Contest Info » How Will My Entry Be Judged?

How Will My Entry Be Judged?
The Evaluation Proceess

The Evaluation Process | Evaluation Criteria

A. Benefits of the Evaluation Process
The goal of National History Day is to provide students with a high-quality, educational experience--whether or not they win a prize. The judge's evaluation is part of the learning and skill-building process of NHD. The judge's evaluation helps students to improve areas or skills and provide positive feedback for the hard work they have put into producing their projects. The judge's comments also can provide students with ideas for revisions and enhancements as they move from one contest level to the next.

Remember, regardless or how an entry is ranked, by participating in National History Day that student will benefit from the experience. They will gain research, thinking, and presentation skills which will last their whole life. They will become an expert on a topic of interest to themselves and to others. They will acquire poise and self-confidence and will learn to manage their time. They are all winners.

B. Who are the Judges?
Historians, educators, and others interested in history and education serve as judges at each level of the History Day competition.

C. How does the judging process work?
Each separate History Day division and category is usually judged by a team of three judges. Time constraints and the number of entries often require that some categories must be judged initially by several teams of judges. Finals then become necessary. In such cases, the entries judged best by each team of initial judges are re-judged by a new team of judges to determine the winning entries in the category. The number of entries in finals and procedures for finals may be different at Regionals and at State, but are totally within the discretion of the contest officials.

D. Consensus Judging
Judges do not assign a numerical score to each entry, but work as a team to rank the entries in their group. Judges are required to consult with each other in determining individual rankings. Final ratings are assigned to each entry by consensus.

E. The Subjective Nature of Judging
Remember: Judges must evaluate certain aspects of the entry that are objective (e.g., were primary sources used; is the written material grammatical and correctly spelled). But judges must also evaluate interpretive aspects which are qualitative in nature (e.g., analysis and conclusions about the historical data).

Historians often reach different opinions about the significance of the same data. It is, therefore, crucial to base interpretations and conclusion on solid research. Judges will check to determine whether available primary sources were used and if the student was careful to examine all sides of an issue and present a balanced account of research and presentations. The process paper and annotated bibliography are critical to this process.

F. The Decision of the Judges is Final
Students, parents, and teachers should realize that inadvertent inequities may occur in judging and that contest officials do want to be informed of any problems. But the decisions of the judges are final.