Core Responsibilities

To use the NHD brand and administer the NHD Program at the Affiliate level and all levels within the Affiliate, each Affiliate enters into a mutually beneficial Affiliate agreement and agrees to pay a non-refundable annual membership fee as determined by the Executive Director and Board of Trustees. The agreement covers the program year from September to August.

The agreement provides documentation of sponsorship and mutual responsibilities designed to:

• clarify the roles of NHD and its Affiliates;

• ensure systematic but flexible structures for the NHD Program at all levels;

• assure continuity and promote stability for Affiliates;

• ensure that History Day contests at every level are well-run, high-quality events that treat all students fairly and use the branded NHD materials consistently; and

• ensure active participation of NHD in providing leadership, information, and materials necessary to encourage the growth and stability of the NHD Program at all levels.

Affiliates must use the same terminology and consistent graphic elements. While Affiliate program logos can have unique features, all must display their affiliation with the national program by incorporating the national registered logo on all web-based and printed materials.  Please also use the registered symbol when referring to National History Day® or NHD in a document. Just press and hold Alt while typing 0174 to insert ®.

Program Name

A consistent naming structure helps program audiences identify the NHD brand. One of two structures is required, either “NHD in _____” or “____ History Day.” For the most part, your program name and those of your Regional programs should already be established in this format.

Web Presence 

Most Affiliate programs maintain their pages as part of their sponsoring institution's website. Most importantly, these pages should include information on your contest(s) and contact information for the program coordinator. In addition, you may want to include curriculum materials, information on workshops, sponsor recognition, or links to research resources.  

If your organization cannot host, you can use your zFairs contest pages to publish this content. Within your zFairs contest, you can create contest-specific pages for participating students, teachers, and judges. People do not need zFairs accounts to view the information on these pages. 

NHD maintains a simple page for each Affiliate on its website. This page provides contact information, program dates and locations, and the link to your "official" website.  You are advised to check this page annually for accuracy and will be reminded to update it annually over the summer by NHD staff.

NHD is best known for its annual contest. The contest is the big public-facing event that rewards students for outstanding work on a project. In NHD's earliest days, the contest was the sole function. Within a few years, though, a program to support teachers took root. Workshops, summer institutes, and curriculum materials became essential elements for engaging teachers and, ultimately, students. Together, these go hand in hand to fulfill NHD's mission of improving the teaching and learning of history. 

Working on the contest requires most of a coordinator's time. For all coordinators, devoting efforts toward providing a well-executed contest where students walk away with positive memories is their primary responsibility. Newer coordinators will want to focus exclusively on the contest for the first year or two. If the contest is solid and has a good reputation, teachers will continue to participate with their students. 

The program side then becomes important for providing teachers with the resources and support to improve the quality of their instruction. Where and how do they help students find and analyze primary sources? How can they help students understand the rationale for finding multiple perspectives? What makes a strong historical argument? What are some ways to encourage students to pursue unfamiliar topics or local history topics?  The program elements of NHD support teachers in answering those questions and more.

This online guide covers both contest and program elements, but how they are implemented differs in each Affiliate.

The role of the Affiliate coordinator will vary across the program, depending on the capacity of your position, the history of the program in your Affiliate, and your institution's expectations and funding. 

• As you get started, focus on familiarizing yourself with the foundational elements of your position. 

• What type of institution is yours (e.g., non-profit historical society, state agency historical society, humanities council, university, international school, etc.), and what other coordinators work in a similar institution?

• Identify what additional program elements have existed historically (e.g., teacher workshops, an advisory committee) and familiarize yourself with those additional obligations.

• Once established in your role, consider what additional goals or next steps you would identify for your program over the next few years.

• Be mindful of keeping good records for yourself, your successor, your institution, and NHD. You'll thank yourself for doing this.