More Than 200 Tennessee Students Participate in Annual History Day Competition
Recently, 217 students from across the Volunteer State participated in the 2025 Tennessee History Day Competition; at stake was a chance to represent Tennessee at National History Day later this summer.
The annual competition is co-sponsored by the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office. This year’s Tennessee History Day produced 65 winners in the following categories: documentary, exhibit, performance, website, and papers.
“Congratulations to this year’s winners and all who participated in the 2025 Tennessee History Day,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett. “Through this powerful platform, our future leaders have a unique opportunity to explore, learn, and grow. Tennessee History Day also gives them a greater appreciation for some of our earliest citizens and how they helped pave the way for us, our communities, and this state.”
Students who placed first or second in their respective categories at Tennessee History Day on April 5 now advance to the National History Day® (NHD) Contest. This national event takes place June 8 through June 12 in College Park, Maryland.
“I am consistently impressed by the perspectives and research shared by our Tennessee students! Each one has become an expert in their chosen topic through critical analysis of sources and developing an argument,” said Nikki Ward, state coordinator of Tennessee History Day. “They are a credit to both themselves and their educators.”
This year’s theme invited students to examine rights and responsibilities in history. Using this theme as inspiration, over half a million students nationwide have been creating projects in the five categories to compete in regional and affiliate-level contests to potentially reach June’s national competition.
National History Day began in 1974 in Cleveland, Ohio, to encourage students to analyze historical events and draw conclusions about their societal impact. Dr. David Van Tassel, a Case Western Reserve University professor, founded NHD following his rising concern about lagging history education. Fifty years later, NHD’s work continues beyond the National Contest, with teacher workshops and educational materials available each year.
For more information about the Tennessee History Day competition, including a list of winners and award photos, please visit: https://tennesseehistory.org/tennessee-history-day/state-contest/.
