Everything You Need to Know about Ohio History Day 2024!

Ohio History Day contests for grades 6–12 are divided into three tiers: regional, state and national. All students must qualify by advancing from the regional to the state level. The Youth Division is for students in grades 4–5. Students participating in the Youth Division only compete at the state level.

We're back in-person! Find the details for your regional contest, as well as the state and national competition below! Follow us on Social Media (Facebook | Twitter) for additional updates. 

Overview

Annual Theme

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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 2024 NHD theme is Turning Points in History.

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Sample Projects

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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

Submissions

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See below for brief descriptions of the contest submission procedures for each category. Pay close attention to the requirements for the written materials (title page, process paper, annotated bibliography). Please note: For full instructions and required guidelines read the 2024 Submission Guidelines (Coming Soon!)

Websites

URLs for Website entries should be submitted through your contest’s NHD registration site.

Papers

Students who compete in this category should upload their papers and written materials to their contest’s registration site. Please note, your original paper uploaded with your registration at the regional level will follow your project to the state contest registration if you advance to the state contest. If you need to edit your paper, remember to upload the updated entry before the registration deadline.

Documentary

Documentary students need to record and save their projects in .MP4 format and their required written materials as a PDF. These will then be uploaded to your contest’s registration site.

Exhibit

All exhibit participants are required to create a physical exhibit for all regional and the state Ohio History Day contests. Students are required to save their written materials as a PDF and upload them to your contest’s registration site.

Performance

All performances will take place live at the in-person contests. Students are required to save their written materials as a PDF and upload them to your contest’s registration site.

Judging Process

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All judging evaluations will be collected, sorted by schools and returned to participating teachers the following school week. Evaluating history is a subjective process, but criteria and methods have been established to achieve fair decisions. Here is a description of how the judging process will work at Ohio History Day:

Use of Evaluation Forms: Each judge will have an evaluation form for the entries they are judging. They are instructed to use these sheets to write positive, critical evaluations of each entry. Written comments are stressed in judging orientation because this is the principal feedback students receive from the event. Click to view the evaluation forms.

Ratings: All History Day judging decisions are made by the consensus of the judging teams. In effect, History Day judging is a jury process where the judges have to reach a shared conclusion, rather than an arbitrary point system. Ratings vary from one judging group to another. Each set of judges establishes their own standards for ratings. Ratings cannot be compared across different judging teams.

Final Judging: Categories with a single team of judges will have award decisions made by those teams. Categories with multiple teams of judges will have run-offs that will consider the top two-three entries from the initial judging groups. A new set of judges, or a combination from the original teams, will evaluate the final entries and determine state award winners.

Run-Offs: Be advised that there WILL BE judging run-offs in at least the exhibit, documentary and performance categories. We hold run-offs or a second round of judging for any category that has enough entries to warrant two-judge teams. The top picks from each judging team will then advance to a second round. A new set of judges, or a combination from the original teams, will evaluate the final entries and determine rankings.

Regional Contest

Regional events take place throughout the state from late-February through April. Click on the dots on the map below or the drop down menu for more information about our 10 regional contests.

Region 1

Contest Date: Sat., March 9, 2024
Location: Bowling Green State University

Region 2

Contest Date: Sat., March 23, 2024
Location: Terra State Community College

Region 3

Contest Date: Sat., March 2
Location: Cleveland History Center

Region 4

Contest Date: Sat., March 23, 2024
Location: Youngstown University

Region 5

Contest Date: Sat., March 16, 2024
Location: McKinley Presidential Library and Museum

Region 6

Contest Date: Sat., March 9, 2024
Location: Capital Square

Region 7

Contest Date: Sat., March 9, 2024
Location: Carillon Historical Park

Region 8

Contest Date: Sat., March 16
Location: Cincinnati Museum Center

Region 9

Contest Date: Sat., March 2, 2024
Location: University of Rio Grande

Region 10

Contest Date: Sat., March 23
Location: Muskingum University

Region 1

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2023 Region 1 State Qualifiers

Counties:
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
[email protected]

Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 9, 2024 | Bowling Green State University

Registration Dates and Fees:

  • Registration Deadline: Fri., February 16, 2024
  • Submission Deadline: Fri. February 23, 2024
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 2

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2023 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 23, 2024 | Terra State Community College

Registration Dates and Fees

  • Registration Deadline: Fri., March 8, 2024
  • Submission Deadline: Fri., March 15, 2024
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 3

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2023 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
[email protected]History Day at Western Reserve Historical Society

Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 2, 2024 | Cleveland History Center

Registration Dates and Fees:

  • Registration Deadline: Fri., February 2, 2024
  • Submission Deadline: Fri., February 16, 2024
  • Registration Fee: $10 | Late Registration: $15

Region 4

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2023 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 23 | Youngstown State University

Registration Dates and Fees

  • Registration Deadline: Fri., March 1, 2024
  • Submission Deadline:  Fri., March 8, 2024
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 5

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2023 Region 5 State Qualifiers

