Judging Rules:
- Every effort is made to ensure that judging of the National History Day in Washington competition is fair and accurate. Any student, parent or teacher who wishes to comment upon the judging at the regional or state level shall do so in writing. A response shall be made in writing. No comment shall be made by telephone or through personal contact unless the relevant contest official deems it necessary, in which case the official will initiate or invite the contact. There is no time limit for comments and no limit on the number of written comunications an individual may submit.
- Judging forms will be returned to advancing students at the conclusion of the state contest.
Student Rules:
All rules regarding student projects may be found in the NHD Rulebook.
Spectator Rules: (These rules are for in-person contest.)
In an effort to ensure our student competitors have a fair and fun experience, Washington History Day has enacted the following policies. Please take a few moments and read over them. We thank you in advance for adhering to these policies.
- Please turn off all cell phones while viewing any student projects.
- Refrain from cheering during documentaries and performances. Brief applause at the end is acceptable.
- While walking/waiting in the hallways to view student projects, keep your voices down so as not to disturb the judging process.
- Please do not speak to the judges concerning the judging of your student's project; contact contest officials with any concerns.
- While judging is in progress, stay in your seats and do not interject with your opinions.
- Do not enter a room while judging is in progress.
- Please do not eat in the judging rooms or hallways.
- Judges have absolute authority to remove disruptive individuals from the judging room if they deem it necessary to protect the integrity of the judging process.
- All participants are expected to maintain proper standards of decorum during the event. Individuals who engage in disruptive behavior will be asked to leave the contest area and may be barred from future Washington History Day competitions. If appropriate, venue officials may become involved if unruly spectators refuse to depart or if other participants or property are endangered.
East Puget Sound History Day Contest
About the Contest
National History Day is a fun event that encourages students to become historians by developing research, analysis, presentation and social skills. Working individually or in groups, junior (grades 6-8) and senior (9-12) division students select a topic related to an annual theme. They conduct extensive historical research using primary sources, articles, and books, then distill their research and analysis into a dramatic performance, multimedia documentary, museum exhibit, website, or research paper.
National History Day and its state affiliate Washington History Day provide leading-edge training and curriculum materials to help educators meet and exceed education standards. Annual workshops help educators learn how to adopt National History Day in their classrooms, while also offering strategies that make history education interesting, exciting and fun for students.
Students may choose to compete in the regional contest held in March, entering their project against others in the same division and category. Regional winners advance to the Washington History Day state contest, held in late April or early May. The East Puget Sound Regional Contest serves the Lake Washington, Bellevue and Issaquah School District areas.
Students who finish in first and second place at State in each category go on to the National contest, held in mid-June.
East Puget Sound History Day Contest
What to Expect During the Contest
Students competing in the Paper and Website categories must submit their projects online (in ZFairs) by 9 pm on February 2, 2024. Judging for these categories will be done remotely.
Students competing in the Documentary, Exhibit and Performance categories will be provided a presentation time for the in-person contest at Evergreen Middle School in Redmond.
All students are invited to the awards ceremony at 4 pm at Evergreen Middle School.
East Puget Sound History Day Contest
Judging Expectations
If you have questions about the judging process, please feel free to preview the judging process as outlined in this slideshow. You may also preview judging expectations for each of the five required categories here:
Let us know if you have any questions: Jill Berge (jberge@lwsd.org) or Nicole Kesler (nkesler@lwsd.org). Again, thank you so much for being willing to judge at the contest!