Become a judge for National History Day

The Indiana Historical Society is issuing a call for volunteer judges to take part in a local 2016 National History Day in Indiana (NHDI) contest. Anyone with a background or interest in education, social studies or media is eligible to judge the central district competition on Saturday, March 12, at IUPUI’s campus in downtown Indianapolis.

“Judging for National History Day is a fun and rewarding experience,” said Matt Durrett, IHS coordinator of educational outreach and NHDI. “With so much negativity about the state of education these days, NHD is a way to meet some really cool kids who have taken learning into their own hands and created projects through a fun, educational program that works.”

Student projects can take the form of historical documentaries, exhibits, performances, websites and papers. Judges will then work in teams to evaluate the projects, interview students and rank winners. Regional winners will advance to state, with the top two entries from each junior and senior category at state becoming eligible to compete in The Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest.

Volunteer judges can sign up online here. Judges are also needed at three other regional competitions in Notre Dame, Ind. (Feb. 27), Evansville, Ind. (April 2) and Nashville, Ind. (April 9) and at the state competition on Saturday, April 23, at Ivy Tech’s campus in downtown Indianapolis.

NHDI is sponsored by IHS, with support from Teachers Credit Union. Teachers who volunteer as judges will be eligible for PGP credit from IHS. For more information on NHDI and other IHS programs, call (317) 232-1882 or visit IHS online at www.indianahistory.org.

2016 National History Day in Indiana Contests
North District Contest
Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind.
Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016

Central District Contest
IUPUI, Indianapolis
Saturday, March 12, 2016

Southwest District Contest
University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, Ind.
Saturday, April 2, 2016

South District Contest
Brown County High School, Nashville, Ind.
Saturday, April 9, 2016

National History Day in Indiana State Contest
Ivy Tech, Indianapolis Downtown Campus
Saturday, April 23, 2016

The Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest
University of Maryland, College Park, Md.
Sunday, June 12 – Thursday, June 16, 2016

This post was written by Rachel Hill Ponko, Director of Public Relations at the Indiana Historical Society.