All students are responsible for reading and following the Contest Rule Book. Click here to access the rule book.
Michigan History Day (MHD), an educational program of the Historical Soc
iety of Michigan, is a yearlong educational program that encourages students to explore local, state, national, and world history. After selecting a historical topic that relates to the annual theme, students conduct extensive research by using libraries, archives, museums, and oral history interviews. They analyze and interpret their findings, draw conclusions about their topics’ significance in history, and create final projects in one of five categories: documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website. The experience culminates in a series of contests at the local level which progress to our state competition. Winning competitors are eligible to move on to the National History Day competition held each June!
Please visit hsmichigan.org/mhd for more information.
This is a basic schedule of events. More detailed information will be available the week of the contest.
8 a.m. - Exhibit student registration opens
8:30 a.m. - Student registration opens for all other categories. (Students should plan on registering about 30 minutes before their scheduled judge time. Judge times will be shared during the week before the contest.)
9:30 a.m. - Judging begins. Most category judging will be finished by 11:30 or noon.
3:30 or 4 p.m. - Awards Ceremony
Food will be available for purchase throughout the day at UC Bovee. There will also be presentations, tours, and museums/exhibits open for the public to enjoy.
Judging Criteria
History Day relies on consensus judging. That means that instead of giving entries numeric scores, our judge teams will rank projects in their categories. Judges will judge entries according to the following criteria:
Historical Quality (80%)
- Historical argument
- Theme
- Wide research
- Primary sources
- Historical context
- Multiple perspectives
- Historical Accuracy
- Significance in history
Clarity of Presentation (20%)
- This varies from category to category, but in general, how you use the tools of your category to present your research, argument, and the historical significance of your topic.
- Student voice
All entries must conform to the general rules:
- Students can only participate in one project per year.
- Entries must be researched and developed during the current contest year.
- Students are responsible for the research, design, and creation of their entry.
- Students must provide an annotated bibliography as well as a process paper of no more than 500 worlds.
In addition, each category has its own specific rules. Click here for the evaluation rubric for each category.