Counties:
Carroll, Columbiana, Harrison, Holmes, Jefferson, Stark, Tuscarawas, Wayne
Register Here

Coordinator:

Alexandra Eveleth
Ohio History Connection
800 E. 17th Ave
Columbus, Ohio
e: [email protected]

Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 16 | McKinley Presidential Library

Registration Deadlines & Fees

  • Registration Deadline: Fri., March 1, 2024
  • Submission Deadline: Fri., March 8, 2024
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 6

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2023 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 9 | Capital Square

Registration Dates and Fees

  • Registration Deadline: Tues., February 20, 2024
  • Submission Deadline: Mon., February 26, 2024
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 7

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2023 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 9, 2024 | Carillon Historical Park

[email protected]

Registration Dates and Fees

  • Registration Deadline: Fri., February 16, 2024
  • Submission Deadline: Fri., February 23, 2024
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 8

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2023 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 16, 2024 | Cincinnati Museum Center

Registration Dates and Fees

  • Registration Deadline: Fri., March 1, 2024
  • Submission Deadline: Thurs., March 7, 2024
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 9

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2023 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 2 | University of Rio Grande

Registration Dates and Fees

  • Registration Deadline: Fri., February 16, 2024
  • Submission Deadline: Fri., February 23, 2024
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 10

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2023 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., March 23 | Muskingum University

Registration Dates and Fees

  • Registration Deadline: Fri., March 8, 2024
  • Submission Deadline: Fri., March 15, 2024
  • Registration Fee: $10

State Contest

The 2024 State Contest will take place in-person on Saturday, April 20, 2024 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].

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Related Documents

Special Awards

Interested in applying for a special award at the State Contest? Nominate yourself through your online registration, AND email us a copy of your process paper and annotated bibliography with 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 detailed application instructions will be available soon.

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Related Documents 2023 Special Award Winnerspdf-icon

2023 State Contest Results

The award ceremony for the 2023 State Contest was held directly after the competition on April 22 at Ohio Wesleyan University. Congratulations on all of your hard work this year students! We hope that everyone had fun and enjoyed learning more about history!

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Related Documents 2023 State Contest Results pdf-icon

National Contest

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 9 through Thurs., June 13, 2024

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2023 National Contest Results

The Ohio Delegation was in College Park, Maryland to attend the National Contest from June 11- 15! We are so proud of each and every one of our Ohio national qualifiers!

Want to relive all the fun of the award ceremony? Watch the recording to get in on all of the fun!

National contest results can be found here.  For more information on the national contest, please visit https://nhd.org/en/contest/national-contest.

Special Awards & Showcases

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Exhibit Showcase

Senior Group Exhibit

Students: Meredith Hurley, Grace Kaelber, Ezra Ellenbogen, Ingrid Holda
Project Title: The Final Frontier: How Human Computers Advanced Equality and Science at NASA
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Joseph Konopinski, Sarah Davis

Documentary Showcase

Senior Group Documentary

Students: Keyshawn Ragin, Wyatt Roth, Samuel Luther, Malachai Shulman
Project Title: The Height of the Fight: Bill Russell as a Trailblazer for Activism in the NBA
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Joseph Konopinski

Outstanding Entries

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Junior Division

Students: Cambria Hudberg
Project Title: The Painful Discovery of Anesthesia
Category: Junior Individual Exhibit
School: Genoa Middle School
Teacher: Deanna McDaniel, Lori Howland

Senior Division

Students: Grace Cremeans
Project Title: Frontiers of Broadway Theatre, the Unknown Star: Jonathan Larson
Category: Senior Individual Performance
School: River Valley High School
Teacher: Brent Smith

Ohio Affiliate National Qualifiers

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Junior Group Documentary

The Frontiers of Interracial Marriage in America: Loving vs. Virginia
Students: Sylvia Swai, Leanne Zheng
School: Menlo Park Academy
Teacher: Georgina Kohut, Jessica Wilcox

Enrico Fermi, Exploring Abundance and Annihilation of the Nuclear Frontier
Students: Arav Bhandari, Suryan Jain
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joe Parrino, Connie Miller

Senior Group Documentary

The Height of the Fight: Bill Russell as a Trailblazer for Activism in the NBA
Students: Keyshawn Ragin, Wyatt Roth, Samuel Luther, Malachai Shulman
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Joseph Konopinski

Gertrude Ederle: How One Female Swimmer Pushed the English Channel Frontier to Change the Lives of Women
Students: Siya Lakireddy, Aanya Lakireddy, Brooke Gemechu, Areesha Nouman
School: Hawken Upper School
Teacher: Kenneth Clark

Junior Group Exhibit

A Challenging Frontier: Brown v. Board of Education and the Quest for Equality in Schools
Students: Zora Asalu, Kritika Chahar
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Connie Miller, Joe Parrino

Frontiers in Labour Unions in Britain: The Matchgirls' Strike
Students: Eliza Bala, Kyla Morrisey
School: Menlo Park Academy
Teacher: Georgina Kohut, Jessica Wilcox

