You can find the full National History Day rulebook here. 

FAIR USE: The use of copyrighted material for your project falls under the Fair Use doctrine, which identifies educational use for non-commercial purposes as acceptable with certain limitations. You should not place your project in a non-academic public setting, such as a commercial Internet site, without obtaining permission from the copyright owner. Read more here. 

PLAGIARISM: Presenting the work or ideas of others in ways that give the impression that they are your own (copying information word-for-word without using both quotations and citations, paraphrasing an author’s ideas without proper attribution, or using visuals or music without giving proper credit). Plagiarism in any form will result in disqualification from the contest. Not sure if you cited everything correctly? Check out this helpful guide.  

RULE INFRACTION: A violation of any of the rules stated in this Contest Rule Book. Judges will take any rule infractions into consideration in their final rankings. Failure to comply with the rules will count against your entry but will only result in disqualification as delineated below. Any rule infractions should be corrected before a winning entry competes in the next level of competition.

DISQUALIFICATION: Removal of an entry from competition. A project may be disqualified from the contest on three grounds:

1. Plagiarizing all or part of the NHD project. Please note that failing to give proper credit is plagiarism.

2. Reusing, individually or as a group, a project (or research from a project) from a previous year, or entering a project in multiple contests or entry categories within a contest year.

3. Tampering with any part of the project of another student.

Maryland History Day

Influencing the future through discovering the past.

For middle and high school students who participate, Maryland History Day sparks critical thinking, and helps develop skills in research and analysis, writing, and public speaking.

Working solo or in small groups, students create original documentaries, exhibits, performances, research papers or websites exploring a breadth of historical topics within an annual theme. Students progress through competitions at the school, district, state, and national levels. Students from public, private, home and cyber schools are welcome to participate. 

 A Program of Maryland Humanities

Maryland Humanities is a statewide nonprofit organization that creates and supports educational experiences in the humanities that inspire all Marylanders to embrace lifelong learning, exchange ideas openly, and enrich their communities. For more information, visit www.mdhumanities.org. Maryland Humanities is generously supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the State of Maryland, private foundations, corporations, small businesses, and individual donors.

  A PROGRAM OF   

Maryland History Day 2024 Contest Schedule

May 4, 2024, at UMBC
Schedule will be released in advance of the contest.