National History Day in DC Students exercise choice by selecting their own topic of interest to pursue as a class assignment, afterschool activity, or self-directed research. City-wide efforts provide access to relevant resources and content experts for students as they research, revise their work, and connect it to the annual NHD theme. On-going, targeted professional development for educators delivered by the DC History Center, the Smithsonian Institute, the Library of Congress, and other organizations across the District!
All DC students in grades 6-12 are eligible to participate in the NHD program!
Public and private school students typically participate through classroom instruction, after school clubs, or individually if their school does not have an NHD program. Homeschool students participate through umbrella schools, extracurricular programs, or individually.
Currently, students advance from the school, club, or homeschool level directly to the NHD in DC contest.
Teachers and students are required to register for the NHD in DC contest in advance.
Contest
School-wide contests are managed by individual teachers and schools, and are held in January and February. As of the 2024-2025 school year, the DC-wide contest is managed by the DC History Center, and is held in March, with judges from all walks of life and a passion for history. The national contest is run by National History Day, Inc., and held at the University of Maryland, College Park, each June.
September 19, 2024: Tapas for Teachers at the DC History Center. Register for this free event to engage with K-12 education staff and resources at 10+ local history-focused organizations!
October 2024-January 2025: Students finalize their topics, conduct research, complete iterative versions of their projects for feedback at the class or school level.
January-February 2025: Teachers or advisors manage class or school-wide contests.
February 2025: Students advancing revise their projects based on judge and teacher feedback.
March 1, 2025: Deadline to submit projects for consideration for National History in DC city-wide contest. No extensions!
March 15, 2025: National History Day in DC city-wide contest.
April 5, 2025: Selected DC-focused projects may be invited to present at the DC History Conference, a community-led conference held annually at DCPL (MLK Library), to encourage community engagement and feedback.
March-May: Students advancing to Nationals revise their projects based on judge, community, and teacher feedback.
May: Deadline to submit projects to Nationals. No extensions!
June 8-12: National contest at UMD College Park!