Everything You Need to Know about Ohio History Day 2025!

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 Facebook  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 2025 NHD theme is Rights and Responsibilities 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 2025 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 8, 2025
Location: Bowling Green State University

Region 2

Contest Date: Sat., March 22, 2025
Location: Terra State Community College

Region 3

Contest Date: Sat., March 1, 2025
Location: Cleveland History Center

Region 4

Contest Date: Sat., March 29, 2025
Location: Youngstown University

Region 5

Contest Date: Sat., March 1, 2025
Location: First Ladies Library & Museum

Region 6

Contest Date: Sat., March 8, 2025
Location: Capital Square

Region 7

Contest Date: Sat., March 8, 2025
Location: Carillon Historical Park

Region 8

Contest Date: Sat., March 15, 2025
Location: Cincinnati Museum Center

Region 9

Contest Date: Sat., March 1, 2025
Location: University of Rio Grande

Region 10

Contest Date: Sat., February 22, 2025
Location: Muskingum University

Region 1

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2024 Region 1 State Qualifiers

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
e. [email protected]

Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 7, 2025 | Bowling Green State University

Registration Dates and Fees:

  • Registration Deadline: Coming Soon
  • Submission Deadline: Coming Soon
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 2

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2024 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 22, 2025 | Terra State Community College

Registration Dates and Fees

  • Registration Deadline: Coming Soon
  • Submission Deadline: Coming Soon
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 3

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2024 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
e. [email protected]History Day at Western Reserve Historical Society

Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 1, 2025 | Cleveland History Center

Registration Dates and Fees:

  • Registration Deadline: Coming Soon
  • Submission Deadline: Coming Soon
  • Registration Fee: $10 | Late Registration: $15

Region 4

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2024 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 29, 2025 | Youngstown State University

Registration Dates and Fees

  • Registration Deadline: Coming Soon
  • Submission Deadline: Coming Soon
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 5

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2024 Region 5 State Qualifiers

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

Coordinator:

Stephanie Bohnak
First Ladies Library & Museum
205 Market Ave. S
Canton, Ohio
e: [email protected]

Contest Date & Location: Sat., March 1, 2025 | First Ladies Library & Museum

Registration Deadlines & Fees

  • Registration Deadline: Coming Soon
  • Submission Deadline: Coming Soon
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 6

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2024 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 6, 2025 | Capital Square

Registration Dates and Fees

  • Registration Deadline: Coming Soon
  • Submission Deadline: Coming Soon
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 7

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2024 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 8, 2025 | Carillon Historical Park

Registration Dates and Fees

  • Registration Deadline: Coming Soon
  • Submission Deadline: Coming Soon
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 8

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2024 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 15, 2025 | Cincinnati Museum Center

Registration Dates and Fees

  • Registration Deadline: Coming Soon
  • Submission Deadline: Coming Soon
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 9

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2024 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 1, 2025 | University of Rio Grande

Registration Dates and Fees

  • Registration Deadline: Coming Soon
  • Submission Deadline: Coming Soon
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 10

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2024 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., February 22, 2025 | Muskingum University

Registration Dates and Fees

  • Registration Deadline: Coming Soon
  • Submission Deadline: Coming Soon
  • 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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Special Awards

Interested in applying for a special award at the State Contest? Nominate yourself through your online registration. Then email [email protected] a copy of your project, your written materials, and 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 application instructions can be found below.

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2024 State Contest Results

The award ceremony for the 2024 State Contest was held directly after the competition on April 20 at Capital 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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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

Ohio's 2024 National Contest Results

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2024 National Contest Results

56 Ohio students qualified for the National Contest in College Park, MD this year! If you weren't able to make the award ceremony, you can view it here. Congratulations to each and every student that presented this year! Your dedication, talent, and hard work have truly shone through. Thank you for helping us celebrate 50 years of Ohio History Day!

