Welcome to New Jersey History Day!

New Jersey History Day is the official state affiliate program of National History Day. It's a dynamic, exciting educational program that invites students to step into the world of historical research and interpretation. Every year, we offer learning opportunities, workshops, and programs for our thriving community of students, educators, volunteer judges, and families.

Our core program is the New Jersey History Day Contest series, which challenges students to become experts on a topic of their own choice and present their work in a competition setting. Individually or in a group, students take inspiration from the annual theme to create original projects in one of five creative formats: performance, exhibit, documentary, website, or paper. Students then present their projects at local, Regional, and State competitions. After each contest, qualifying students move on to the next competition level, culminating in the five-day National Contest event held in June at the University of Maryland, College Park. Each year, New Jersey sends a proud delegation of students and teachers to represent our state among their peers from all over the nation and world. 

Why do History Day? 

National History Day's combination of creativity, personal relevance, and scholarship comes together to create a leading model of project-based learning and performance-based evaluation.  For more than fifty years, the National History Day program has promoted systemic educational reform related to the teaching and learning of history in America's schools.  National History Day supports classroom teaching by fueling student interest in developing research skills, and rewarding students of all abilities for their scholarship, individual initiative, and cooperative learning. A rigorous national evaluation of the NHD program found that participants:

• • Outperform non-NHD peers on standardized tests
  • Are better writers, able to use evidence to support their point of view
  • Become critical thinkers who can analyze and evaluate information
  • Learn 21st-century college and career ready skills

Who can participate?

The History Day program is open to students in grades 6-12. All types of students participate in History Day - public, private, parochial, and homeschool students; urban, suburban and rural students; gifted students and students with special needs. Students can participate alongside others from their classroom or school, or individually. All that's needed is an adult willing to sponsor student participation and support their work - a teacher, parent, coach, or youth leader can serve as the sponsoring adult. 

How do I sign up?

NJHD's contest series takes place in late winter through spring. Students and teachers must register to participate. Registration opens on December 1st and runs through February 1st. Registration details will be posted here by November 1st.