhibit participants are required to create a physical exhibit for all regional and the state Ohio History Day contests. Students are required to save their written materials as a PDF and upload them to your contest’s registration site.
Performance
All performances will take place live at the in-person contests. Students are required to save their written materials as a PDF and upload them to your contest’s registration site.
All judging evaluations will be collected, sorted by schools and returned to participating teachers the following school week. Evaluating history is a subjective process, but criteria and methods have been established to achieve fair decisions. Here is a description of how the judging process will work at Ohio History Day:
Use of Evaluation Forms: Each judge will have an evaluation form for the entries they are judging. They are instructed to use these sheets to write positive, critical evaluations of each entry. Written comments are stressed in judging orientation because this is the principal feedback students receive from the event. Click to view the evaluation forms.
Ratings: All History Day judging decisions are made by the consensus of the judging teams. In effect, History Day judging is a jury process where the judges have to reach a shared conclusion, rather than an arbitrary point system. Ratings vary from one judging group to another. Each set of judges establishes their own standards for ratings. Ratings cannot be compared across different judging teams.
Final Judging: Categories with a single team of judges will have award decisions made by those teams. Categories with multiple teams of judges will have run-offs that will consider the top two-three entries from the initial judging groups. A new set of judges, or a combination from the original teams, will evaluate the final entries and determine state award winners.
Run-Offs: Be advised that there WILL BE judging run-offs in at least the exhibit, documentary and performance categories. We hold run-offs or a second round of judging for any category that has enough entries to warrant two-judge teams. The top picks from each judging team will then advance to a second round. A new set of judges, or a combination from the original teams, will evaluate the final entries and determine rankings.
Contest Date: Sat., March 16, 2024
Location: McKinley Presidential Library and Museum
2023 Region 1 State Qualifiers
Counties:
Allen, Defiance, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Lucas, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert, Williams, Wood
Register Here
Coordinator:
Becky Brown
Bowling Green State University
Department of History
137 Williams Hall
Bowling Green, Ohio 43403
p. 419.372.2030
[email protected]
Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 9, 2024 | Bowling Green State University
Registration Dates and Fees:
2023 Region 2 State Qualifiers
Counties:
Ashland, Crawford, Erie, Huron, Marion, Morrow, Ottawa, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, Wyandot
Register Here
Coordinator:
Alexandra Eveleth
Ohio History Connection
800 E. 17th Ave
Columbus, Ohio
e: [email protected]
Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 23, 2024 | Terra State Community College
Registration Dates and Fees
2023 Region 3 State Qualifiers
Counties:
Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Summit
Register Here
Coordinator:
Dr. Mary Manning
Cleveland History Center
10825 E. Blvd.
Cleveland, Ohio 44106
p. 216.721.5722 x1503
[email protected] | History Day at Western Reserve Historical Society
Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 2, 2024 | Cleveland History Center
Registration Dates and Fees:
2023 Region 4 State Qualifiers
Counties:
Ashtabula, Geauga, Mahoning, Portage, Trumbull
Register Here
Coordinator:
David Simonelli
Youngstown State University
Department of History | DeBartolo Hall, Room 537
One University Plaza
Youngstown, OH 44555
p. 330.941.1601
f. 330.941.2304
e: [email protected]
Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 23 | Youngstown State University
Registration Dates and Fees
2023 Region 5 State Qualifiers
Counties:
Carroll, Columbiana, Harrison, Holmes, Jefferson, Stark, Tuscarawas, Wayne
Register Here
Coordinator:
Alexandra Eveleth
Ohio History Connection
800 E. 17th Ave
Columbus, Ohio
e: [email protected]
Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 16 | McKinley Presidential Library
Registration Deadlines & Fees
2023 Region 6 State Qualifiers
Counties:
Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Knox, Licking, Madison, Perry, Pickaway, Union
Register Here
Coordinator:
Emily Volkmann
Museums & Programs Coordinator
Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board
Ohio Statehouse
p. 614.466.9335
e. [email protected]
Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 9 | Capital Square
Registration Dates and Fees
2023 Region 7 State Qualifiers
Counties:
Auglaize, Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Logan, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, Shelby
Register Here
Coordinator:
Steve Lucht
Carillon Historical Park
D1000 Carillon Blvd
Dayton, OH 45409
p. 937.281.4404
e: [email protected]
Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 9, 2024 | Carillon Historical Park
Registration Dates and Fees
2023 Region 8 State Qualifiers
Counties:
Adams, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton, Highland, Warren
Register Here
Coordinator:
