Every year National History Day frames students' research within a historical theme. History is more than facts and dates. The annual theme is broad to allow students to explore topics in ancient, world, national or state history. Students draw a connection to the theme by understanding their topic's historical context and significance. The 2025 NHD theme is Rights and Responsibilities in History!
Need some ideas to help get you started? Check out what previous Ohio History Day students have done in the sample projects below.
Documentary
Exhibit
Paper
Performance
Website
2024 Region 1 State Qualifiers
Allen, Defiance, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Lucas, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert, Williams, Wood
Register Here
Coordinator:
Becky Brown
Bowling Green State University
Department of History
137 Williams Hall
Bowling Green, Ohio 43403
p. 419.372.2030
e. [email protected]
Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 7, 2025 | Bowling Green State University
Registration Dates and Fees:
2024 Region 2 State Qualifiers
Counties:
Ashland, Crawford, Erie, Huron, Marion, Morrow, Ottawa, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, Wyandot
Register Here
Coordinator:
Alexandra Eveleth
Ohio History Connection
800 E. 17th Ave
Columbus, Ohio
e: [email protected]
Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 22, 2025 | Terra State Community College
Registration Dates and Fees
2024 Region 3 State Qualifiers
Counties:
Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Summit
Register Here
Coordinator:
Dr. Mary Manning
Cleveland History Center
10825 E. Blvd.
Cleveland, Ohio 44106
p. 216.721.5722 x1503
e. [email protected] | History Day at Western Reserve Historical Society
Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 1, 2025 | Cleveland History Center
Registration Dates and Fees:
2024 Region 4 State Qualifiers
Counties:
Ashtabula, Geauga, Mahoning, Portage, Trumbull
Register Here
Coordinator:
David Simonelli
Youngstown State University
Department of History | DeBartolo Hall, Room 537
One University Plaza
Youngstown, OH 44555
p. 330.941.1601
f. 330.941.2304
e: [email protected]
Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 29, 2025 | Youngstown State University
Registration Dates and Fees
2024 Region 5 State Qualifiers
Counties:
Carroll, Columbiana, Harrison, Holmes, Jefferson, Stark, Tuscarawas, Wayne
Register Here
Coordinator:
Stephanie Bohnak
First Ladies Library & Museum
205 Market Ave. S
Canton, Ohio
e: [email protected]
Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 1, 2025 | First Ladies Library & Museum
Registration Deadlines & Fees
2024 Region 6 State Qualifiers
Counties:
Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Knox, Licking, Madison, Perry, Pickaway, Union
Register Here
Coordinator:
Emily Volkmann
Museums & Programs Coordinator
Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board
Ohio Statehouse
p. 614.466.9335
e. [email protected]
Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 6, 2025 | Capital Square
Registration Dates and Fees
2024 Region 7 State Qualifiers
Counties:
Auglaize, Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Logan, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, Shelby
Register Here
Coordinator:
Steve Lucht
Carillon Historical Park
D1000 Carillon Blvd
Dayton, OH 45409
p. 937.281.4404
e: [email protected]
Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 8, 2025 | Carillon Historical Park
Registration Dates and Fees
2024 Region 8 State Qualifiers
Counties:
Adams, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton, Highland, Warren
Register Here
Coordinator:
Tony Lawson
Cincinnati Museum Center
1301 Western Ave.
Cincinatti, OH 45203
p. 513.287.7000 ext 7201
e: [email protected]
Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 15, 2025 | Cincinnati Museum Center
Registration Dates and Fees
2024 Region 9 State Qualifiers
Counties:
Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Vinton
Register Here
Coordinator:
David A. Moore & Gwen Daniels
Gallia-Vinton ESC
University of Rio Grande, Wood Hall Rm. 131
p. 740.245.0593
e: [email protected] | [email protected]
Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 1, 2025 | University of Rio Grande
Registration Dates and Fees
2024 Region 10 State Qualifiers
Counties:
Belmont, Coshocton, Guernsey, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Washington
Register Here
Coordinator:
Alexandra Eveleth
Ohio History Connection
800 E. 17th Ave
Columbus, Ohio
e: [email protected]
Contest Date & Location: Sat., February 22, 2025 | Muskingum University
Registration Dates and Fees
The 2025 State Contest will take place in-person on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at Capital University.
