What is the New York City History Day contest?
New York City History Day is the regional contest for National History Day (NHD), a program that provides over half a million students each year the opportunity to excel at historical research, interpretation and creative expression. The 2023 NYCHD Contest will be hybrid. Papers, Documentaries, and Websites will be judged virtually. Performances and Exhibits will be judged in-person at Brooklyn Public Library's Central Branch on February 12, 2023.
New York City History Day invites entries in the junior (middle school) and senior (high school) divisions for the following categories:
- Shirley Chisholm: Championing Domestic Workers through Debate and Diplomacy by Joanna Fabian, Lorenzo Guaman, Maria Manouselakis, Cecilia McConnaughy, and Ariana Mendez, New York
- FDR and REA: Bright Light and Power to Rural America by Sophia Alleman, Ohio
Physical Exhibits
- "B" is for Breaking Barriers: How Sesame Street Revolutionized Children’s Television and Education by ThaoNhi Tran, Clarisse Cabagay, Ayumi Vazquez, Izumi Vazquez; Texas
- Coco Chanel’s Unraveling of the Corset by Melinda Rolls and Abbigail Cote, New Hampshire
Digital Exhibits
- The Oxnard Strikes of 1903: Breaking Barriers of Racial Representation in the Work Force by Yashas Mattur, Anthony Noce, Ankit Rath
- Julia Child: Redefining American Gender Roles One Boeuf Bourguignon At a Time by Natalie Harris and Anna Turney
- Not Your Model Minority: Breaking Barriers in the Asian-American Movement by Felicia Xiao, Ohio
- The Enemy of the Knife: Confronting the US Government’s Sterilization of Native Americans in the 1970s by Sophia Shepherd, Georgia
- Route 66: The Road of Possibilitiesby Jack Anderson, Jader Briggs, Daytona Foley, Logan Smith & Megan Swancutt
- Black, White and Blue: Vivien Thomas and the Cure for Blue Baby Syndrome by Jasmine Hughley
- Feminists in Flight: Exploring Gender Equality at 32,000 Feetby Sophia Burick & Kelly McDonald
- China's Surge into Silk: The Exploration, Encounter, and Exchange of the Silk Road by Tigan Donaldson & Brian Ely
All categories allow individual or group (up to five students) entries, with the exception of the paper category which only allows individual entries. Send your students to our video page to hear from experts in each category.
Each school may promote three projects per category per division (including three group and three individual entries in the same category). Schools with more History Day projects that wish to run their own school-wide contest to decide on NYC contest entries may be in touch with us at nychd@bklynlibrary.org for ideas on planning a school contest.
Contest Timeline
Rule and Information Handbooks
Engage in Professional Development workshops
Attend our CTLE-awarding events for educators! Find them here.
NYCHD Booklet
Everything you ever wanted to know about this year's contest is in one convenient place! Check out our comprehensive booklet and download it so you have a one-stop resource for all your History Day questions.
Click here
Check out our new Educator Handbook for NYCHD
Click here to download a copy | Check out the corresponding student workbook
Watch and learn!
Visual learner? We've got a page full of videos about each project category and more.
Watch here
Get in touch
Send an email to NYC History Day.