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Indiana Students Earn Top Honors at 2026 National History Day® Contest
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (June 18, 2026) – Indiana students earned a first-place finish, multiple Top 10 placements, and earned additional honors at the 2026 National History Day® National Contest, held June 14 – 18.
Leading Indiana’s accomplishments, Katie Zhao, Olivia Lim, Stephanie Tan, and Valerie Fu of Carmel High School earned first place in Senior Group Website for their project, The War Powers Resolution: Redefining the Separation of Powers in the Vietnam Era.
Indiana’s delegation to the national contest included 50 students from 16 schools across Indiana who advanced through local and state contests held throughout the spring. They joined nearly 3,000 students from across the United States and international schools at the weeklong competition. Students presented original historical research through exhibits, documentaries, performances, papers, and websites, with projects evaluated by panels of judges from across the country.
Additional Top 10 projects were recognized, including Katelyn Chen of Carmel High School, who placed ninth in Senior Individual Website for Resisting Hate: Notre Dame Students’ Revolutionary Reaction to the Ku Klux Klan, and Evyn Arockia, Jeonghu Yang, and Luke Zhang of Carmel High School, who placed 10th in Senior Group Website for The Wounds of Labor Justice: Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in the Indianapolis Streetcar Strike of 1913.
Indiana students also earned four Honorable Mentions, recognizing projects that ranked among the top 20 entries in the nation. Honorees included Stephen Olson of Zionsville, Amos Groothuis of Indianapolis, Benjamin Lu, Divya Ariyur, Emma An, and Shawn Feng of Carmel, and Iman Hallab of Fishers.
“We were so excited to return to the National Contest this year! Indiana’s students explored this year’s theme of Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History by creating exhibits, performances, websites, documentaries, and papers,” said Lexi Gribble, IHS Manager of Education and National History Day in Indiana Coordinator. “I am incredibly proud of the work they put in to prepare and present their projects for the judges at the National contest. I hope this experience inspires them to continue to explore history and develop strong research skills!”?
Two Indiana students also received special recognition through National History Day’s Outstanding Affiliate Entry awards, which honor one junior division project and one senior division project from each state. Amos Groothuis of Northview Middle School earned the Junior Division recognition for his website, Saving Our Birds: How the Migratory Bird Treaty Act Brought Birds Back From Near-Extinction. Iman Hallab of Eman Schools received the Senior Division recognition for her website, The Catalyst for Change: Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and the Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in Environmental Policy.
Indiana students were also selected to participate in national showcase programs in Washington, D.C. on June 17. Isabella Henderson and Kate Templeman of Carmel High School were selected for the Exhibit Showcase at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History for their project, Dorothea Dix and the Central State Hospital. Abhijay Masetty of Penn High School was selected for the White House Historical Association’s Paper Showcase for The Battle of Blair Mountain: The Revolution Against Oppression That Shocked America Forever.
National History Day in Indiana (NHDI) engages students in grades 4 through 12 in historical research, critical thinking, and communication through an annual project-based competition. This year’s National theme, Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History, challenged students to examine moments of significant change and the responses they inspired, exploring how individuals, groups, and institutions shaped the course of history.
The 2026 NHDI Contest is presented by the Rooker Family Foundation, with support from the Vigran Family Foundation.
For more information about National History Day in Indiana, visit www.indianahistory.org/historyday or call (317) 232-1882.
About National History Day®
National History Day is a nonprofit organization based in College Park, Maryland, dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of history. Established in 1974, the program engages more than half a million students annually in conducting original historical research on topics of interest. Students present their work as documentaries, exhibits, papers, performances, or websites. Projects first compete at local and affiliate contests before advancing to the National Contest at the University of Maryland. For more information, visit nhd.org.
About the Indiana Historical Society
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.
2026 NATIONAL HISTORY DAY® NATIONAL CONTEST RESULTS, INDIANA
Top 10 Finalists
1st Place
Katie Zhao, Olivia Lim, Stephanie Tan, Valerie Fu
Senior Group Website
Carmel High School, Carmel
“The War Powers Resolution: Redefining the Separation of Powers in the Vietnam Era”
9th Place
Katelyn Chen
Senior Individual Website
Carmel High School, Carmel
“Resisting Hate: Notre Dame Students’ Revolutionary Reaction to the Ku Klux Klan”
10th Place
Evyn Arockia, Jeonghu Yang, Luke Zhang
Senior Group Website
Carmel High School, Carmel
“The Wounds of Labor Justice: Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in the Indianapolis Streetcar Strike of 1913”
Honorable Mentions (Top 20 in the Nation)
Stephen Olson
Junior Paper
Homeschool, Zionsville
“Levi Coffin’s Fight: How a Peaceful Abolitionist Helped End Slavery”
Amos Groothuis
Junior Individual Website
Northview Middle School, Indianapolis
“Saving Our Birds: How the Migratory Bird Treaty Act Brought Birds Back From Near-Extinction”
Benjamin Lu, Divya Ariyur, Emma An, Shawn Feng
Senior Group Documentary
Carmel High School, Carmel
“From Reaction to Reform: How ACT UP’s “Inside-Outside” Strategy Revolutionized AIDS Activism”
Iman Hallab
Senior Individual Website
Eman Schools, Fishers
“The Catalyst for Change: Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and the Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in Environmental Policy”
Outstanding Affiliate Entries
Outstanding Affiliate Entry, Junior Division
Amos Groothuis
Junior Individual Website
Northview Middle School, Indianapolis
“Saving Our Birds: How the Migratory Bird Treaty Act Brought Birds Back From Near-Extinction”
Outstanding Affiliate Entry, Senior Division
Iman Hallab
Senior Individual Website
Eman Schools, Fishers
“The Catalyst for Change: Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and the Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in Environmental Policy”
Showcased Projects
Exhibit Showcase at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
Isabella Henderson and Kate Templeman
Senior Group Exhibit
Carmel High School, Carmel
“Dorothea Dix and the Central State Hospital”
Paper Showcase with the White House Historical Association
Abhijay Masetty
Senior Paper
Penn High School, Mishawaka
“The Battle of Blair Mountain: The Revolution Against Oppression That Shocked America Forever”