Qualify for the State Contest? Congrats! Click here to log in to the state contest. Use your username and password that you registered with for your regional contest. For more detailed instructions, please view the State Qualifier Packet (Coming soon!).
Got questions? Reach out to the Ohio History Day team at [email protected].
Interested in applying for a special award at the State Contest? Nominate yourself through your online registration. Then email [email protected] a copy of your project, your written materials, and a copy of the Special Award Cover Sheet. You MUST send in a full application for EACH award nomination.
A list of available special awards and application instructions can be found below.
The award ceremony for the 2024 State Contest was held directly after the competition on April 20 at Capital University. Congratulations on all of your hard work this year students! We hope that everyone had fun and enjoyed learning more about history!
The Final Stage! Each year nearly 3,000 students, their families and teachers gather at the University of Maryland, College Park for this week-long event. These enthusiastic groups come from all over the United States, Guam, American Samoa, and affiliates in China, Korea, Latin America and southeast Asia. After spending months researching and preparing their projects, and competing at local and state contests, these students are eager to show their hard work on the national stage. For more information visit: https://www.nhd.org/national-contest.
In Person Contest Date - Sun., June 8 through Thurs., June 12, 2025
2024 National Contest
Special Award Winner
Irish or Irish-American History Award
Students: William Stoepfel
Project Title: "It Was Just Cold Blooded Murder, Nothing Else": Bloody Sunday, A Turning Point for Northern Ireland
Category: Senior Individual Documentary
School: Maysville High School
Teacher: Lance Mcgee
Exhibit Showcase
Students: Jacob Clellen, Robert Weinberg, Bernat Corcelles
Project Title: Highway Revolution: The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956
Category: Senior Group Exhibit
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Sarah Davis
2024 National Contest
Junior Division
Students: Sarah Schnadower, Ella Crutcher
Project Title: Frida Kahlo: One of the Most Influential Artists Changes History
Category: Junior Group Website
School: Walnut Hills High School
Teacher: Michael Cabral
Senior Division
Students: Scarlet Price, Emma Rush
Project Title: Criminal of Chastity: Eisenstadt v. Baird on Redefining Privacy and Bodily Autonomy
Category: Senior Group Website
School: Maysville High School
Teacher: Lance Mcgee
2024 National Contest Qualifiers
Junior Group Documentary
Nitrous Oxide: Extracting the Pain While Waking Up Advancements in Anesthesia
Students: Hussein Alzoubi, Kyle Vaziri
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joe Parrino, Todd P Boyer
The Rite of Spring: Stravinsky's New Dynasty of Maximalism
Students: Nicholas Jacques, Samuel Moyer
School: Menlo Park Academy
Teacher: Jesse Gross
Senior Group Documentary
Miles Davis and the Transformation of American Music
Students: Jonah Paponetti, David Rhodes
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Sarah Davis
The Miracle Drug: Penicillin's Global Medical Revolution
Students: Daniel Lee, Hayyan Qureshi
School: Sylvania Northview High School
Teacher: Keevan Hazel
Junior Group Exhibit
A Transition to Democracy: South Africa's Triumph Over Apartheid
Students: Sammy Nemr, Nikhil Yalavarthy, Reeve Vincent
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Todd P Boyer, Joe Parrino
The Fight to Find the Polio Vaccine
Students: Natalie Shipman, Audrey Groger
School: Genoa Middle School
Teacher: Deanna McDaniel, Lori Howland
Senior Group Exhibit
From Flames to Restoration
Students: Erin Findley, Marisa Macioce
School: Huron High School
Teacher: John Harkelroad
Highway Revolution: The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956
Students: Jacob Clellen, Robert Weinberg, Bernat Corcelles
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Sarah Davis
Junior Group Performance
A Geothermal Gem: How Yellowstone Ignited the Way for America's National Parks
Students: Corrado Naples, Yianni Gountis, Nathan Thomas
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joe Parrino, Todd P Boyer
"When the Sun Came to Earth"
Students: Marcella Morris, Hannah Tedrow
School: Pike Delta York Middle School
Teacher: Jane Foor
Senior Group Performance
The Epitome of Counterintelligence and Counterespionage Through Cooperation: The Farewell Dossier
