Minnesota Students Showcase Their Passion for History
62 Minnesota students will advance to National History Day Contest
For immediate release
Dated: April 20, 2026
Contacts: Allison Ortiz, 651-259-3051, allison.ortiz@mnhs.org
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn (April 20, 2026) – More than 1,000 students presented their History Day projects at the Minneapolis Convention Center on Sunday as part of the National History Day in Minnesota State Contest. These competitors were selected to compete from a pool of more than 19,000 students statewide in grades 6-12.
Sixty-two students will advance to the national competition in June, which will take place at the University of Maryland, College Park, outside of Washington, DC. View the full list of contest results and topical prize results here.
The 2026 theme is “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History,” and topics ranged from the AIDS Crisis and Social Security to the Rosenwald Schools and the Syrian Civil War. Students presented their projects as research papers, podcasts, museum-style exhibit boards, documentaries, performances, or websites. More than 180 volunteer judges evaluated their entries and selected winners.
For more information, visit mnhs.org/historyday.
About National History Day in Minnesota
National History Day in Minnesota is a co-curricular historical research program that builds college readiness and communication skills for middle and high school students. The program is sponsored by the Minnesota Historical Society.
Program support is also provided by the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008.
The Minnesota Historical Society is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. MNHS collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, MNHS preserves our past, shares our state’s stories and connects people with history. Visit us at mnhs.org.