District Contests
National History Day in Iowa is dedicated to creating an opportunity for students to showcase their work, get feedback and be recognized within the limitations we have – but first and foremost, we want to keep students safe. Due to COVID-19, the National History Day in Iowa program has prepared the 2021 contest schedule below and developed new project submissions to protect all participants. Please review the 2021 District Contest registration, submission process and schedule below. The National History Day in Iowa program will announce on Friday, January 8 if the program will go virtual or stay in person. Contest deadlines will remain the same if the contest moves to virtual.
Contest Registration and Submission Process for 2021
For the 2021 contest season, students will be required to register and submit their projects in two separate forms. The registration and project submission forms are organized by district in the tables below.
Before you register, please review the category changes below and contact the State Coordinator, Vania Boland at vania.boland@iowa.gov with any questions.
Exhibit
Students will create a physical exhibit, take photos of the project and use the photos to create a PDF powerpoint using the National History Day exhibit template. The project submission will include the PDF powerpoint of the exhibit as well as a PDF that combines the process paper and annotated bibliography. Only ONE submission needs to be made for a group project.
The following naming convention must be used with exhibit project submission:
lastname.divison-jr./sr.-category.districtcontest
Ex. boland.senior.exhibit.sullivanbrothers
If the contest is in person, the students will bring the physical exhibit for judges to review. Judges will bring their own copies of the process paper and the annotated bibliography for the interview.
Documentary
Projects MUST BE PUBLISHED as "unlisted" on YouTube and MUST BE SUBMITTED through the project submission form. The project submission will include the project's YouTube URL, combine the process paper and annotated bibliography into one PDF. Only ONE submission needs to be made for a group project.
The following naming convention must be used with documentary project submission:
lastname.divison-jr./sr.-category.districtcontest
Ex. boland.senior.documentary.sullivanbrothers
If the contest is in person, students will not be required to bring their documentary to the contest on a USB drive. The district contest venue will set up the documentary rooms to play the YouTube Clips for judges.
Paper
Projects must be saved as a PDF and MUST BE EMAILED to the district coordinator by the registration deadline.
The following naming convention must be used with paper project submission:
lastname.divison-jr./sr.-category.districtcontest
Ex. boland.senior.paper.sullivanbrothers
Judges will review the paper before the contest date. If the contest is in person, judges will bring their own copies of the papers to the interview.
Performance
Students will record their performance and MUST PUBLISHED as "unlisted" on YouTube and MUST BE SUBMITTED through the project submission form. In addition to the video, projects MUST fill out the performance script document created by the national office. The submission will include the project's performance script, process paper and annotated bibliography. Only ONE submission needs to be made for a group project.
The following naming convention must be used with performance project submission:
lastname.divison-jr./sr.-category.districtcontest
Ex. boland.senior.performance.sullivanbrothers
If the contest is in person, students will perform their performance at the district contest for judges.
Websites
Students will create a website on https://website.nhd.org/ and submit their website URL at the time of registration. No additional materials need to be submitted.
Judges will review the website before the contest date. If the contest is in person, judges will bring their laptops and pull up the website during the interview.
District Contests Schedule for 2021
Grant Wood District
This district is named for Grant Wood, the Iowa artist who created the famous "American Gothic" painting. His history and legacy span the district, from the one-room Antioch School he attended near Anamosa to his studio in Cedar Rapids to his home in Iowa City to a gallery of his work in Tipton. His stylized landscape paintings of the rolling landscape made a significant impact on the area's arts and culture during his lifetime.
| Grant Wood District Schedule | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration Deadline | Wednesday, February 3 at 11:59 PM |
| Project Submission Deadline | Friday, February 5 at 11:59 PM |
| Website Lock out | Friday, February 5 at 10:59 PM |
| Contest Date | Monday, February 22 to Thursday, February 25, 2021 |
| Website Unlock | Friday, February 26, 2021 |
Historic Highways District
The first automobile highways to connect the nation from west to east (Lincoln Highway) and north to south (Jefferson Highway) crossed through this district and intersected at the Reed-Niland corner in Colo. The area was a hub of activity that increased in the late 1920s following a long-fought battle to develop the Great Whiteway (now Highway 6), which ran from Chicago to Davenport, Des Moines, Council Bluffs and Omaha.