Students: Elizabeth Liu, Radha Pareek
School: Beachwood High School
Teacher: John Perse
Kent State Tragedy: A Turning Point in Anti-War Protests
Students: Charles Griest, Loukas White, Luca Arnoldi, Isaac Hren
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Sarah Davis
Junior Group Website
Shattered Trust: Unveiling the Pivotal Watergate Scandal
Students: Rhea Kumar, Ayah Dinary, Leen Salem
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joe Parrino, Todd P Boyer
Frida Kahlo: One of the Most Influential Artists Changes History
Students: Sarah Schnadower, Ella Crutcher
School: Walnut Hills High School
Teacher: Michael Cabral
Senior Group Website
Unlocking the Mind: How the Publication of Patricia Goldman-Rakic's Scientific Research Marked a Turning Point in Brain Science
Students: Abby Hahnenberg, Kelsey Rogers
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Joseph Konopinski, Sarah Davis
Criminal of Chastity: Eisenstadt v. Baird on Redefining Privacy and Bodily Autonomy
Students: Scarlet Price, Emma Rush
School: Maysville High School
Teacher: Lance Mcgee
Junior Individual Documentary
Burn on Big River: The Cleveland Blaze that Sparked an Environmental Revolution
Students: John Gordon
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joe Parrino, Todd P Boyer
From Despair to Hope: The Discovery of Insulin that Changed the World
Students: Joshua Thomas
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Joseph Konopinski
Senior Individual Documentary
"It Was Just Cold Blooded Murder, Nothing Else": Bloody Sunday, A Turning Point for Northern Ireland
Students: William Stoepfel
School: Maysville High School
Teacher: Lance Mcgee
Black Hawk Down: A Battle that Changed US Peace Intervention Within African Nations
Students: Qiwen Wu
School: Hawken Upper School
Teacher: Kenneth Clark
Junior Individual Exhibit
Martin Luther King Jr.: The Dream Marches On...
Students: Tommy McFarland
School: St. Barnabas School
Teacher: Judith Darus
A Turning Point with Supreme Impact: How Mendez v. Westminster led to Brown v. Board
Students: Stella Eadie
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joe Parrino, Todd P Boyer
Senior Individual Exhibit
Shedding Light on Rural America: Rural Electrification Administration
Students: Grace Rogers
School: Anderson High School
Teacher: Independent Entry
Fission to Fallout: How the Atomic Bomb Changed the World
Students: Lara Sesenoglu-Laird
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Joseph Konopinski
Junior Individual Performance
From Trinkets To Planes: How Charles Martin Hall Freed Aluminum And Alloyed America
Students: Suryan Jain
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joe Parrino, Todd P Boyer
Robert Oppenheimer and The Manhattan Project.
Students: CJ Hanhauser
School: St. Brendan School
Teacher: Frank O'Grady
Senior Individual Performance
The Wonderful Journey to Oz
Students: Grace Cremeans
School: River Valley High School
Teacher: Brent Smith
The Makers of Change; the History of the 19th Amendment and women's suffrage movements
Students: Kaidyn Watson
School: GlenOak High School
Teacher: Angela Wagner
Junior Individual Website
Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 and Its Impact on Commercial Aviation
Students: Alaina Appleman
School: St. Francis de Sales
Teacher: Stacey Smith
Manhattan Project
Students: John Mele
School: Notre Dame Elementary School
Teacher: Victoria Thompson
Senior Individual Website
Hip Hop Making Strides Toward Equality: How Urban Youth Launched A Global Phenomenon, Altered the Course of African American History
Students: Michael Heard III
School: Toledo Early College
Teacher: Mona Al-Hayani
The Forgotten Child: The Indian Child Welfare Act as a Turning Point in US History
Students: Addien Lewis
School: Western Reserve Academy
Teacher: Sarah Horgan
Junior Paper
MP3: The Streaming Format That Turned Up Shareability and Piracy
Students: Kritika Chahar
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Todd P Boyer, Joe Parrino
Brown vs. Board of Education: A Major Victory for the Civil Rights Movement and a Catalyst for Equality in Education
Students: Olivia Zhou
School: Mason Middle School
Teacher: Erin White
Senior Paper
Parting the White Cloud of Aotearoa: How the Native Land Acts were a turning point in Maori Chieftain power and land ownership in colonial New Zealand.
Students: Lance Hulme
School: Columbus Academy
Teacher: Tim Morford
The August 1991 Coup: A Turning Point in the Dissolution of the Soviet Union
Students: Omar Elbadawy
School: Hawken Upper School
Teacher: Kenneth Clark
