Hundreds of students throughout the region participate in the annual National History Day competition. The History Center is proud to be the regional home for this competition, which serves students from Allegheny, Washington, Greene, Fayette, Westmoreland, and Somerset counties.
National History Day draws upon a unique historical theme each year and encourages middle school and high school students to research history in an exciting and creative way. Either individually or in groups, students create exhibits, produce documentaries, write papers, design websites, or stage performances.
Each activity is judged, and first, second, and third place winners move on to the state competition of National History Day Pennsylvania. The top winners from the state competition then move onto the national competition.
Stay Tuned for National History Day Pittsburgh 2023!
Theme:
Frontiers in History: Peoples, Places, Ideas
Competition:
Junior Division: Saturday, March 18, 2023
Senior Division: Sunday, March 19, 2023
2022 NHD Winners:
Junior Category Award Winners
Junior Group Documentary
First Place
Healing the Wounds of War: Grant’s Diplomacy at Appomattox and the Reunification of the United States.
Ryan Kent, Ian Porter, Caleb Steele, Landon Vaccaro
Second Place
Debating Freedom of the Press in a Time of War: General Meade and the Cropsey Affair.
Cass Fronzaglio, Evan Mesco, Logan Miller, Isabella Williams
Third Place
A “Current” Event: Tesla, Edison and the War to Power a Nation.
Maddie Grisnik, Nina Luckowski
Runner-Up
The Compromise of 1850: An Attempt at Peace between the North and South. 12002.
Fiona Casale, Sanika Das
Junior Individual Documentary
First Place
Debating John Brown: Terrorist or Martyr
Emma White
Second Place
What We Have Here is Failure to Communicate: The Hatfield and McCoy Feud and the Epilogue of the Civil War
Isabella Williams
Third Place
Rachel Carson and the DDT Debate
Elsa Bandli
Runner Up
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850: Failed Diplomacy and the Debate for Soul of the Nation
Levi Barkley
Junior Paper
First Place
A “Spirited” Debate: The Whiskey Rebellion and the Diplomatic Gesture that Established Federal Supremacy
Keighan Owens
Second Place
Hope on the Waters: The Debate and Diplomacy of Indo-Pakistani Water Allocation
Humna Anzaar
Third Place
Steel City Diplomacy
Cassandra Lofgren
Runner Up
The Road to a More Perfect Union: Debate, Diplomacy, and the Creation of the National Road
Heidi Beitler
Junior Individual Website
First Place
The XYZ Affair, Debate and Diplomacy Between France and the United States
Ryan Noir
Second Place
Treaty of Versailles
Scarlett Zolnac
Third Place
Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921: The Start of Success in Separation
Connor Seaman
Fourth Place
The Never-ending Debate: Ratifying the Constitution (4th place)
Cade Kubistek
Junior Group Website
First Place
Treaty of Versailles: The Spark that Set Off World War II
Avanish Manthena, Dan Mano, Tejas Palukuri, Arnav Bonigala
Second Place
The Founding and Development of the United States Treasury
Mallory Ammerman, Evelyn Lawler, Avery Mills
Third Place
Furman v. Georgia: Life on the Line
Kendall Hammer, Madeline Shelton, Aesha Mehta, Soleille Green
Fourth Place
Thirteen Days
Max Cochenour and Michael Kotlar
Junior Group Performances
First Place
