Plan your visit
Contests
National History DayFloor Plans
Contests
The Indiana Historical Society is committed to doing our part as we address the ramifications of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Our top priority is the health and safety of our visitors, guests, volunteers and staff members.
Updates on COVID-19 information can be found here. If you have questions, please reach out to jfox@indianahistory.org.
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 (This year the national contest will be virtual.). 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 nationals. 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 $12 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 December.
For a list of regional winners from the previous year, contact Jonnie Fox at nhdi@indianahistory.org.
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.
- Why did you choose this topic?
- Could you explain how your project relates to this year’s theme?
- What was your most valuable source and why?
- How do you think your topic impacted history?
- What was the most interesting thing you learned?
- (For groups) How did you divide up the work? How did you decide on who did what?
- What was the most challenging thing about your project?
- Why did you choose to create a (paper, documentary, exhibit, website, performance)?
- As you did your research, what surprised you most about the topic?
- How did your primary sources help you understand the topic?
- How did your thesis evolve? Did it change from when you started researching to when you were assembling your project?
- What is the most important point you are trying to convey about your topic? Why?
- Why did you pick this topic?
- What were the most important factors which caused (the event in question) to occur?
- What did you learn about this topic that you didn’t know before?
- Did you find conflicting information in your sources? If so, how did you deal with this?
- Is there anything you weren’t asked that you would like to talk about? (Tip: Always say something to this question!)
Date: Saturday, February 12th
Location: TBD
Registration opens: December 1st
Registration deadline: Monday, January 31st 11:59pm
Websites lock: Thursday, February 3rd 11:59pm
Documentaries due: Thursday, February 3rd 11:59pm
Process papers and annotated bibliographies due: Thursday, February 3rd 11:59pm
Date: Saturday, February 19th
Location: John Young Middle School
Registration opens: December 1st
Registration deadline: Monday, February 7th 11:59pm
Websites lock: Thursday, February 10th 11:59pm
Documentaries due: Thursday, February 10th 11:59pm
Process papers and annotated bibliographies due: Thursday, February 10th 11:59pm
Date: Saturday, February 26th
Location: Indiana State University
Registration opens: December 1st
Registration deadline: Monday, February 14 11:59pm
Websites lock: Thursday, February 17th 11:59pm
Documentaries due: Thursday, February 17th 11:59pm
Process papers and annotated bibliographies due: Thursday, February 17th 11:59pm
Date: Saturday, March 5th
Location: Carmel High School Freshman Center
Registration opens: December 1st
Registration deadline: Monday, February 21st 11:59pm
Websites lock: Thursday, February 24th 11:59pm
Documentaries due: Thursday, February 24th 11:59pm
Process papers and annotated bibliographies due: Thursday, February 24th 11:59pm
Date: Wednesday, March 9th
Location: Indiana Historical Society
Registration opens: December 1st
Registration deadline: Monday, February 28th 11:59pm
Websites lock: Thursday, March 3rd 11:59pm
Documentaries due: Thursday, March 3rd 11:59pm
Process papers and annotated bibliographies due: March 3rd 11:59pm
Date: Saturday, March 12th, 2022
Location: Franklin College
Registration opens: December 1st
Registration deadline: Monday, February 28th 11:59pm
Websites lock: Thursday, March 3rd 11:59pm
Documentaries due: Thursday, March 3rd 11:59pm
Process papers and annotated bibliographies due: March 3rd 11:59pm
Date: Saturday, April 30th
Location: Marian University
Websites lock: Thursday, April 21st 11:59pm
Documentaries due: Thursday, April 21st 11:59pm
Process papers and annotated bibliographies due: Thursday, April 21st 11:59pm
Dates: Sunday, June 12th to Thursday, June 16th
Registration deadline: Tuesday, May 17th
Drop us a line
Let's talk
Full Staff DirectoryOur Hours
ExhibitsOpen 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through ThursdayOpen 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday
Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 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