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

down arrow right arrow

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!

image

Sample Projects

down arrow right arrow

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

down arrow right arrow

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 the2025 Submission Guide

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

down arrow right arrow
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

down arrow right arrow

2025 Region 1 Contest Results

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 8, 2025 | Bowling Green State University

Registration Dates and Fees:

  • Registration Deadline: Fri., February 22, 2025
  • Submission Deadline: Fri., February 22, 2025
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 2

down arrow right arrow

2025 Region 2 Contest Results

Counties:
Ashland, Crawford, Erie, Huron, Marion, Morrow, Ottawa, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, Wyandot
Register Here

Coordinator:

Alex 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:Fri., March 5, 2025
  • Submission Deadline: Wed., March 14, 2025
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 3

down arrow right arrow

2025 Region 3 Contest Results

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: Fri., January 31, 2025
  • Late Registration Deadline: Fri., February 14, 2025
  • Submission Deadline: Fri., February 14, 2025
  • Registration Fee: $10 | Late Registration: $15

Region 4

down arrow right arrow

2025 Region 4 Contest Results

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: Sat., March 8, 2025
  • Submission Deadline: Sat., March 15, 2025
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 5

down arrow right arrow

2025 Region 5 Contest Results

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: Wed., February 12, 2025
  • Submission Deadline: Fri., February 21, 2025
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 6

down arrow right arrow

2025 Region 6 Contest Results

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 8, 2025 | Capital Square

Registration Dates and Fees

  • Registration Deadline: Tues., February 18, 2025
  • Submission Deadline: Mon., February 24, 2025
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 7

down arrow right arrow

2025 Region 7 Contest Results

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: Fri., February 21, 2025
  • Submission Deadline: Sat., March 1, 2025
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 8

down arrow right arrow

2025 Region 8 Contest Results

Counties:
Adams, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton, Highland, Warren
Register Here

Coordinator:
Tony Lawson
Cincinnati Museum Center
1301 Western Ave.
Cincinnati, 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: Sat., February 22, 2025
  • Submission Deadline: Wed., March 5, 2025
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 9

down arrow right arrow

2025 Region 9 Contest Results

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: Fri., February 14, 2025
  • Submission Deadline: Fri., February 21, 2025
  • Registration Fee: $10

Region 10

down arrow right arrow

2025 Region 10 Contest Results

Counties:
Belmont, Coshocton, Guernsey, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Washington
Register Here

Coordinator:
Alex 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: Wed., February 5, 2025
  • Submission Deadline: Fri., February 14, 2025
  • Registration Fee: $10

State Contest

The 2025 State Contest will take place in-person on Saturday, April 26, 2025 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 below.

 

Got questions? Reach out to the Ohio History Day team at [email protected].

tab-arrow

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.

tab-arrow

2025 State Contest Results

The award ceremony for the 2025 State Contest was held directly after the competition on April 26 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!

tab-arrow

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 8 through Thurs., June 12, 2025

Ohio's 2025 National Contest Results

tab-arrow

2025 National Contest Results

60 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. We are so proud of our Ohio Delegation!

2025 National Contest Results for Ohio

2025 Full National Results

Special Awards & Showcases

down arrow right arrow

2025 National Contest

Special Award Winner

Untold Stories in US History
Students: Jerry Jiang and Samuel Chen
Project Title: Bigotry at the Beach: Unequal Rights and Denied Responsibilities of the Euclid Beach Park Riots
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joseph Parrino

Exhibit Showcase

Students: Bridget Barragate, Demi Burke, Ellie White and Zoeya Chowdhry
Project Title: Plyler v. Doe: Education Without Borders
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Joseph Konopinski, Sarah Davis

Documentary Showcase

Students: Joshua Chen, Joshua Gordon and Joshua Thomas
Project Title: The Capitol Crawl: Fighting for Disability Rights One Step at a Time
School: St. Ignatius High School
Teacher: Joe Ptak

Outstanding Entries

down arrow right arrow

2025 National Contest

Junior Division

Students: Bodi and Gabe Elliott
Project Title: Drawing Change: Charles Schultz, Franklin, and Responsibility in the Fight
for Civil Rights
School: Bishop Flaget Middle/High School
Teacher: Dana Wiseman

Senior Division

Students: Elizabeth Liu, Lyndia Zheng and Shreya Chellu
Project Title: Truth on Trial: The Legacy of Elizabeth Loftus
School: Independent Entry

 

Ohio Affiliate National Qualifiers

down arrow right arrow

2025 National Contest Qualifiers

Junior Group Documentary
Students: Bodi and Gabe Elliott
Project Title: Drawing Change: Charles Schultz, Franklin, and Responsibility in the Fight
for Civil Rights
School: Bishop Flaget Middle/High School
Teacher: Dana Wiseman

Students: Danah Jang and Tzurielle Parrino
Project Title: A Responsible Patriot: John Adams and the Rights of Redcoats
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joseph Parrino

Senior Group Documentary

Students: Joshua Chen, Joshua Gordon and Joshua Thomas
Project Title: The Capitol Crawl: Fighting for Disability Rights One Step at a Time
School: St. Ignatius High School
Teacher: Joe Ptak

Students: Tommy Harkelroad and Will Ferenczy
Project Title: The World's Champion: How Muhammad Ali’s Views on War and Equality Impacted the World
School: Huron High School
Teacher: John Harkelroad

Junior Group Exhibit
Students: Ingrid Hegley and Ziva Botkin
Project Title: The Anthem that Inspired the World
School: Dominion Middle School
Teacher: Lauren Noble

Students: Jerry Jiang and Samuel Chen
Project Title: Bigotry at the Beach: Unequal Rights and Denied Responsibilities of the Euclid Beach Park Riots
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joseph Parrino