2024 National Results for Ohio

2024 Full National Results

Special Awards & Showcases

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2024 National Contest

Special Award Winner

Irish or Irish-American History Award

Students: William Stoepfel
Project Title: "It Was Just Cold Blooded Murder, Nothing Else": Bloody Sunday, A Turning Point for Northern Ireland
Category: Senior Individual Documentary
School: Maysville High School
Teacher: Lance Mcgee

 

Exhibit Showcase

Students: Jacob Clellen, Robert Weinberg, Bernat Corcelles
Project Title: Highway Revolution: The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956
Category: Senior Group Exhibit
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Sarah Davis

Outstanding Entries

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2024 National Contest

Junior Division

Students: Sarah Schnadower, Ella Crutcher
Project Title: Frida Kahlo: One of the Most Influential Artists Changes History
Category: Junior Group Website
School: Walnut Hills High School
Teacher: Michael Cabral

Senior Division

Students: Scarlet Price, Emma Rush
Project Title: Criminal of Chastity: Eisenstadt v. Baird on Redefining Privacy and Bodily Autonomy
Category: Senior Group Website
School: Maysville High School
Teacher: Lance Mcgee

 

Ohio Affiliate National Qualifiers

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2024 National Contest Qualifiers

Junior Group Documentary

Nitrous Oxide: Extracting the Pain While Waking Up Advancements in Anesthesia

Students: Hussein Alzoubi, Kyle Vaziri

School: Birchwood School of Hawken

Teacher: Joe Parrino, Todd P Boyer

The Rite of Spring: Stravinsky's New Dynasty of Maximalism

Students: Nicholas Jacques, Samuel Moyer

School: Menlo Park Academy

Teacher: Jesse Gross

 

Senior Group Documentary

Miles Davis and the Transformation of American Music

Students: Jonah Paponetti, David Rhodes

School: Shaker Heights High School

Teacher: Sarah Davis

The Miracle Drug: Penicillin's Global Medical Revolution

Students: Daniel Lee, Hayyan Qureshi

School: Sylvania Northview High School

Teacher: Keevan Hazel

 

Junior Group Exhibit

A Transition to Democracy: South Africa's Triumph Over Apartheid

Students: Sammy Nemr, Nikhil Yalavarthy, Reeve Vincent

School: Birchwood School of Hawken

Teacher: Todd P Boyer, Joe Parrino

The Fight to Find the Polio Vaccine

Students: Natalie Shipman, Audrey Groger

School: Genoa Middle School

Teacher: Deanna McDaniel, Lori Howland

 

Senior Group Exhibit

From Flames to Restoration

Students: Erin Findley, Marisa Macioce

School: Huron High School

Teacher: John Harkelroad

Highway Revolution: The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956

Students: Jacob Clellen, Robert Weinberg, Bernat Corcelles

School: Shaker Heights High School

Teacher: Sarah Davis

 

Junior Group Performance

A Geothermal Gem: How Yellowstone Ignited the Way for America's National Parks

Students: Corrado Naples, Yianni Gountis, Nathan Thomas

School: Birchwood School of Hawken

Teacher: Joe Parrino, Todd P Boyer

"When the Sun Came to Earth"

Students: Marcella Morris, Hannah Tedrow

School: Pike Delta York Middle School

Teacher: Jane Foor

 

Senior Group Performance

The Epitome of Counterintelligence and Counterespionage Through Cooperation: The Farewell Dossier

Students: Elizabeth Liu, Radha Pareek

School: Beachwood High School

Teacher: John Perse

Kent State Tragedy: A Turning Point in Anti-War Protests

Students: Charles Griest, Loukas White, Luca Arnoldi, Isaac Hren

School: Shaker Heights High School

Teacher: Sarah Davis

 

Junior Group Website

Shattered Trust: Unveiling the Pivotal Watergate Scandal

Students: Rhea Kumar, Ayah Dinary, Leen Salem

School: Birchwood School of Hawken

Teacher: Joe Parrino, Todd P Boyer

Frida Kahlo: One of the Most Influential Artists Changes History

Students: Sarah Schnadower, Ella Crutcher

School: Walnut Hills High School

Teacher: Michael Cabral

 

Senior Group Website

Unlocking the Mind: How the Publication of Patricia Goldman-Rakic's Scientific Research Marked a Turning Point in Brain Science

