At its core, Virginia History Day is a historical research project. Students select a topic in history they are interested in and relate it to a yearly theme. There are no limits on topics; local, state, national, and world history are all welcome. Students then conduct primary and secondary source research and present their findings in one of five presentation categories: Paper, Exhibit, Documentary, Performance, or Website. Students may then enter their projects into History Day competitions at the district, state, and national levels.
Eligibility
All Virginia students in grades 4-12 are eligible to participate in VHD. This includes public, private, and home schools. We welcome students to participate even if their school does not. For any eligibility questions, please reach out to the Sam Florer, VHD State Coordinator.
Costs
All VHD program material and administrative support is provided for free, regardless if students enter a VHD contest. Most contests have nominal registration fees, ranging from $5 to $25. There may be additional project material and travel costs to consider depending on individual circumstances. However, we do not want costs to be a barrier for anyone to participate, so please reach out to the Sam Florer, VHD State Coordinator with any financial concerns.
2025 NHD Theme
The 2025 NHD theme is Rights and Responsibilities in History. Every student must make a connection between this theme and their topic. The themes that are chosen are broad, allowing students to research topics on all levels from local history to ancient history. In order to draw a connection to the theme, students must understand the historical significance of their topic and answer questions about time, place, and context. Understanding the impact and significance of the topic will help define why the topic is important and draw this connection to the theme.
For additional information about this year’s theme, check out NHD’s website for additional resources.
Age Divisions and Project Categories
When entering contests, students compete against their peers. The three age divisions are:
- Elementary - Grades 4 and 5
- Junior - Grades 6-8
- Senior - Grades 9-12
NEW for the 2025 contest season, Elementary Division students may now compete in the Performance category, either as an individual or group. All regular NHD Performance category rules apply, except: students do NOT need to annotate their bibliographies. Elementary Division students are also eligible to compete in the Exhibit category, as either an individual or group. All regular NHD Exhibit category rules apply, except: students do NOT need to annotate their bibliographies.
In the Junior and Senior Divisions, students may compete in one of nine categories, either as an individual or in a group of up to 5 students. For more information about each category, click here.
- Individual Documentary
- Group Documentary
- Individual Exhibit
- Group Exhibit
- Individual Performance
- Group Performance
- Group Websites
- Individual Website
- Paper (individuals only)
District Contests - NEW for the 2025 Season
Please take note of recent changes to district contest boundaries. The list and map below are now in effect. Students interested in competing must first enter their local district contest. Details will be on the registration form for each district. To register, click on the name of your district in the table below. Make sure to register by the deadline and submit all signature forms and payment to the appropriate District Coordinator. Finalists from each district will advance to the VHD State Contest.
