National History Day – Students

Excited? Reluctant? Enthusiastic? Overwhelmed? If any of those words describe how you’re feeling about starting your National History Day project, you are in good company. Approximately 10,000 Wisconsin students will start a project this year.

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- Student Guide

WHY DO NHD?

NHD brings your passion for history to life
- YOU choose what you want to discover about the past
- YOU ask the questions you want answers to
- YOU draw conclusions through primary source study
NHD puts you in the role of a detective
- Find new or little-known stories of the past
- Gather your evidence and make your case
- Show off your talent by sharing your discoveries
NHD looks great on high school/college applications by demonstrating your:
- Research skills
- Project management
- Time management
- Historical competency

Starting a Project?

Excited? Reluctant? Enthusiastic? Overwhelmed? If any of those words describe how you’re feeling about starting your National History Day project, you are in good company. Approximately 10,000 Wisconsin students will start a project this year.

The best way to get started? Look over the materials below to learn more about the project and to get topic ideas.

This project might be complicated, but you can do it!

WHAT IS NHD?

About Competition

You do not HAVE to compete. Learning new history and sharing what you learn is a great accomplishment. Of course you can compete, but that is 100% your choice. Should you want to compete, please visit our contest page.

Learn more about the judging process

Research Help

Strong research is the most important part of a good National History Day project.

Stuck? Explore these resources for inspiration:

About The Theme

Why do I have to follow the theme?

The theme makes you look at a history in a different way.
It allows you to make new connections.
A theme also unifies all of the projects done in a year. It makes judging fair.

What advice do you have for following the theme?

Mention all the theme words, do not just focus on one.
Don’t forget about HISTORY.
- Does your topic/event affect Environmental History? Military History? Sports History? Tell us!
- Include how this topic/event CHANGED history.
- Can we still see these changes today? Tell us how our lives shifted because of this!
- Find a brief overview of this year's theme.
- Learn more about the scope of the theme.
- See how it relates to several sample topics.