National History Day Seeks Alumni Stories for 50th Year

This post is from National History Day, which is asking those who have participated in the program to fill out a survey and share their stories. National History Day is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Have you ever competed in National History Day® (NHD)? A national competition that engages students in historical study and primary source research, NHD reaches approximately 500,000 students each year. Are you one of them? Maybe you competed at the regional level, the state/affiliate level, or even brought your project all the way to the National Contest at the University of Maryland, College Park. Each year in June, over 3,000 students compete for top awards and special prizes across the five project categories: documentary, website, exhibit, performance, and paper.

Started in 1974 at Case Western Reserve University, NHD has grown into an internationally renowned middle and high school program and is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024. To celebrate its 50th year, National History Day is seeking alumni to share stories of NHD’s impact on their professional and personal lives. Wherever and however you participated, NHD wants to hear from you.

“National History Day’s student competition is the cornerstone of our work to improve the teaching and learning of history,” said National History Day Executive Director Cathy Gorn. “Each year, students produce impressive, well-researched projects on topics of their choice related to an annual theme. In our 50th year, we are eager to collect more stories from alumni about our program’s legacy.”

Share your experience with the NHD team for the opportunity to be featured on social media or in other media opportunities during the organization’s 50th year. Now through Friday, March 15, fill out the alumni survey on NHD’s website for the opportunity to receive a $50 Amazon gift card. One winner will be selected from the respondents to receive the gift card. 

To learn more about NHD’s student and teacher programming, visit nhd.org.