Plan your visit
Indiana Students Receive Special Awards, Honors at 2022 National History Day Contest
The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) proudly announces several Indiana students received special awards and honors at the National Contest for the National History Day (NHD) program held virtually from June 12-18. The prizes were announced during a virtual ceremony June 18 at University of Maryland, College Park.
Each year at the National Contest, officials choose one junior and one senior project as Indiana’s outstanding state entries.
This year, the Outstanding State Entry for the Junior Division went to Talia Ingemi of Eastwood Middle School for her junior individual exhibit, “Lyrics on Trial: How the PMRC Hid Behind Debate and Diplomacy to Justify a Modern Day Witchhunt.” The Outstanding State Entry for the Senior Division went to Jessica Ding, Grace Nie and Ashley Paul of Carmel High School for their senior group performance, “Corn, Commerce and Change.”
NHD officials selected 34 student documentaries to be featured in an online showcase for the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). The films were produced by middle and high school students competing in the 2022 NHD National Contest and were screened and selected by NMAAHC staff. This year, the senior individual documentary “Negotiating the Ballot” by Aysha Still of North Central High School and the junior group documentary “D18: The Community Under the Highway” by Elijah Wright and Victoria Carter of Northside Middle School were among the selected projects.
NHD, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian Learning Lab also presented a virtual showcase of 53 exhibits researched by middle and high school students competing in the 2022 NHD National Contest. This year, the exhibit “Martin Luther and the 95 Theses” by Julia Hammel and Madelyn Hill of Columbia City High School was among the selected projects.
In addition, the White House Historical Association highlighted the 2022 National History Day Paper Showcase online, featuring 15 memorable White House-related submissions to this year’s essay contest, hosted by NHD. This year, the senior paper “Dirty Diplomacy: U.S. Diplomacy, Human Rights and the Argentinian Dirty War” by David An of Culver Academies was among the selected papers.
The 2022 National Contest virtually hosted almost 2,709 students across the United States and territories, and 50 students participated from Indiana. The students completed projects in one of five categories — documentary, exhibit, paper, performance or website — and then competed in a series of contests beginning at the local level. Less than one percent of projects advance to the National Contest.
Indiana had four projects reach finals, including fifth place junior individual documentary “Ping-Pong Diplomacy: Thawing the Ice between China and the USA One Shot at a Time” by Shayen Maun of Sycamore School.
“I am so proud of Hoosier students, teachers and parents for all the hard work put into this year’s theme of ‘Debate and Diplomacy: Successes, Failures and Consequences.’ They handled the challenges that came with this contest year with grace and ease,” said Indiana Historical Society Education Coordinator and NHDI State Coordinator Marissa Purcell. “I want them to know how amazed I am and inspired by the projects they created and their perseverance to get them done.”
National History Day in Indiana (NHDI) is sponsored by the Indiana Historical Society. This year, 50 Hoosier students attended the National Contest. A complete list of 2022 NHD winners is available at www.nhd.org/winners.
NHDI is presented by the Rooker Family Foundation with support from the Vigran Family Foundation. For more information, visit www.indianahistory.org/historyday or call (317) 232-1882.
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, HISTORY®, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Park Service, Southwest Airlines, the Crown Family Foundation, The Better Angels Society, and the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation. For more information, visit nhd.org.
About the Indiana Historical Society (IHS)
The Indiana Historical Society collects and preserves Indiana’s unique stories; brings Hoosiers together in remembering and sharing the past; and inspires a future grounded in our state’s uniting values and principles. IHS is a Smithsonian Affiliate and a member of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience.
Please note: Photos of award winners and honorees are available upon request.
Indiana Student Awards, Prizes and Honors
NHD Indiana Finalists
5th place, Junior Individual Documentary: Shayen Maun, Ping-Pong Diplomacy: Thawing the Ice between China and the USA One Shot at a Time (Sycamore School, Central Region)
6th place, Junior Paper: Ishita Masetty, Burning of the Banner: The American Desecration Controversy of 1989 (Discovery Middle School, NW Region)
6th place, Junior Individual Exhibit: Avery Neumeister, Panda Diplomacy: It’s Not Black and White (Sycamore School, Central Region)
10th place, Senior Individual Exhibit: Josh Cale, The Debate and Diplomacy Surrounding the Move of the Baltimore Colts Football Team (Carmel High School, Central Region)
Special Awards
Immigration History Award: Sophia Fu, Senior Individual Documentary, Chae Chan Ping v. United States: The Chinese-American Fight for Justice (Carmel High School, Central Region)
Indiana Outstanding State Entries
Senior Division: Jessica Ding, Grace Nie, Ashley Paul, Senior Group Performance, Corn, Commerce, and Change (Carmel High School, Central Region)
Junior Division: Talia Ingemi, Junior Individual Exhibit, Lyrics on Trial: How the PMRC Hid Behind Debate and Diplomacy to Justify a Modern Day Witchhunt (Eastwood Middle School, Central Region)
Showcased Projects
Exhibit Showcase at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History Exhibit Showcase via the Smithsonian Learning Lab: Julia Hammel and Madelyn Hill, Senior Group Exhibit, Martin Luther and the 95 Theses (Columbia City High School, NE Region) https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/national-history-day-2022-virtual-showcase/3o0BqdCxiKe6mrvy
Paper Showcase at the White House Historical Association Paper Showcase: David An, Senior Paper, Dirty Diplomacy: U.S. Diplomacy, Human Rights, and the Argentinian Dirty War (Culver Academies, NW) https://www.whitehousehistory.org/rubenstein-center/k-12-education-resources-and-programs/educational-partners/nhd22-paper-showcase
Documentary Showcase at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture Documentary Showcase: Aysha Still, Senior Individual Documentary, Negotiating the Ballot (North Central High School, Central Region) https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/national-history-day-at-nmaahc-student-documentary-showcase-2022/kIAzLJawrEuTd2GF
Documentary Showcase at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture Documentary Showcase: Elijah Wright and Victoria Carter, Junior Group Documentary, D18: The Community Under the Highway (Northside Middle School, South Region) https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/national-history-day-at-nmaahc-student-documentary-showcase-2022/kIAzLJawrEuTd2GF