| Historic Highways District Schedule | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration Deadline | Monday, March 15 at 11:59 PM |
| Project Submission Deadline | Wednesday, March 17 at 11:59 PM |
| Website Lock out | Wednesday, March 17 at 11:59 PM |
| Contest Date | Wednesday, March 31, 2021 |
| Website Unlock | Thursday, April 1, 2021 |
Jesse James District
On July 21, 1873, Jesse James and his gang staged the first robbery of a moving train near Adair. They had heard a Chicago and Rock Island train was transporting $75,000 of gold and made plans to derail the train just west of Adair. The train arrived and ran off the rails and after forcing the guard to open the safe, they found only $2,000 – the gold shipment was delayed! The gang escaped capture, but this bold robbery gave them national notoriety.
| Jesse James District Schedule | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration Deadline | Wednesday, February 24 at 11:59 PM |
| Project Submission Deadline | Friday, February 26 at 11:59 PM |
| Website Lock out | Friday, February 26 at 11:59 PM |
| Contest Date | Monday, March 15 to Thursday, March 18, 20211 |
| Website Unlock | Friday, March 19, 2021 |
Merle Hay District
This district is named in honor of Glidden native, Merle David Hay, who voluntarily enlisted in the U.S. Army on May 3, 1917, shortly after Congress declared war on Germany. He tragically made headlines six months later when Germans cut off a small detachment of Gen. John Pershing's men, including Hay, and he was killed in action. Hay was one of the first three Americans to die in France during World War I, on November 3, 1917. That same year, the road into Camp Dodge in Des Moines was named Merle Hay Road in his honor.
| Merle Hay District Schedule | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration Deadline | Wednesday, March 3 at 11:59 PM |
| Project Submission Deadline | Friday, March 5 at 11:59 PM |
| Website Lock out | Friday, March 5 at 11:59 PM |
| Contest Date | Monday, March 22, 2021 |
| Website Unlock | Tuesday, March 23, 2021 |
Mississippi River District
Just as it has carved the physical landscape, the Mississippi River has shaped a remarkable path through the history of human settlement. For the first Native Americans, early European pioneers, and modern-day Iowans, the river has influenced the cross currents of migration, commerce, industry and recreation. Many of Iowa’s oldest towns hug the river’s west bank and reflect its rich history.
| Mississippi River District Schedule | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration Deadline | Wednesday, February 3 at 11:59 PM |
| Project Submission Deadline | Friday, February 19 at 10:59 PM |
| Website Lock out | Friday, February 19 at 10:59 PM |
| Contest Date | Monday, March 1, 2021 |
| Website Unlock | Tuesday, March 2, 2021 |
Montauk District
This district is named for Montauk, the majestic home and farm of Iowa’s 12th Governor, William Larrabee. Larrabee served as the Governor of Iowa from 1886 until 1890 and then retired to Montauk, his family mansion in Clermont which is now a State Historic Site. The Larrabee family furnished and maintained this two-story 1874 mansion and estate for more than 100 years, adapting with the changing agricultural life. Larrabee and his wife were also committed to ensuring the children in their community received the best education possible and in 1912 built and donated the IDEAL School to the town of Clermont.
| Montauk District Schedule | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration Deadline | Wednesday, February 3 at 11:59 PM |
| Project Submission Deadline | Friday, February 5 at 11:59 PM |
| Website Lock out | Friday, February 5 at 11:59 PM |
| Contest Date | Monday, February 22 to Thursday, February 25, 2021 |
| Website Unlock | Friday, February 26, 2021 |
Prairie School District
North-central Iowa is a trove of Prairie School architecture.The style's most prominent features are the horizontal lines that were thought to reflect the native prairie landscape. In Mason City alone, about 30 properties in this style are on the National Register of Historic Places, including a number by the famous Prairie School architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The Historic Park Inn in Mason City is the only Frank Lloyd Wright hotel remaining in the world.