Senior Group Exhibit

The Final Frontier: How Human Computers Advanced Equality and Science at NASA
Students: Meredith Hurley, Grace Kaelber, Ezra Ellenbogen, Ingrid Holda
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Joseph Konopinski, Sarah Davis

Vergeltungswaffen-2 the Frontier Breaker of Space
Students: Grant Bauer, Joseph Schaeffer
School: Huron High School
Teacher: John Harkelroad

Junior Group Performance

Establishing the Cleveland Clinic’s Guiding Vision; How Battlefield Experiences Inspired Exploration into the Frontier of More Efficient Patient Care for Better Outcomes
Students: Ishika Chand, Manya Raina, Yara Salam
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Connie Miller, Joe Parrino

Taking Their Swing: The Rockford Peaches
Students: Elizabeth Dornan, Ollie Reitz
School: Menlo Park Academy
Teacher: Georgina Kohut, Jessica Wilcox

Junior Group Website

Lewis Hine: Pioneering the Frontier of Photography for Social Change
Students: Ayah Dinary, Leen Salem, Rhea Kumar
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Connie Miller, Joe Parrino

Norman Borlaug and the Green Revolution: Frontiers in Agriculture
Students: Simran Sarkar, Niva Yadav
School: Mayfield Middle School
Teacher: Rachael Streitman

Senior Group Website

"Women's Liberation is a Lesbian Plot!" The Lavender Menace Meets The Feminist Frontier
Students: Emma Rush, Scarlet Price
School: Maysville High School
Teacher: Lance Mcgee

Granville T. Woods: A Forgotten Pioneer of the Third Rail, Multiplex Telegram, and Emergency Brake
Students: Tima Ewing, Nathan Ballman
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Sarah Davis

Junior Individual Documentary

The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906: Exploring the Lawless Frontier of Food and Drug Regulation Students: Joshua Gordon
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Connie Miller, Joe Parrino

Then and Now: John Snow and the Frontier of Epidemiology
Students: Joshua Thomas
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Connie Miller, Joe Parrino

Senior Individual Documentary

Frontiers of Democracy - Students for a Democratic Society
Students: Jiahe Su
School: Western Reserve Academy
Teacher: Sarah Horgan

The Unsung Heroines of the Space Race: Female Pioneers of the STEM field
Students: Qiwen Wu
School: Hawken Upper School
Teacher: Kenneth Clark

Junior Individual Exhibit

Sesame Street. Entertainment: The Education Frontier
Students: Zachary Fuhrer
School: St. Barnabas School
Teacher: Judith Darus

The Painful Discovery of Anesthesia
Students: Cambria Hudberg
School: Genoa Middle School
Teacher: Deanna McDaniel, Lori Howland

Senior Individual Exhibit

The Bronx Boogie Down Borough: The Frontier That Birthed Hip-Hop Culture
Students: Kennedi Curry
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Sarah Davis

Dr. Jane C. Wright: Pioneer in Oncology
Students: Elise Lopez
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Sarah Davis

Junior Individual Performance

Lise Meitner: The Forsaken and Forgotten Pioneer of the Fission Frontier
Students: Caroline Lu
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Connie Miller, Joe Parrino

The Frontier of Women Investigative Reporters: Nellie Bly
Students: Juliana Sacco
School: Menlo Park Academy
Teacher: Georgina Kohut, Jessica Wilcox

Senior Individual Performance

Isabella: Queen of a Vast Frontier
Students: Sophie Pangrace
School: Rocky River High School
Teacher: Terrance Hudson

Frontiers of Broadway Theatre, the Unknown Star: Jonathan Larson
Students: Grace Cremeans
School: River Valley High School
Teacher: Brent Smith

Junior Individual Website

Sputnik: Launching a New Frontier in Space
Students: Jonathan Samulak
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Connie Miller, Joe Parrino

Frontiers in Leadership - Women as President: Corazon Aquino
Students: Ariel Catacutan
School: Menlo Park Academy
Teacher: Georgina Kohut, Jessica Wilcox

Senior Individual Website

Silent Spring: How the “Poison Book” Forged the Frontier of the Environmental Movement
Students: Aashvi Kenia
School: Independent Entry
Teacher: Independent Entry

Dress to Express, Not Impress: Frontiers of The Woman's Suffrage Movement and Feminism
Students: Celine Omega
School: Western Reserve Academy
Teacher: Sarah Horgan

Junior Paper

The Marshall Plan: A New Frontier In the Implementation and Usage of Economic Aid
Students: Mason Zhang
School: Shaker Heights Middle School
Teacher: David Saluga

The Creation of the Erie Canal: Digging into the Midwest Frontier
Students: Haadeya Salman
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joe Parrino, Connie Miller

Senior Paper

The Northwest Ordinance: Forging a Frontier Republic and a Path to Freedom in the Ohio Country
Students: Omar Elbadawy
School: Hawken Upper School
Teacher: Kenneth Clark

Cars, Cities, Culture: The American Asphalt Frontier of the Twentieth Century
Students: Edward Li
School: The Seven Hills School
Teacher: Beth Driehaus