Tony Lawson
Cincinnati Museum Center
1301 Western Ave.
Cincinatti, OH 45203
p. 513.287.7000 ext 7201
e: [email protected]
Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 16, 2024 | Cincinnati Museum Center
Registration Dates and Fees
2023 Region 9 State Qualifiers
Counties:
Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Vinton
Register Here
Coordinator:
David A. Moore & Gwen Daniels
Gallia-Vinton ESC
University of Rio Grande, Wood Hall Rm. 131
p. 740.245.0593
e: [email protected] | [email protected]
Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 2 | University of Rio Grande
Registration Dates and Fees
2023 Region 10 State Qualifiers
Counties:
Belmont, Coshocton, Guernsey, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Washington
Register Here
Coordinator:
Alexandra Eveleth
Ohio History Connection
800 E. 17th Ave
Columbus, Ohio
e: [email protected]
Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 23 | Muskingum University
Registration Dates and Fees
The 2024 State Contest will take place in-person on Saturday, April 20, 2024 at Capital University.
Qualify for the State Contest? Congrats! Click here to log in to the state contest. Use your username and password that you registered with for your regional contest. For more detailed instructions, please view the State Qualifier Packet (Coming soon!). Got questions? Reach out to the Ohio History Day team at [email protected].
Interested in applying for a special award at the State Contest? Nominate yourself through your online registration, AND email us a copy of your process paper and annotated bibliography with a copy of the Special Award Cover Sheet. You MUST send in a full application for EACH award nomination.
A list of available special awards and detailed application instructions will be available soon.
The award ceremony for the 2023 State Contest was held directly after the competition on April 22 at Ohio Wesleyan University. Congratulations on all of your hard work this year students! We hope that everyone had fun and enjoyed learning more about history!
The Final Stage! Each year nearly 3,000 students, their families and teachers gather at the University of Maryland, College Park for this week-long event. These enthusiastic groups come from all over the United States, Guam, American Samoa, and affiliates in China, Korea, Latin America and southeast Asia. After spending months researching and preparing their projects, and competing at local and state contests, these students are eager to show their hard work on the national stage. For more information visit: https://www.nhd.org/national-contest.
In Person Contest Date - Sun., June 9 through Thurs., June 13, 2024
Exhibit Showcase
Senior Group Exhibit
Students: Meredith Hurley, Grace Kaelber, Ezra Ellenbogen, Ingrid Holda
Project Title: The Final Frontier: How Human Computers Advanced Equality and Science at NASA
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Joseph Konopinski, Sarah Davis
Documentary Showcase
Senior Group Documentary
Students: Keyshawn Ragin, Wyatt Roth, Samuel Luther, Malachai Shulman
Project Title: The Height of the Fight: Bill Russell as a Trailblazer for Activism in the NBA
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Joseph Konopinski
Junior Division
Students: Cambria Hudberg
Project Title: The Painful Discovery of Anesthesia
Category: Junior Individual Exhibit
School: Genoa Middle School
Teacher: Deanna McDaniel, Lori Howland
Senior Division
Students: Grace Cremeans
Project Title: Frontiers of Broadway Theatre, the Unknown Star: Jonathan Larson
Category: Senior Individual Performance
School: River Valley High School
Teacher: Brent Smith
Junior Group Documentary
The Frontiers of Interracial Marriage in America: Loving vs. Virginia
Students: Sylvia Swai, Leanne Zheng
School: Menlo Park Academy
Teacher: Georgina Kohut, Jessica Wilcox
Enrico Fermi, Exploring Abundance and Annihilation of the Nuclear Frontier
Students: Arav Bhandari, Suryan Jain
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joe Parrino, Connie Miller
Senior Group Documentary
The Height of the Fight: Bill Russell as a Trailblazer for Activism in the NBA
Students: Keyshawn Ragin, Wyatt Roth, Samuel Luther, Malachai Shulman
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Joseph Konopinski
Gertrude Ederle: How One Female Swimmer Pushed the English Channel Frontier to Change the Lives of Women
Students: Siya Lakireddy, Aanya Lakireddy, Brooke Gemechu, Areesha Nouman
School: Hawken Upper School
Teacher: Kenneth Clark
Junior Group Exhibit
A Challenging Frontier: Brown v. Board of Education and the Quest for Equality in Schools
Students: Zora Asalu, Kritika Chahar
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Connie Miller, Joe Parrino
Frontiers in Labour Unions in Britain: The Matchgirls' Strike
Students: Eliza Bala, Kyla Morrisey
School: Menlo Park Academy
Teacher: Georgina Kohut, Jessica Wilcox
Senior Group Exhibit