A Distilled Debate: Gangsters, Flappers, and the Diplomatic Struggle of Prohibition
Alison Metz, Ally Peden, Kelsey Roskovich, Grace Ruschak
Second Olace
Child Labor Laws
John Anker, Benjamin Kvocak, Joshua Underwood
Junior Individual Performances
First Place
Wally Funk in Space: At the Center of the Debate about Women in Space
Gabriella Luisi
Second Place
Remember the Ladies: How Abigail Adams’ Written and Spoken Debates Impacted American Diplomacy for Womens Rights
Emma Bates
Third Place
Marie Antoinette: The Debate and Scandal Behind the French Revolution
Kelsey Neill
Runner Up
Dignity but Dainty
Rebecca Danovich
Junior Group Exhibit
First Place
Picasso’s Guernica
Chelsie Clydesdale, Zachariah Meyers
Second Place
“A National Blessing” or “More Dangerous Than Standing Armies”-The National Bank Debate and Economic Diplomacy
Melanie Brown, Ella Thomas
Third Place
Cuban Missile Crisis
Aishwarya Anand, Adarsh Medipalli
Fourth Place
Debating the Bomb: How the Close of WWII Ushered in the Atomic Age
Haley Amprim, Joy Johnson, Cydney Mathers, Sarah Shenouda
Junior Individual Exhibit
First Place
Fight to Vote
Eliza Kuzy
Second Place
Debating the Truth: The Diplomacy of John Adams in the Boston Massacre Trial
London Kalakewich
Third Place
19th Amendment
Regan Lynch
Runner Up
Cuban Missile Crisis
Landon Stambaugh
Junior Special Award Winners
The King Family Awards provide cash prizes for both students and teachers who have won first, second, or third place in the Historical Papers category and to all first place winners and their teachers in the Junior and Senior Divisions.
Congratulations to our Junior King Award student winners!
Cassandra Lofgren, Humna Anzaar, Keighan Owens, Emma White, Ryan Kent, Ian Porter, Caleb Steele, Landon Vacarro, Ryan Noir, Avanish Manthena, Dan Mano, Tejas Palukuri, Arnav Bonigala, Eliza Kuzy, Chelsie Clydesdale, Zacharia Meyers, Gabriella Luisi, Alison Metz, Ally Peden, Kelsey Roskovich, Grace Ruschak
Congratulations to our Junior King Award teacher winners!
Ross Farmer, Andrew Tressler, Joe Bailey, Lisa Donovan, Rebecca Bowman, Dan Taylor
The Pennsylvania Council for Social Studies presents one Junior Division and one senior Division award annually for the most outstanding local history entry in individual exhibit. The award of $50 in each division is in recognition of Dr. Eugene Levy past professor of History at CMU and initiator of History Day in Western Pennsylvania and Mr. Leo West long time champion of Social Studies Education in Western Pennsylvania.
Congratulations to our Local History Award Winner: Madeline Prather
Senior Winners
Senior Group Website
First Place
The Ups and Downs of British Trade Unions and their Development
Tyer Aftanas, Eli DeVita, Luke Huffman, Dino Yario
Second Place
Formation of the United States
Toby Green, Cohen Hoolahan, Jack Loughren, Isaac Versaw
Third Place
Race for Space: Mission to the Moon
Gianna Portera, Riley Russell, Charles Untalan
Senior Individual Website
First Place
First Ladies: Debate and Diplomacy Behind the Scenes
Katherine Yanni
Second Place
Entry # 27004
A Pact Shrouded in Secrecy: The Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
Brady Daughtery
Third Place
Palestine against Britain and Zionism: Britain’s Changing Motives on Palestine
Braeden Casto
Runner Up
The Treaty of Versailles: The Most Unwise Diplomatic Decision Ever.