Students: Abby Hahnenberg, Kelsey Rogers

School: Shaker Heights High School

Teacher: Joseph Konopinski, Sarah Davis

Criminal of Chastity: Eisenstadt v. Baird on Redefining Privacy and Bodily Autonomy

Students: Scarlet Price, Emma Rush

School: Maysville High School

Teacher: Lance Mcgee

 

Junior Individual Documentary

Burn on Big River: The Cleveland Blaze that Sparked an Environmental Revolution

Students: John Gordon

School: Birchwood School of Hawken

Teacher: Joe Parrino, Todd P Boyer

From Despair to Hope: The Discovery of Insulin that Changed the World

Students: Joshua Thomas

School: Shaker Heights High School

Teacher: Joseph Konopinski

 

Senior Individual Documentary

"It Was Just Cold Blooded Murder, Nothing Else": Bloody Sunday, A Turning Point for Northern Ireland

Students: William Stoepfel

School: Maysville High School

Teacher: Lance Mcgee

Black Hawk Down: A Battle that Changed US Peace Intervention Within African Nations

Students: Qiwen Wu

School: Hawken Upper School

Teacher: Kenneth Clark

 

Junior Individual Exhibit

Martin Luther King Jr.: The Dream Marches On...

Students: Tommy McFarland

School: St. Barnabas School

Teacher: Judith Darus

A Turning Point with Supreme Impact: How Mendez v. Westminster led to Brown v. Board

Students: Stella Eadie

School: Birchwood School of Hawken

Teacher: Joe Parrino, Todd P Boyer

 

Senior Individual Exhibit

Shedding Light on Rural America: Rural Electrification Administration

Students: Grace Rogers

School: Anderson High School

Teacher: Independent Entry

Fission to Fallout: How the Atomic Bomb Changed the World

Students: Lara Sesenoglu-Laird

School: Shaker Heights High School

Teacher: Joseph Konopinski

 

Junior Individual Performance

From Trinkets To Planes: How Charles Martin Hall Freed Aluminum And Alloyed America

Students: Suryan Jain

School: Birchwood School of Hawken

Teacher: Joe Parrino, Todd P Boyer

Robert Oppenheimer and The Manhattan Project.

Students: CJ Hanhauser

School: St. Brendan School

Teacher: Frank O'Grady

 

Senior Individual Performance

The Wonderful Journey to Oz

Students: Grace Cremeans

School: River Valley High School

Teacher: Brent Smith

The Makers of Change; the History of the 19th Amendment and women's suffrage movements

Students: Kaidyn Watson

School: GlenOak High School

Teacher: Angela Wagner

 

Junior Individual Website

Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 and Its Impact on Commercial Aviation

Students: Alaina Appleman

School: St. Francis de Sales

Teacher: Stacey Smith

Manhattan Project

Students: John Mele

School: Notre Dame Elementary School

Teacher: Victoria Thompson

 

Senior Individual Website

Hip Hop Making Strides Toward Equality: How Urban Youth Launched A Global Phenomenon, Altered the Course of African American History

Students: Michael Heard III

School: Toledo Early College

Teacher: Mona Al-Hayani

The Forgotten Child: The Indian Child Welfare Act as a Turning Point in US History

Students: Addien Lewis

School: Western Reserve Academy

Teacher: Sarah Horgan

 

Junior Paper

MP3: The Streaming Format That Turned Up Shareability and Piracy

Students: Kritika Chahar

School: Birchwood School of Hawken

Teacher: Todd P Boyer, Joe Parrino

Brown vs. Board of Education: A Major Victory for the Civil Rights Movement and a Catalyst for Equality in Education

Students: Olivia Zhou

School: Mason Middle School

Teacher: Erin White

 

Senior Paper

Parting the White Cloud of Aotearoa: How the Native Land Acts were a turning point in Maori Chieftain power and land ownership in colonial New Zealand.

Students: Lance Hulme

School: Columbus Academy

Teacher: Tim Morford

The August 1991 Coup: A Turning Point in the Dissolution of the Soviet Union

Students: Omar Elbadawy

School: Hawken Upper School

Teacher: Kenneth Clark