National History Day
| Abbreviation | NHD |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1974 |
| Type | Nonprofit Organization, Competition |
| Legal status | Active |
| Purpose | To promote the study and appreciation of history among students |
| Headquarters | University of Maryland, College Park |
| Location |
|
Region served | United States of America |
| Membership | 500,000 students, 30,000 teachers per year |
Official language | English |
Executive Director | Dr. Cathy Gorn |
| Affiliations | American Association for State and Local History, American Historical Association, Federation of State Humanities Councils, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Center for History in the Schools, National Council for History Education, National Council for the Social Studies, Organization of American Historians, Society of American Archivists |
| Staff | 10 |
| Website | www |
National History Day (NHD) is a non-profit which aims to "improve the teaching and learning of history." Its flagship event is an annual competition in which students in grades 6-12 develop presentations about topics in history that interest them. NHD has affiliates in all fifty states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, South Korea, China, South Asia, and Central America. It started as a local program in Cleveland, Ohio, headed by Dr. David Van Tassel, a history professor at Case Western Reserve University. It grew from 129 students in 1974 to over 500,000 students in 48 states in 1991, and 700,000 students and 40,000 teachers in 2001. Today, more than half a million students enter through local contests. They construct entries as an individual or a group in one of five categories: documentary, exhibit board, paper, performance, or website. Students then compete in a series of regional contests with top three entries advancing to affiliate, then state contests. At state contests, the top two entries in each category and division are invited to compete at the National History Day contest. State winners then go to Maryland for a final competition, held in June for a monetary award.
In 2025, the Trump administration cut grants provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities that funded NHD.