History Day

Robert J. Dole Congressional History Prize
            -Sponsored by the Dole of Institute of Politics

 

What is History Day?

National History Day (NHD) is a highly regarded academic program for elementary and secondary school students.

Each year, more than half a million students, encouraged by thousands of teachers nationwide participate in the NHD contest. Students choose historical topics related to a theme and conduct extensive primary and secondary research through libraries, archives, museums, oral history interviews and historic sites. After analyzing and interpreting their sources and drawing conclusions about their topics’ significance in history, students present their work in original papers, websites, exhibits, performances and documentaries. These products are entered into competitions in the spring at local, state and national levels where they are evaluated by professional historians and educators. The program culminates in the Kenneth E. Behring National Contest each June held at the University of Maryland at College Park.

What is the Robert J. Dole Congressional History Prize?

This prize will be awarded to three entries, Junior or Senior Division, at the Kansas History Day State Contest that include discussion about the United States Congress in their research and presentation. Eligible entries may include those which focus on the history of Congress as an institution, politics or lawmaking from a legislative perspective or the actions of individual members or committees of the House of Representatives or Senate.

• 1st place - $300 and special recognition at a Dole Institute event
  
• 2nd place - $200 and special recognition at a Dole Institute event
  
• 3rd place - $100 and special recognition at a Dole Institute event
  

The Robert J. Dole Congressional History Prize is named in honor of Senator Bob Dole who served Kansas as both a member of the House of Representatives (1960-1969) and Senate (1969-1996). The Dole Institute of Politics houses the archive of Senator Dole's legislative career which is available for research use Monday-Friday from 9-4. Please visit the Dole website for more information about the archive, the Robert J. Dole Congressional History Prize, project ideas, on-line primary sources documents, and research assistance.

How do I qualify for this prize?

To be eligible for this award, students must complete the award nomination information within the online registration system, including an entry description and how the entry is related to the award and mail in a copy of the nomination information, process paper, and annotated bibliography by the registration deadline date of March 26. Nominations must also include the following for Website, Documentary, and Historical Paper entries: Website URL, CD/DVD of the documentary, or Historical paper.

How can I get more information about National History Day?

Please feel free to contact us with any questions! We'll be happy to help you in whatever way we can!

Information about National History Day can be found at http://www.nhd.org/.

Information about the National History Day State Contest in Kansas can be found at http://ks.nhd.org/.