Contra Costa County Office of Education

National History Day

Contra Costa County - National History Day Competition 2025

This year's theme is Rights & Responsibilities in History. Information about the theme can be found at: www.nhdca.org/theme.

Contact: Dr. Elena Songster, Contra Costa National History Day Coordinator

Contra Costa County (CCC) NHD Competition - Important Dates

Date: This year's CCC History Day County competition will take place on Sunday, March 2, 2025.
**Please note, this is an In-Person contest. This means that at least one project creator must be present for the project to be considered for competition. **

Registration Begins: Sunday, December 1, 2024
Registration Deadline: Friday, January 31, 2025

Cost: $50 per student

Due Wednesday, February 12, 2025: Documentaries, Websites, Podcasts, and the Annotated Bibliographies and Process papers for ALL categories including Exhibits, Posters, Performances.

Due Sunday, March 2, 2025: The physical Exhibits, Posters, Performances (day of the CCC Contest).

California provides an enhanced History Day program. In addition to all of the categories that are established at the national level, California has added competitions at the CA-State level only that include the elementary student 2-dimensional display category and the podcast category for all levels. These categories do not go beyond the state level of competition as they are currently being piloted here. Both are extremely popular with students.

National History Day (NHD) is a premier competition that engages more than half a million students nationally. As part of NHD, Contra Costa County History Day allows students to participate in authentic, challenging, project-based learning that lasts an entire school year. Students select topics and research them as historians would – by using libraries, archives, museums and oral history interviews. They then have the opportunity to explore creative outlets to bring their research to life as a documentary, dramatic performance, podcast, website, poster, exhibit, etc.

Learn more

WHAT IS NATIONAL HISTORY DAY?

National History Day, is a year-long educational program that encourages students to explore local, state, national, and world history. After selecting a historical topic that relates to an annual theme, students conduct extensive research by using libraries, archives, museums, and oral history interviews. They analyze and interpret their findings, draw conclusions about their topics' significance in history, and create final projects that present their work. These projects can be entered into a series of competitions, from the local to the national level, where they are evaluated by professional historians and educators. Specifically, National History Day - California is one of the largest state History Day competitions, takes place in 34 counties and reaches some 44,000 students each year, culminating in an annual state-wide contest with nearly 1,000 participants. National History Day - California provides an enhanced History Day program, including the elementary student 2-dimensional display category and the website category, which has become part of the national competition.

Go to the following link for more information on the Contra Costa County contest.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN NATIONAL HISTORY DAY?

National History Day is open to all students in grades 4-12. All types of students participate in NHD; for example: public, private, parochial and home-school students; urban, suburban and rural students; English language learners, academically gifted and average students, and students with special needs.

A CLOSER LOOK

National History Day (NHD) is a premier competition that engages more than half a million students nationally. As part of NHD, Contra Costa County History Day allows students to participate in authentic, challenging, project-based learning that lasts an entire school year. Students select topics and research them as historians would – by using libraries, archives, museums and oral history interviews. Their analysis and interpretations come together with the facts and evidence they've gathered to become their final projects.