National History Day 2025 is in the history books! Seventeen Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Unalaska students participated in the National History Day contest in College Park, Maryland, this June, accompanied by three teachers from Alaska’s schools and many supporting family members. While there, they presented their historical research on topics they had spent the past academic year researching, all related to NHD’s theme, “Rights and Responsibilities in History.” These students qualified by placing first or second in the Alaska History Day contest, held virtually in April, with judges from all over the United States logging in to support Alaska’s students and evaluate their projects.
Two projects took home Outstanding Affiliate Awards for their hard work. For the Junior Division, Natnicha “Michelle” Lord of Unalaska won the honors for her website, “The Formerly Used Defense Sites of the Aleutian Islands: A Forgotten Responsibility and a Lost Right.” Her teacher was Dena Royal. For Senior Division Honors, South Anchorage High School’s Emma Eden, Julia Samuel, and Olivia Yurkew took the prize for their group exhibit, “Indian Boarding Schools in Alaska: The Right to Culture, the Responsibility to Heal.” Their teacher was Alicia Wardwell.
Full contest results are available here.
As part of the contest, students present their research to a team of judges, who ask questions about their project and the research process.
“We are extraordinarily proud of these students’ hard work,” Alaska History Day program coordinator Leanna Williams said. “Students participating in History Day at all levels tackled challenging topics and developed excellent research, critical thinking, and presentation skills. Those skills will serve them well in future endeavors they pursue.”
Students participating in the national contest also had many exciting opportunities outside of the contest structure. They participated in the tradition of button trading among contestants, allowing them to meet fellow young historians from other states, territories, and countries.
One highlight of the trip was a meeting with Alaska’s entire congressional delegation on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Nick Begich took time out of their busy schedules to meet with the History Day students and hear about their research projects. The Alaska students, their teachers, and their families also toured the U.S. Capitol and saw the Senate at work on a tour led by Senator Murkowski’s staffers.
During the Awards Ceremony, NHD honored longtime Alaska History Day supporter and judge Pennelope Goforth during a Memorium portion. Goforth, a maritime historian and Alaska Historical Society board member, passed away in late 2024. The Awards Ceremony Recording is available at https://nhd.org/en/awards-ceremony/.
Now that the national contest for 2025 is complete, the 2026 program season is underway. This year’s contest theme is “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History.” Theme materials, including a theme book and introduction video, are available at nhd.org/theme. Alaska-specific topic ideas are forthcoming.
The Alaska contest dates for 2026 are being finalized and will be posted on the Alaska program and contest websites.
Alaska History Day is a program of the Alaska Historical Society. Major History Day sponsors include the Atwood Foundation, the Ted Stevens Foundation, the Cook Inlet Historical Society, and individuals around the state and country. Thank you so much to our sponsors for supporting history and civics education in Alaska!
About National History Day (NHD)
NHD is a non-profit organization based in College Park, Maryland, that seeks to improve the teaching and learning of history. The National History Day Contest was established in 1974 and currently engages more than half a million students every year in conducting original research on historical topics of interest. Students present their research as a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website. Projects compete first at the local and affiliate levels, where the top entries are invited to the National Contest at the University of Maryland at College Park. NHD is sponsored in part by the 400 Years of African American History Commission, The Better Angels Society, the Bezos Family Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Behring Global Educational Foundation, and the National Park Service. For more information, visit nhd.org.