GENERAL FAQS

Who can participate in History Day? 

National History Day® (NHD) is a year-long academic program that engages over half a million middle- and high-school students around the world annually in conducting original research on historical topics of interest. 

How much time is needed to complete a project? 

NHD is a long-term research project, with most students beginning their work in September. Here is a sample timeline. 

Do students have to participate in the competition?

Participation in any level of the competition is voluntary. 

Do Montana students have to participate in the regional competitions to advance to state? For the 2023-2024 competition cycle, competing at regionals are not required to required to compete at state. However, if one can make it to a regional competition, we highly recommend it. Competition at regionals will provides valuable feedback on projects so students can revise projects before state.

What if students have a schedule conflict with a contest date?

Students must attend the contest and be interviewed in person in order to be considered for the competition. For group projects, at least one member of the group must be present in order for the project to be eligible (the one exception is the group performance category where all members of the group must be present to perform). Exceptions to in-person attendance are made only for students whose religions observe the Sabbath 

Do students who create website, paper, or documentary have to attend the contest if they are entered? 

Yes. Although papers, websites, and documentaries are submitted before the contests, students are still required to attend the contests and be interviewed in person by judges. 

What if my teacher/school doesn't do History Day? 

National History Day is open to any Montana student in 6-12th grade. Students can enter projects individually if their classroom/school doesn't participate. Just make sure a parent/guardian signs up on the "teacher enrollment form" to receive important updates about contest deadlines.

Can homeschool students participate? 

National History Day is open to any Montana student in 6-12th grade. Homeschool students can and are encouraged to participate. Just make sure a parent/guardian signs up on the "teacher enrollment form" to receive important updates about contest deadlines.

When and where do the contests take place?

Check the home page for contest dates and locations. 

How much help can students get from their parents or other adults? 

Students are responsible for creating all aspects of the project. However students may have assistance with tasks such as the use of tools to construct materials, carrying of heavy items (students must set up props), editing suggestions, or initial instruction on how to use computer software. 

Can students make changes to their projects between the district and state contest? 

Students are encouraged to use the constructive feedback that they receive at their school/regional contest to improve their project before the state contest. 

Can students choose a current event as a topic? 

History Day projects should cover a topic that occurred at least 20 years ago because it allows the student to assess the topic’s impact. 

Who are the judges? 

Our contest judges are local historians, museum professionals, archivists, librarians, educators, and other enthusiastic volunteers who are eager to meet the students.

REGIONAL FAQS

What happens at regionals? 

Each regional will follow approximately the same itinerary:

• Check In, Exhibit Board & Prop Set Up, Judges Orientation 

• Welcome w/ Keynote Address

• Preliminary Rounds (Student interviews with judges)

• Final Rounds announced (Only for documentaries and presentations, since they have to physically show up to press play on docs or perform. All other categories are just the judges and the projects for finals. And there are NO interviews for any category in finals)

• Exhibit Board Take Down

• Awards Ceremony

Which regional should I attend? 

Eventually, there will be delineated boundaries. For this first year, as we rebuild the program, it’s left up to common sense. Attend the regional that is a closer drive. If you’re halfway in between, email the state coordinators for guidance.

Are regionals required? 

The simple answer is no. In this year of rebuilding the program, we are not requiring students to compete at regionals in order to advance to state. However (and this is a big however) we strongly encourage those who can to compete at regionals. 

What’s the value of competing at regionals? 

Students receive valuable feedback to help them revise their projects before advancing to state. They will gain confidence from competition experience. And if you have your eyes set on advancing to nationals, know that most national-level competitors will have revised their projects after three competitions (school, regional, and state). We want Montana students to have the highest quality experience as possible, and regional competition is an essential part of that process. In coming years, competing at regionals likely will be required, so why not start now?

How does one advance from regionals? 

Any project named a "state qualifier" at regionals automatically advances to the state competition in Bozeman on April 12, 2025. Beyond that, each participating NHD-MT school will receive an allotment of additional students it can bring to compete at state, per the teacher's discretion.

What if I want to judge at regionals? 

Please do! It’s the best way to learn about NHD. Sign up to judge at the NHD-MT website. We offer free OPI renewal credits to teachers judging at any of the competitions!

TEACHER FAQS

How do I fit History Day into my classroom schedule?

We believe that History Day won’t detract from your curriculum but will be a way to teach your curriculum. Use history day to teach primary source analysis, research skills, and to get your students interested and invested in different time periods and topics. To plan out your year, we have some sample timelines that you can use.

Timeline 1      Timeline 2

How do I teach annotated bibliographies?

Thinkport Research Learning Modules include instruction on annotated bibliographies, working with primary and secondary sources, and a number of other topics in creating a research project. Find the full list of modules here. 

History Day seems time consuming. Is it worth it? Sure, integrating History Day into your classroom is different than teaching out of a textbook and grading tests and papers all on the same topic with same general answers. However, students who do History Day tend to be more engaged, more creative, and thinking deeper and more critically. The payoff is huge for teachers and students. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, break up the program into smaller chunks spread throughout the school year. For ideas on how to do this, contact nationalhistorydaymt@gmail.com.

What if my students are “ready” to compete? 

Have your students worked on a History Day project? Have they completed the required project components (even if they aren’t perfect)? Then they are ready! Remember, most of Montana’s teachers and students are new to this process. We have to start somewhere. We’ve intentionally set the regional competitions early enough to give students time to revise before state. Making revisions based on feedback is one of the many skills students develop through History Day, so give them the chance to practice it!