National History Day (NHD) is a yearlong, nonprofit education program dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of history in elementary and secondary schools. The program makes history every day by giving young Americans an appreciation of their heritage and teaching them essential skills that will help them succeed in college and the workplace. The program received the Charles Frankel Prize for public programming from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

National History Day makes history come alive for participating students. The NHD student competition is the nation’s oldest and most highly regarded history program for students in grades 6-12. This academic challenge engages more than half a million students annually.

National History Day is one of the rare programs that helps students refine critical thinking and research skills used in all subject areas. For more than 25 years, NHD has promoted systemic educational reform related to teaching and learning in America’s schools.

National History Day provides teachers with leading-edge training and curriculum materials to help educators exceed education standards. The NHD program rewards innovation and interdisciplinary approaches in the classroom. Millions of students have participated in NHD and have gone on to careers in business, law, medicine, teaching and countless other disciplines where they are putting into practice the skills and knowledge gained through NHD.

National History Day joined with the White House and the National Archives to create Our Documents, a history, civics and service education initiative. The initiative revolves around 100 milestone documents in American history, from the Lee Resolution of 1776 to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and it encourages all Americans to participate in our democracy.