The Final Frontier: How Human Computers Advanced Equality and Science at NASA
Students: Meredith Hurley, Grace Kaelber, Ezra Ellenbogen, Ingrid Holda
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Joseph Konopinski, Sarah Davis
Vergeltungswaffen-2 the Frontier Breaker of Space
Students: Grant Bauer, Joseph Schaeffer
School: Huron High School
Teacher: John Harkelroad
Junior Group Performance
Establishing the Cleveland Clinic’s Guiding Vision; How Battlefield Experiences Inspired Exploration into the Frontier of More Efficient Patient Care for Better Outcomes
Students: Ishika Chand, Manya Raina, Yara Salam
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Connie Miller, Joe Parrino
Taking Their Swing: The Rockford Peaches
Students: Elizabeth Dornan, Ollie Reitz
School: Menlo Park Academy
Teacher: Georgina Kohut, Jessica Wilcox
Junior Group Website
Lewis Hine: Pioneering the Frontier of Photography for Social Change
Students: Ayah Dinary, Leen Salem, Rhea Kumar
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Connie Miller, Joe Parrino
Norman Borlaug and the Green Revolution: Frontiers in Agriculture
Students: Simran Sarkar, Niva Yadav
School: Mayfield Middle School
Teacher: Rachael Streitman
Senior Group Website
"Women's Liberation is a Lesbian Plot!" The Lavender Menace Meets The Feminist Frontier
Students: Emma Rush, Scarlet Price
School: Maysville High School
Teacher: Lance Mcgee
Granville T. Woods: A Forgotten Pioneer of the Third Rail, Multiplex Telegram, and Emergency Brake
Students: Tima Ewing, Nathan Ballman
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Sarah Davis
Junior Individual Documentary
The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906: Exploring the Lawless Frontier of Food and Drug Regulation Students: Joshua Gordon
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Connie Miller, Joe Parrino
Then and Now: John Snow and the Frontier of Epidemiology
Students: Joshua Thomas
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Connie Miller, Joe Parrino
Senior Individual Documentary
Frontiers of Democracy - Students for a Democratic Society
Students: Jiahe Su
School: Western Reserve Academy
Teacher: Sarah Horgan
The Unsung Heroines of the Space Race: Female Pioneers of the STEM field
Students: Qiwen Wu
School: Hawken Upper School
Teacher: Kenneth Clark
Junior Individual Exhibit
Sesame Street. Entertainment: The Education Frontier
Students: Zachary Fuhrer
School: St. Barnabas School
Teacher: Judith Darus
The Painful Discovery of Anesthesia
Students: Cambria Hudberg
School: Genoa Middle School
Teacher: Deanna McDaniel, Lori Howland
Senior Individual Exhibit
The Bronx Boogie Down Borough: The Frontier That Birthed Hip-Hop Culture
Students: Kennedi Curry
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Sarah Davis
Dr. Jane C. Wright: Pioneer in Oncology
Students: Elise Lopez
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Sarah Davis
Junior Individual Performance
Lise Meitner: The Forsaken and Forgotten Pioneer of the Fission Frontier
Students: Caroline Lu
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Connie Miller, Joe Parrino
The Frontier of Women Investigative Reporters: Nellie Bly
Students: Juliana Sacco
School: Menlo Park Academy
Teacher: Georgina Kohut, Jessica Wilcox
Senior Individual Performance
Isabella: Queen of a Vast Frontier
Students: Sophie Pangrace
School: Rocky River High School
Teacher: Terrance Hudson
Frontiers of Broadway Theatre, the Unknown Star: Jonathan Larson
Students: Grace Cremeans
School: River Valley High School
Teacher: Brent Smith
Junior Individual Website
Sputnik: Launching a New Frontier in Space
Students: Jonathan Samulak
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Connie Miller, Joe Parrino
Frontiers in Leadership - Women as President: Corazon Aquino
Students: Ariel Catacutan
School: Menlo Park Academy
Teacher: Georgina Kohut, Jessica Wilcox
Senior Individual Website
Silent Spring: How the “Poison Book” Forged the Frontier of the Environmental Movement
Students: Aashvi Kenia
School: Independent Entry
Teacher: Independent Entry
Dress to Express, Not Impress: Frontiers of The Woman's Suffrage Movement and Feminism
Students: Celine Omega
School: Western Reserve Academy
Teacher: Sarah Horgan
Junior Paper
The Marshall Plan: A New Frontier In the Implementation and Usage of Economic Aid
Students: Mason Zhang
School: Shaker Heights Middle School
Teacher: David Saluga
The Creation of the Erie Canal: Digging into the Midwest Frontier
Students: Haadeya Salman
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joe Parrino, Connie Miller
Senior Paper
The Northwest Ordinance: Forging a Frontier Republic and a Path to Freedom in the Ohio Country
Students: Omar Elbadawy
School: Hawken Upper School
Teacher: Kenneth Clark
Cars, Cities, Culture: The American Asphalt Frontier of the Twentieth Century
Students: Edward Li
School: The Seven Hills School
Teacher: Beth Driehaus