| Prairie School District Schedule | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration Deadline | Wednesday, January 27 at 11:59 PM |
| Project Submission Deadline | January 29 at 11:59 PM |
| Website Lock out | January 29 at 11:59 PM |
| Contest Date | February 12, 2021 |
| Website Unlock | Saturday, February 13, 2021 |
Sergeant Floyd District
The Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through northwestern Iowa from August 13 through 20, 1804. Sergeant Charles Floyd Jr. was the only member of Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery Expedition to die on the journey. He died on August 20 just south of present-day Sioux City and was buried on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River. The region has documented the history of the Lewis and Clark Expedition at the Sergeant Floyd River Museum, Sergeant Floyd Monument, Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, M.V. Sergeant Floyd inspection boat, Lewis and Clark State Park and keelboat, and numerous works of art in the area.
| Sergeant Floyd District Schedule | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration Deadline | Wednesday, February 17 at 11:59 PM |
| Project Submission Deadline | Friday, February 19 at 10:59 PM |
| Website Lock out | Friday, February 19 at 10:59 PM |
| Contest Date | Tuesday, March 9, 2021 |
| Website Unlock | Wednesday, March 10, 2021 |
Spirit Lake District
Although most Iowans associate the state’s three Great Lakes – Spirit Lake, plus East and West Okoboji – with sunny summer vacations spent fishing, boating and riding the old wooden roller coaster at Arnolds Park, the area wasn’t always so carefree. Tensions between Native Americans and white settlers erupted into the Spirit Lake Massacre during the winter of 1857 and marred the state’s generally peaceful record of Native and white relations. The site’s Abbie Gardner Sharp Cabin became one of Iowa’s first tourist attractions and still stands as a haunting reminder of the state’s early struggles.
| Spirit Lake District Schedule | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration Deadline | Wednesday, February 17 at 11:59 PM |
| Project Submission Deadline | Friday, February 19 at 10:59 PM |
| Website Lock out | Friday, February 19 at 10:59 PM |
| Contest Date | Monday, March 8, 2021 |
| Website Unlock | Tuesday, March 9, 2021 |
Sullivan Brothers District
This district is named in honor of the five Sullivan brothers, natives of Waterloo, who enlisted in the U.S. Navy together, with the stipulation that they serve together. All were assigned to the USS Juneau, which was torpedoed during the Battle of Guadalcanal, and all five Sullivan brothers perished. As a direct result, the U.S. War Department adopted the Sole Survivor Policy (to protect families from losing multiple members in combat) and named a Navy ship for the brothers.
| Sullivan Brothers District Schedule | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration Deadline | Wednesday, January 20 at 11:59 PM |
| Project Submission Deadline | Monday, January 25 at 10:59 PM |
| Website Lock out | Monday, January 25 at 10:59 PM |
| Contest Date | Monday, February 8 to Thursday, February 11 |
| Website Unlock | Friday, February 12, 2021 |
Voltaire Twombly District
This district is named for Voltaire Twombly, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic efforts as a flag bearer for the 2nd Iowa Infantry at the Battle of Fort Donnelson (Tennessee) in the Civil War.
| Voltaire Twombly District Schedule | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration Deadline | Wednesday, January 27 at 11:59 PM |
| Project Submission Deadline | Friday, January 29 at 11:59 PM |
| Website Lock out | Friday, January 29 at 11:59 PM |
| Contest Date | Friday, February 12, 2021 |
| Website Unlock | Saturday, February 13, 2021 |
Western Trails District
The region around Council Bluffs was a gateway to adventure and westward migration in the early to mid-1800s. In addition to the Lewis and Clark Expedition traveling along Iowa’s western border, pioneers followed the Oregon Trail, hopeful gold miners rushed along the California Trail, and Mormons trekked along the Mormon Trail to seek religious freedom in the Salt Lake Valley. Many of these early travelers began their journey at the Missouri River crossing at Council Bluffs.
| Western Trails District Schedule | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration Deadline | Wednesday, February 24 at 11:59 PM |
| Project Submission Deadline | Friday, February 26 at 10:59 PM |
| Website Lock out | Friday, February 26 at 10:59 PM |
| Contest Date | Monday, March 15, 2021 |
| Website Unlock | Tuesday, March 16, 2021 |