Senior Group Exhibit
Students: Olivia Panciu and Sophia Panciu
Project Title: The Right to Vote: How the 19th Amendment Transformed Democracy
School: Independent Entry

Students: Bridget Barragate, Demi Burke, Ellie White and Zoeya Chowdhry
Project Title: Plyler v. Doe: Education Without Borders
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Joseph Konopinski, Sarah Davis

Junior Group Performance
Students: Pearl Zhu, Saira Kakumanu and Virginia Bardwell
Project Title: The Glow of Justice: Rights and Responsibilities of the Radium Girls
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joseph Parrino

Students: Corrado Naples, Nathan Thomas and Yianni Gountis
Project Title: Pieces of the Parthenon: How the Elgin Marbles Carved Controversy Between the Rights and Responsibilities of Cultural Artifacts
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joseph Parrino

Senior Group Performance
Students: Elizabeth Liu, Lyndia Zheng and Shreya Chellu
Project Title: Truth on Trial: The Legacy of Elizabeth Loftus
School: Independent Entry

Students: Nan Auten and Penda Gassama
Project Title: I Speak as an American
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Sarah Davis

Junior Group Website
Students: Henry Petric-Black and Viyan Kshettry
Project Title: Ramp It Up! How the ADA Was Responsible for Granting Rights to Millions of Americans with Disabilities
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joseph Parrino

Students: Niko Constantinou and Noah DeLuca
Project Title: From Profit to Protection: How Ralph Nader Championed Consumer Rights and Pressured the Auto Industry into Responsibility
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joseph Parrino

Senior Group Website
Students: Emma Rush and Scarlet Price
Project Title: Blood Sisters, Roll Up Your Sleeves!: Lesbian Community Action in Spite of Government Inaction During the AIDS Crisis
School: Maysville High School
Teacher: Lance Mcgee

Students: Ayat Jaffar, Leanne Zheng, Leen Akras and Linchang Zhao
Project Title: Printing Rights: How Black Newspapers Advocated for Justice in the Jim Crow South
School: Hawken Upper School
Teacher: Kenneth Clark

Junior Individual Documentary
Student: Pricilla Fernandes
Project Title: How Students Changed History: The East LA Walkouts of 1968
School: Genoa Middle School
Teacher: Sara Benge

Student: Gabriel Heard
Project Title: Nina Simone: Enforcing the Power of the Human Voice (The Power to Make a Change)
School: Toledo Early College
Teacher: Allison Edler

Senior Individual Documentary
Student: Will Stoepfel
Project Title: Coal Run: A Half-Century Struggle for Clean Water
School: Maysville High School
Teacher: Lance Mcgee

Student: Thomas Worley
Project Title: Beyond the Diamond: How Roberto Clemente Inspired the Next Generation
School: Shaker Heights High School
Teacher: Sarah Davis

Junior Individual Exhibit
Student: Jaxon Brobst
Project Title: The Ford Pinto Dilemma: Corporate Responsibility vs. Consumer Rights
School: Toledo Technology Academy
Teacher: Katerina Asmus

Student: Mira Patel
Project Title: Excavating Rights and Remains: The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joseph Parrino

Senior Individual Exhibit
Student: Jonathan Pratt
Project Title: Cleveland Public Schools: The Fight For Integration
School: Lutheran West High School
Teacher: Dave Ressler

Student: Clare Park
Project Title: Social Security Act: Rights of People and Responsibility of the Government
School: Jerome High School
Teacher: Mary Bezbatchenko

Junior Individual Performance
Student: Zora Asalu
Project Title: Resilient Like a Raisin in the Sun: How Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis Dramatized Theatre to Advance Civil Rights for African-Americans
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joseph Parrino

Student: Rockam Parrino
Project Title: Howard Lyman: A Mad Cowboy Takes Responsibility for Livestock Rights and Healthy Living
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joseph Parrino

Senior Individual Performance
Student: Greyson Hearing
Project Title: Disney's Neglect: How "Song of the South" Distorted the Legacy of the Uncle Remus Story
School: Maysville High School
Teacher: Lance Mcgee

Junior Individual Website
Student: Jana Alzoubi
Project Title: Rupture and Restoration in the Balkans: How the United Nations Took On the Responsibility to Secure Bosnian Rights
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joseph Parrino

Student: Nelson Kude
Project Title: United States v. Johnson and the Sherley Amendment: Rights and Responsibility in Drug Labeling
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joseph Parrino

Senior Individual Website
Student: Calvin Lei
Project Title: Ignored Warnings, Lost Lives: NASA’s Responsibility in the Challenger Disaster
(1986)
School: Hawken Upper School
Teacher: Kenneth Clark

Student: Yunwoo Choi
Project Title: Medgar Evers: Igniting a Unified World
School: Western Reserve Academy
Teacher: Sarah Horgan

Junior Paper
Student: Chrysanthi Constantinou
Project Title: Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier and Rights v. Responsibilities: Student Journalists Put Their Foot in a Closing Schoolhouse Gate
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joseph Parrino

Student: Sofia Sideris
Project Title: Downstream Consequences: Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and the Irresponsible Use of D.D.T.
School: Birchwood School of Hawken
Teacher: Joseph Parrino

Senior Paper
Student: Omar Elbadawy
Project Title: The Lane Seminary Rebels: Balancing Rights and Responsibility in the Fight for Abolition and Free Speech
School: Hawken Upper School
Teacher: Kenneth Clark

Student: Victor Wang
Project Title: The Dawn of Diverse Drug Clinical Trials
School: Western Reserve Academy
Teacher: Sarah Horgan