Just under 500 middle and high school students from across the state competed in the National History Day state contest April 25, 2026, on the University of Missouri campus in Columbia. The annual program is sponsored and organized by the State Historical Society of Missouri. Fifty-five Missouri students who received first and second place in the state contest will compete in the national contest June 14-18 at the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. Students receiving third place in each category will be alternates. Special prizes were also awarded by the state contest’s sponsors in various categories. The theme for this year’s contest is “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History” to coincide with the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
(A complete list of Missouri’s state contest winners is online at nhdmo.org/announcements. The students’ school and hometown are also listed.)
The students compete in five project categories, including documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, and website. Any public, private, or homeschool students who meet the grade and sponsor criteria can enter the annual contest. The contest is open to students in grades 6-12, who compete in the junior and senior levels. Thousands of Missouri students competed at local and regional contests held earlier this year before attending the state contest.
Two National History Day in Missouri teachers have been nominated for the NHD Teacher of the Year Award for middle and high school teachers. Missouri’s nominees are Kelly Patterson of Risco High in Rosco, Missouri, for the junior division and Mack Williams III of Sumner High School in St. Louis for the senior division. Two teachers will be chosen from all the nominees taking part in the national contest in June.
“We have a dedicated group of students, as well as two amazing teacher nominees, who will be representing Missouri,” said Danielle Griego, Ph.D., educational program coordinator at the State Historical Society of Missouri. “We applaud all our NHD students who took part in regional and state contests this year and look forward to seeing the students who are advancing to the national contest present their impressive historical research next month.”
About National History Day in Missouri
Launched in 1980, National History Day in Missouri is the state affiliate of the National History Day educational program, which has half a million participants annually. National History Day in Missouri is sponsored by the State Historical Society of Missouri.