National History Day
NHD, a non-profit education organization, offers year-long academic programs that engage over half a million middle- and high school students around the world annually in conducting & presenting original research on historical topics.
National History Day breathes life into the traditional history curriculum by engaging students and teachers in a hands-on and in-depth approach to studying the past. By focusing on a theme, teams of 2-5 students are introduced to a new organizational structure for learning history. Teachers are supported in introducing highly complex research strategies to students.
When NHD is implemented in the classroom, students are involved in a life-changing learning experience! Through participation in the contest, students will experience benefits beyond learning about interesting issues, ideas, people, and events of their choosing. Students will hone their expressive abilities as they demonstrate command of their topic and present work in one of the competition’s formats.
Eligible Region 5 counties include:
Blair, Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, and Union.
Students can enter one of the following categories:
- Paper—a traditional research composition; individual entries only.
- Exhibit—similar to a museum exhibit; individual or group entries.
- Performance—a dramatic portrayal of a topic; individual or group entries.
- Documentary—a multi-media production created to detail a topic; individual or group entries.
- Website—a website designed to explore a topic in detail; individual or group entries.
Groups can consist of two to five students.
National History Day has two divisions:
Junior Division (grades 6-8)
Senior Division (grades 9-12)
Students compete at several levels of competition:
Local—a school may hold an event to highlight student accomplishments and narrow down regional participants, if necessary.
Regional—Regional competitions are held in the spring. Students must compete on the regional level, with 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in each category advancing to state.
State—2025 State Finals Competition for National History Day in PA will be from April 12-13 at the University of Scranton. 1st and 2nd place finishers win the right to compete at the national level.
Nationals—Nationals are held at the University of Maryland, College Park in June.
2026 Contest Theme:
Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History
To coincide with the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, NHD’s 2026 theme is Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History. The distinctions among revolutions, reactions, and reforms are sometimes blurred. Revolutions and reforms are often reactions to ideas, actions, or events. In turn, revolutions and reforms inspire reactions. Think of it as a domino effect—knock one down, which knocks the next one down, which knocks . . .
The first question that comes to mind is, “Do students have to focus on all three words—revolution, reaction, reform?” No, students do not have to focus on all three aspects of the theme. It depends on the topic. If the topic involves all three, then students should be sure to include all three.
Contest Date & Check in/Exhibit Setup Time:
March 6, 2026. Check in runs 8:30 - 9:30 AM.
Contest Location: Lock Haven University, Main Campus, 401 N Fairview St, Lock Haven, PA 17745
Region 5 Registration & Deadline: Opens January 5, 2026 at 8:30 AM. Closes February 20, 2026 at 3:00 PM.
Website Lockout Date: Websites will lock for judging ONE WEEK before the contest at 4PM.
For more information regarding NHD, contact:
NHD in PA State Coordinator:
Dr. Sean Brennan
University of Scranton
nhdinpastate@gmail.com
570-540-5161
NHD Region 5 Coordinator:
Dr. Dawn Hayes
CIU10 Director of Curriculum & Innovation
dhayes@ciu10.org
814-342-0884
NHD Region 5 Support:
Jamie Russler
CIU10 Curriculum & Innovation Administrative Assistant
jrussler@ciu10.org