National History Day in New Mexico
The New Mexico Humanities Council has been the proud sponsor of National History Day in New Mexico since the program was introduced in the 1990s, because we believe in the transformative power of this program. We are so proud to support the excellent scholarship that New Mexico students demonstrate.
For complete category rules, please consult the NHD Rule Book
Rule Book in English
Rule Book in Spanish
Find the official NHD Rule Book and theme related materials here.
In New Mexico:
- A school may enter 4 projects in any given category and division (4 junior individual exhibits, 4 junior group exhibits, etc.) to a regional contest.
- Each teacher nominates one group project and one individual project to advance as an honorable mention if no other projects from that school advance.
- The top three projects from each category and division, as well as any qualifying honorable mentions, advance from the regional contest to the state contest April 6.
- If a school finds it a hardship to compete in the regional contests (due to distance), they may hold a school fair and advance the top three winners in each category directly to state. Contact your regional coordinator for details.
National History Day in New Mexico
The New Mexico Humanities Council has been the proud sponsor of National History Day in New Mexico since the program was introduced in the 1990s because we believe in the transformative power of this program. We are so proud to support the excellent scholarship that New Mexico students demonstrate.
For news about NHD in New Mexico, please follow us on Facebook and subscribe to the New Mexico Humanities Council newsletter by clicking on this link and filling out the form.
During the Contest
Students, teachers and the public should report to the main building of the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. Registration will be in the lobby.
Please be considerate of judging and keep noise to a minimum in the hallways. Performances and documentaries are open to the public. All judging takes place in the main building, and attendees are encouraged to tour the facilities. Visitors should bring a sack lunch.
Awards ceremony will start at about 2:30 pm.
Judge Criteria
National History Day is an exciting academic enrichment program which promotes the study of history. These young historians develop research papers, exhibits, documentaries, websites and performances based on topics for this year's theme: Conflict and Compromise in History. Participating in National History Day helps address the Common Core State Standards comprehensively.
As a judge, you are critical to the contest, as you will be giving students a chance to talk about their research and work as well as giving them written constructive feedback. Students use this feedback to improve their projects after each contest on their way to Nationals in June. There are three divisions: Youth, Junior and Senior. The Youth Division is 4th and 5th graders; the Junior Division is comprised of middle school students, grades 6-8. The Senior Division is comprised of high school students, grades 9-12. Projects for all categories can be completed individually or by a group, with the exception of Papers.
If you are judging websites or papers, you will receive the entries about two weeks prior to the contest. All other entries are judged onsite on the contest date. After speaking to the students, each set of judges will confer to decide an order ranking of the entries.
Judges work on a team and are required to reach consensus on ranking and on recommending special prizes. First place and second place winners will be eligible to compete at the National contest, with the third place winner as a runner up.