Minnesota Students Take Top Honors at National History Day Competition

Washington, D.C. (June 12, 2025) -- As the National History Day competition wraps up today, Minnesota’s 59 competitors took home an array of awards, including four medals, five finalists, seven honorable mentions, and multiple recognitions including a special prize.

Minnesota’s delegation included students from around the state, who competed against nearly 3,000 students from across the country. The competition was held at the University of Maryland, College Park campus, just outside of Washington, D.C.

The students, representing grades six through twelve, presented exhibits, papers, documentaries, performances and websites that showed off months of research based on this year’s theme, “Rights and Responsibilities in History.” 

The top three national finishers in each category earn monetary awards. First place winners receive $1000, second place winners receive $500, and third place winners receive $250. National History Day also recognizes one outstanding state entry in each division, junior and senior, with a medal.

Medal winners are:

• Lila, Sanford Middle School, Minneapolis. First Place, Junior Paper, “The Strike for Better Schools: Fighting for Teachers’ Rights, Taking Responsibility for Public Education”
• Nico, Eden Prairie High School, Eden Prairie. First Place, Senior Individual Website, “The Palmer Raids: Balancing National Security with Individual Rights”
• Helen and Sara, Sanford Middle School, Minneapolis. Second Place, Junior Group Documentary, “Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty: Right to Access News, Responsibility to Provide It”
• Morgan, St. Thomas More Catholic School, St. Paul. Second Place, Junior Individual Performance, “The Sedition Act of 1798: The Challenge to Free Speech”

Other top finishers from Minnesota:

• Alexa, Delano Public Schools, Delano. Sixth Place, Junior Individual Website, “The Right to Revolt: Common Sense’s Impact on Government”
• Averi, Bailey, Hudson, Karina, and Phineas, Christ’s Household of Faith School. Sixth Place, Senior Group Performance, “Flipping the Script: The Hays Code; Balancing Creative Rights and Responsibility to the Innocent”
• Shaunya, Shakopee High School, Shakopee. Sixth Place, Senior Individual Documentary, “While the World Watched: The Spanish Civil War, Franco’s Human Rights Abuse, and the Failure of Global Responsibilities”
• Jack, Sanford Middle School, Minneapolis. Seventh Place, Junior Individual Performance, “Action vs. Identity: How Frank Kameny’s Campaign Highlighted the Federal Responsibility to Protect Gay Rights”
• Adam, Grand Rapids High School, Grand Rapids. Tenth Place, Senior Individual Performance, “Theodore Roosevelt Responsibly Fights for Union Workers’ Rights!

Other award winners from Minnesota:

• Alexa, Delano Public Schools, Delano. Outstanding Affiliate Entry in the Junior Division, Junior Individual Website, “The Right to Revolt: Common Sense’s Impact on Government”
• Shaunya, Shakopee High School, Shakopee. Outstanding Affiliate Entry in the Senior Division, Senior Individual Documentary, “While the World Watched: The Spanish Civil War, Franco’s Human Rights Abuse, and the Failure of Global Responsibilities”
• Jack, Sanford Middle School, Minneapolis. Equality in History Special Prize, Junior Individual Performance, “Action vs. Identity: How Frank Kameny’s Campaign Highlighted the Federal Responsibility to Protect Gay Rights”

Honorable Mention Awards are presented to entries that ranked in the second place in the first-round of judging. While these entries were not eligible for the final-round of competition, their outstanding scholarship is recognized as Honorable Mention:

• Amelie and Indira, DeLaSalle High School, Minneapolis. Senior Group Exhibit, “The Woman Rebel: Margaret Sanger’s Crusade for Women’s Reproductive Rights”
• Dexter and Henry, DeLaSalle High School, Minneapolis. Senior Group Website, “The Broadcast that Changed Radio: Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds”
• Mason and Vivian, DeLaSalle High School, Minneapolis. Senior Group Website, “The Great Mill Disaster: An Explosive Rights Reform”
• Margaret, East High School, Duluth. Senior Individual Website, “The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act of 1978: Protecting Americans’ Rights to Pristine Wilderness”
• Maddie, Molly, and Violet, Sanford Middle School, Minneapolis. Junior Group Exhibit, “The Love Canal Tragedy: Governmental Responsibility to Protect the Right to a Healthy Living Environment”
• Cullen and Theo, Sanford Middle School, Minneapolis. Junior Group Website, “From Behind Barbed Wire: Taking Responsibility when Rights were Revoked”
• Zoey, Roosevelt High School, Minneapolis. Senior Individual Exhibit, “The Right to Remain, the Responsibility to Honor: The 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act”

Throughout the week of the contest, several Minnesota students were recognized in project showcases from sponsoring institutions:

• Zoey, Roosevelt High School, Minneapolis. Senior Individual Exhibit, “The Right to Remain, The Responsibility to Honor: The 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act,” showcased at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
• Jack, Sanford Middle School, Minneapolis. Junior Individual Performance,“Action vs. Identity: How Frank Kameny’s Campaign Highlighted the Federal Responsibility to Protect Gay Rights,” showcased at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

Please contact Allison Ortiz at allison.ortiz@mnhs.org for more information. Full names of students may be released upon request. 

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.