COLLEGE PARK, MD — National History Day® is excited to announce the winners of this year’s National Contest.
On Thursday, June 15, at the 2023 National Contest awards ceremony, held in person for the first time in four years at the Xfinity Center at the University of Maryland, National History Day announced this year’s prize winners. Over 2,600 students and 600 teachers attended the National Contest, which took place on the campus in College Park, MD, from June 10–15.
The ceremony was the culmination not only of the week-long contest but also of a year of student research, project creation, and competition. During the 2022–2023 school year, over half a million students globally completed projects centered around the theme, Frontiers in History: People, Ideas, and Events, in one of five categories: documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website.
Throughout the spring, students competed in a series of contests beginning at the local level. The top students from all 50 states, Washington D.C., U.S. territories, and international schools were invited to compete in the National Contest.
“It’s great to be back in person after three years of virtual contests,” said NHD Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. “Every year, NHD students surprise and inspire me with their enthusiasm, innovative thinking, and tireless research. The analytical skills they have cultivated will stand them in good stead for their future educational endeavors. Congratulations to the over half a million students globally who participated and to the thousands of teachers who guided them.”
More than 400 historians and education professionals served as judges for the students’ work. $150,000 in scholarships were awarded at the national awards ceremony, and over 100 students took home cash prizes between $250 and $1,000 for superior work. A full list of award recipients can be found at nhd.org/en/contest/national-contest/.
About National History Day® (NHD): NHD is a non-profit organization based in College Park, Maryland, which seeks to improve the teaching and learning of history. The National History Day Contest was established in 1974 and currently engages more than half a million students every year in conducting original research on historical topics of interest. Students present their research as a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website. Projects compete first at the local and affiliate levels, where the top entries are invited to the National Contest at the University of Maryland at College Park. NHD is sponsored in part by National Endowment for the Humanities, World Education Foundation, Patricia Behring Foundation, 400 Years of African American History Commission, History Channel, Pritzker Military Foundation, The Better Angels Society, National Park Service, Dr. Scholl Foundation, History NET, Doughboy Foundation, Tom Lauer, and Skehan Communications. For more information, visit nhd.org.
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Press contact: Kim@nhd.org
