NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After months of research and success in local and regional competitions, over 200 students from across Tennessee will compete for honors at the annual Tennessee History Day (THD) competition in Nashville on Saturday, April 15, 2023.

“It’s an exciting weekend as we welcome the regional winners from across our great state to Nashville to compete at Tennessee History Day,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett. "Qualifying for the state competition shows initiative and hard work. Good luck to all the students competing for state honors.”

Each year, all research topics are based on a specific theme. This year’s theme is “Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas.” While all projects must relate to the annual theme, students are encouraged to be creative in their execution. Students presented their work at regional competitions in various ways by creating exhibits, documentaries, performances, websites or papers. 

Prior to the state competition, regional contests took place in Greeneville (Tusculum College), Knoxville (East Tennessee Historical Society and the University of Tennessee), Nashville (Tennessee State University), Murfreesboro (Middle Tennessee State University), and Memphis (University of Memphis).

Winners from the state contest in Nashville will advance to National History Day (NHD), held in College Park, Maryland, on June 11-15, 2023. Students will showcase their hard work during the national competition and compete for awards and scholarships.

The NHD program annually engages over a half million sixth through twelfth grades students from 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, and Department of Defense Schools. Each fall, students and teachers nationwide begin the year-long National History Day program and go on to compete in a series of contests in their local communities and states. The top students in each category are selected to participate in the national contest.

More than just a day, Tennessee History Day is a year-round program that allows participating students to learn by researching their own topics using primary source documents. The program engages 7,300 students in grades 6-12 across Tennessee.

The Secretary of State’s office proudly sponsors Tennessee History Day. For more information, please visit tennesseehistory.org/tennessee-history-day.