Search Close
Plan Your Visit
Outside View of the Indiana Historical Society Building
Plan your visit
Tuesday through Saturday10 a.m. - 5 p.m
Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center 450 West Ohio Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202
Save $2 per ticket (adults & seniors) when you purchase online.
Purchase Tickets
Indiana Experience Admission $15 Adults$14 Seniors (60 and over)$5 Youth (ages 5 through 17)$2 Access Pass HoldersFree Children under 5Free IHS MembersFree Educators and Military Holiday, Festival of Trees Pricing will Vary.

Our (FREE) parking lot is located on New York Street a ½ block east of West Street. Free parking with admission.
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share with Email

Contests

Students may choose to participate in a regional contest, where they can qualify for the State contest. If they choose to compete at the State contest, they may qualify for the national contest in College Park, Maryland.

There are three divisions: Youth Division (grades 4-5), Junior Division (grades 6-8) and Senior Division (grades 9-12). Junior and Senior divisions are eligible for the national contest. While contests can develop additional skills and provide helpful feedback on projects, teachers are free to participate in as much or as little of the formal contests as they desire.

A contest fee of $15 is required for each student participating in a regional contest. This fee also covers participation in the State contest if students advance from their regional contest.

Educators who judge at NHDI contests can earn PGP points.

Details on how to register to judge can be found here.

If you are interested in entering a regional contest, all educators and students should complete the registration information for the specific contest. All registration will run through the National registration system and will open at the beginning of January.

For a list of regional winners from the previous year, contact the Education team at nhdi@indianahistory.org.

Check the tabs below to see information about specific contests!

Northeast Regional Contest

Date: Saturday, February 15, 2025

Location: Columbia City High School, Columbia City

Registration Opens: January 6, 2025

Registration Deadline: Monday, February 3, 2025, 11:59 p.m.

Click here to register

Awards Ceremony: February 15, 2025, 2 p.m., Columbia City High School

Northwest Regional Contest

Date: Saturday, February 22, 2025

Location: John J. Young Middle School, Mishawaka

Registration Opens: January 6, 2025

Registration Deadline: Monday, February 10, 2025, 11:59 p.m.

Click here to register

Awards Ceremony: February 22, 2025, 3 p.m., John J. Young Middle School

West Regional Contest

Date: Saturday, March 8, 2025

Location: Indiana State University, Terre Haute

Registration Opens: January 6, 2025

Registration Deadline: Monday, February 24, 2025, 11:59 p.m.

Click here to register 

Awards Ceremony: March 8, 2025, 2 p.m., Indiana State University

IPS Regional Contest

Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Location: Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis

Registration Opens: January 6, 2025

Registration Deadline: Tuesday, February 18, 2025, 11:59 p.m.

Click here to register 

South Central Regional Contest

Date: Saturday, March 1, 2025

Location: Franklin College, Franklin

Registration Opens: January 6, 2025

Registration Deadline: Monday, February 18, 2025, 11:59 p.m.

Click here to register

Awards Ceremony: March 1, 2025, 2 p.m., Franklin College

North Central Regional Contest

Date: Saturday, March 15, 2025

Location: Carmel High School, Carmel

Registration Opens: January 6, 2025

Registration Deadline: Monday, March 3, 2025, 11:59 p.m.

Click here to register

Awards Ceremony: March 15, 2025, 2:30 p.m., Carmel High School

South Regional Contest

Date: Saturday, March 8, 2025

Location: Hanover College, Hanover

Registration Opens: January 6, 2025

Registration Deadline: Monday, February 24, 2025, 11:59 p.m.

Awards Ceremony: March 8, 2025, 2:00 p.m., Hanover College

State Contest

Date: Saturday, April 26th, 2025

Location: Marian University, Indianapolis

Registration is promoted from regional contest.

Nationals Contest

The National Contest is the final stage of a series of contests at local and state/affiliate levels. Students begin their journey by presenting their projects in classrooms, schools, and districts around the world. Top entries are invited to the state/affiliate level contests. The top two entries in every category at the state/affiliate level are then invited to the National Contest.

https://www.nhd.org/national-contest

Preparing for your contest

Contests can be a fun way to display the hard work you put into your project. If you have never been to a contest before, contests can seem daunting. On contest day, be sure to arrive early, so you have plenty of time to register and set up your project. Also, make sure to bring four copies of your process paper and bibliography for judging. It is always a good idea to bring snacks, water and activities for after your judging time.

You will also have an interview with the judges on contest day. While judges may ask any questions they have, here are some common questions to thing about before the contest.

  1. Why did you choose this topic?
  2. Could you explain how your project relates to this year’s theme?
  3. What was your most valuable source and why?
  4. How do you think your topic impacted history?
  5. What was the most interesting thing you learned?
  6. (For groups) How did you divide up the work? How did you decide on who did what?
  7. What was the most challenging thing about your project?
  8. Why did you choose to create a (paper, documentary, exhibit, website, performance)?
  9. As you did your research, what surprised you most about the topic?
  10. How did your primary sources help you understand the topic?
  11. How did your thesis evolve? Did it change from when you started researching to when you were assembling your project?
  12. What is the most important point you are trying to convey about your topic? Why?
  13. Why did you pick this topic?
  14. What were the most important factors which caused             (the event in question) to occur?
  15. What did you learn about this topic that you didn’t know before?
  16. Did you find conflicting information in your sources? If so, how did you deal with this?
  17. Is there anything you weren’t asked that you would like to talk about? (Tip: Always say something to this question!)

map of area around IHS location
Close
Drop us a line
Let's talk
Full Staff Directory
Our Hours
ExhibitsOpen 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through SaturdayWilliam H. Smith Memorial LibraryOpen 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through SaturdayHistory MarketOpen 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through SaturdayStardust Terrace Café HoursOpen 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
Never miss a story!
Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center450 West Ohio Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202(317) 232-1882
© 2018 Indiana Historical Society Privacy Policy
The Indiana Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization.