General Contest Rules
The maximum number of students allowed in a group entry for Exhibits, Documentaries, Websites, or Performances?
What is 5 students? (Groups can consist of 2 to 5 students).
The strict word count limit for an NHD Process Paper?
What is 500 words or fewer?
The word limit on the process paper.
What is 500 words?
True or False: In the Exhibit category, quotes, footnotes, or source citations count toward the 500-word limit for student-composed words.
What is false? (Brief source citations, credit lines, and direct quotes from primary or secondary sources do not count toward the student-composed word limit).
True or False: An NHD project must be able to stand on its own without requiring student explanation during the judge interview.
Answer: What is True?
True or False: A student can participate in multiple entries in the same contest year as long as they are in different categories.
What is False? (Students may participate in only one entry per contest year).
Citations in an NHD Annotated Bibliography must be separated into these two categories:
What are Primary Sources and Secondary Sources?
The student-composed word limit for Exhibit boards?
What is 500 words maximum?
True or False: Costumes are permitted in the Exhibition area.
What is False? (Costumes are only allowed in the performance arena.)
Are teachers or parents allowed to assist students in setting up props or exhibit boards inside the judging room?
What is No? (Students must perform all setup entirely on their own, though adults can help carry items to the room).
True or False: Live animals are permitted to be part of an entry or brought into the contest area if they are relevant to the historical topic.
What is False? (Live animals are strictly prohibited from all NHD competition areas, with exceptions made only for official service animals).
This element must be included in each bibliographic citation to explain how the source was used and how it helped the student understand the topic.
What is an Annotation?
How long performance groups get for setup and removal of props before and after their 10-minute performance.
What is 5 minutes to set up and 5 minutes to take down?
True or False: At NHD, you are evaluated on how nice your display board looks.
True or False: During the judges interview, students present a prepared oral speech or formal presentation.
False (The interview is a casual Q&A led by the judges; formal presentations are not permitted).
The consequence if a student reuses or revises a project created in a previous contest year?
What is Disqualification?
Two key written components must accompany almost every NHD entry category?
What are the Process Paper and Annotated Bibliography?
The maximum time limit for an NHD Documentary or Performance
What is 10 minutes?
Maximum multimedia (optional) total run time on a website.
What is less than three minutes?
True or False: Judges evaluate entries using letter grades (A, B, C) on the evaluation rubrics.
What is False? (Judges use performance levels such as Not Evident, Novice, Developing, Proficient, and Exemplary to assess historical quality and presentation).
The division that students in 6th through 8th grade compete in at National History Day?
What is the Junior Division?
Format citations must take in an NHD Annotated Bibliography
What is MLA?
The maximum amount of student-composed visible words allowed on an NHD Website entry
What is 1,200 words?
True or False: In the Documentary category, 50 percent of the runtime must be dedicated to student voiceover versus third-party media or clips.
What is none? / There is no rule setting a specific percentage for narration versus media, provided the overall project complies with general word and time limits.
True or False: If an entry exceeds the time or word limit, judges will disqualify the project on the spot.
False (Only official contest coordinators have the authority to disqualify an entry; judges note rule compliance on the rubric, which affects the entry's evaluation).