James Favo
Senior Individual Documentary
First Place
“The “Invisible Olympians”: How Cold War Diplomacy Fueled the Debate Over the 1980 Olympic Boycott”
Yunjoe Chang
Second Place
“Debate over Title IX, equaling access for women in sports”
Ashlea Phillips
Senior Group Documentaries
First Place
Peace at Camp David: New Beginnings Between Enemies
Christopher O’Toole, Levi Roupas, Noah Vespi
Second Place
Debate, Diplomacy and Failure: The Revolutionary Failure of the Carlisle Peace Commission
Sofia Emanuele, Rosalie Krusinski
Third Place
Love Canal: An American Travesty
Rocco Cecere, Paul Domhoff, Tyler Green, Georgia Tsambis
Fourth Place
De Welt Krieg: The Inevitable War
Johnny Bertucci, Quinn Fischer, Drew Hunter, Drew Ogrodowski
Senior Paper
First Place
Diplomacy for People: How Frances Perkins Shaped Landmark Social Legislation of the New Deal
Lilianna Hug
Second Place
The Freeway Riots
Zachary Hymson
Senior Group Performances
First Place
Secrets of 1945: Behind the Scenes of Postdam
Chiara Brun, Molly Morrissey
Second Place
The Trial of Hermann Goering
Riley Blatz, Sofia Izaguirre, Evelyn Maiman, Abigail Marion, Quan Tian
Senior Individual Exhibits
First Place
The Helsinki Accords
Rishi Mukherjee
Second Place
Devastation and Determination: The Iron Hostage Crisis
Simon Meals
Third Place
Diplomacy at the Brink: The Cuban Missile Crisis
Billie Mitchell
Senior Group Exhibits
First Place
The Ten Letters of Promises
Lily Bauer, Lily Hood
Second Place
Honor Before Family: The Willy-Nicky Telegrams
Genevieve Kadylak, Katerina Tsambis
Third Place
Broken Compromises and Shattered Dreams: The Violation of Native American Rights and Treaties by the US Government
John Westwood, Trenton Wood
Runner Up
Turkish Delight and Cuban Cigars: The Disarming of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Renton Biondich, Brody Deem
Senior Special Award Winners
The King Family Awards provide cash prizes for both students and teachers who have won first, second, or third place in the Historical Papers category and to all first place winners and their teachers in the Junior and Senior Divisions.
Congratulations to our Senior King Award student winners!
Zachary Hymson, Lilliana Hug, Yunjoe Chang, Christopher O’Toole, Levi Roupas, Noah Vespi, Katherine Yanni, Tyler Aftanas, Eli DeVita, Luke Huffman, Dino Yario, Rishi Mukherjee, Lily Bauer, Lily Hood, Chiara Brun, Molly Morrisey
Congratulations to our Senior King Award teacher winners!
Andrew Tressler, Joshua Elders, Ken Kubistek, Eric Brown
Congratulations to the winners of NHD Pittsburgh 2021!
2021 Winners (PDF)
National History Day 2020 Winners
- 2020 Winners (PDF)
National History Day 2019 Winners
National History Day 2018 Winners
National History Day 2017 Winners
National History Day 2016 Winners
King Family Awards for Excellence in History
Congratulations to The King Family Award winners who received cash prizes for their excellent work at National History Day. The awards are given to students and teachers that have won first, second, or third place in the Historical Papers category and to all first place winners and their teachers in all other categories.
Program Support
What is National History Day?: Bring History Center educators into your classroom to introduce students to this months-long research project. The staff will address a broad overview of the program, and components such as theme, thesis, and bibliography.
Cost: $50 per class plus round-trip mileage. Financial aid is available for Title I schools.
Available September through December.
Navigating Digital Sources: This session brings History Center staff into your school to teach students about using digital archives. This program calls for students to have one-to-one technology devices available and for an LCD projector.
Cost: $50 per class plus round-trip mileage. Financial aid is available for Title I schools.
Navigating Archives: Bring your students to the Detre Library & Archives at the History Center for supported work time with History Center educators and archivists. Students will analyze and evaluate original primary sources firsthand from the collection at the Detre Library & Archives. This program will be most appropriate for students who are researching local topics.
Cost: $8.00 per student and available on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Teacher Professional Development: The History Center provides professional development for teachers who participate in NHD, including general introductions to the NHD competition and the value of participating, how to help students find primary resources to strengthen their projects, and strengthening historic interpretation for NHD projects.
To find out more or to book a professional development opportunity, contact 412-454-6314 or nhd@heinzhistorycenter.org.
Contacts
For more information about National History Day, please contact nhd@heinzhistorycenter.org.