National History Day

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National History Day

Abbreviation	NHD
Formation	1974
Type	Nonprofit Organization, Competition
Legal status	Active
Purpose	To promote the study and appreciation of history among students
Headquarters	University of Maryland, College Park
Location	Maryland
Region served	United States of America
Membership	500,000 students, 30,000 teachers per year
Official language	English
Executive Director	Dr. Cathy Gorn
Affiliations	American Association for State and Local History, American Historical Association, Federation of State Humanities Councils, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Center for History in the Schools, National Council for History Education, National Council for the Social Studies, Organization of American Historians, Society of American Archivists
Staff	10
Website	www.nhd.org

National History Day is a competition that educates young children in College Park, Maryland that operates an annual project-based contest for students in grades 6-12. It has affiliates in all fifty states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, South Korea, China, South Asia, and Central America.^[1] It started as a local program in Cleveland, Ohio, headed by Dr. David Van Tassel, a history professor at Case Western Reserve University.^[2] It grew from 129 students in 1974 to over 500,000 students in 48 states in 1991, and 700,000 students and 40,000 teachers in 2001.^[3][4] Today, more than half a million students enter through local contests. They construct entries as an individual or a group in one of five categories: documentary, exhibit board, paper, performance, or website.^[5] Students then compete in a series of regional contests with top three entries advancing to affiliate, then state contests. At state contests, the top two entries in each category and division are invited to compete at the National History Day contest.^[6] State winners then go to Maryland for a final competition, held in June for a prize of money.