For Judges and Other Volunteers

Help us promote research skills and a love of learning in students throughout Maryland!

As they progress through competitions at the school, district, state, and national levels, students rely on volunteers like you to evaluate their projects and help them to improve their skills that they have developed throughout the process.

While most judges include humanities scholars, teachers, librarians, and museum professionals, anyone who wants to support students in this exciting learning experience may judge. You can play an important role by volunteering as a History Day judge – reviewing student projects, interviewing contestants, selecting the winners to advance to the national contest, and providing constructive feedback.

Sign Up to Judge at Maryland History Day on May 4, 2024!
Visit our contest website for more detailed information on this year's contest dates and requirements. Click on the ``Judge's Main`` tab to see the Judge registration information.
District Contest Judging
District Contests are managed by different offices throughout the state. Please click here to see the list of contacts for each district or regional contest.
Sign up to provide additional feedback as a project reviewer
Students advancing to states need your help to polish their final project before going on to the next level of competition. Sign up to review projects during March, and you can decide how many projects you are comfortable reviewing in that time. Projects sent to you will need feedback about five days after you receive them.

The Role of Judges

Maryland History Day judges review student projects, interview students, rank projects and provide feedback through the rubric forms. Judges impact every part of History Day, by being the main point of contact for the students during their contest experience. For their time, judges gain a connection with young historians, learn about new History topics, and serve their community.

Judges can volunteer at the Maryland State contest in the spring, at one of the district competitions in February & March, and at the National Contest in June. Judges are responsible for going through a short training process, reviewing student materials, and showing up for the interview times.

Time Commitment

Judges must complete training to ensure they’re ready for the contest! Our online training can be completed at your own pace and will take less than an hour to complete.

The time you spend in advance of the contest date will depending on the category you select to judge. Judges in prejudged categories (papers, websites, documentaries) will receive their assignments two weeks before the contest and spend approximately 4 hours reviewing project, and about 1 hour meeting with their judge team. Judges in exhibit and performance categories should expect to spend 30 minutes to 1 hour reviewing student’s process papers and bibliographies in preparation for the contest.

At the contest, all judges will arrive at UMBC by 8:20 and will interview students for 2 hours. Most judges in prejudge categories will be finished by 11:30, while exhibits and performance judges may need to stay until 12 to finish ranking and writing comments. Judges who volunteer for a final round will view, rank, and write comments from 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Learn About Judging for Maryland History Day

Judging Resources

Judge Toolkit
Do you want to know more about judging? Head to our Maryland Judge Toolkit, updated each year with interview tips, instructions, and training materials. The training module for each year will be added to the drive.

  • “We were very impressed with the depth of research all the students did for their History Day projects. It was fun to see them interacting with each other during the competition and events.”

    Lori and Josh Skillman, History Day Parents

  • “I had never done anything like this before so it was a totally new experience to write a paper, be interviewed, and defend my positions. I now really know how to do research and it has improved my writing skills.”

    ​Maryland History Day 2015 Student

  • “My students became more competent researchers, and took ownership of their work. They had total free reign to choose their topic, direct their research, and create their final project.”

    ​Maryland History Day 2015 Teacher

  • “It provided an opportunity for my child to learn through experiential opportunities. He had interviews and tours that were relevant to his topic that helped the history come alive and create unforgettable memories.”

    Maryland History Day 2015 Parent

  • “The excitement of the research was wonderful for my students’ academic progress. They now feel capable of doing any research paper that may be assigned in college!”

    Maryland History Day 2019 Teacher

  • I’ve loved judging! It’s exciting to see the passion the middle schoolers have put in their projects. I hope that my critiques have helped strive for excellence throughout their lives.

    Dee Krasnansky, Maryland History Day Judge

  • “I had never done anything like this before so it was a totally new experience to write a paper, be interviewed, and defend my positions. I now really know how to do research and it has improved my writing skills.”

    ​Maryland History Day student

  • “The students are now far more prepared for the high level of scholarship and achievement that will be expected of them in future years. MHD also elevated many other skills too. These include public speaking, the use of technology, learning to collaborate.”

    ​Maryland History Day teacher

  • “The thing that had the most impact were the skills that I got from this project. I developed better hunting skills in terms of looking for reliable sources and I also learned to work hard and not procrastinate to achieve something great.”

    Maryland History Day student participant

  • “The part of History Day that had the most impact on me was seeing all the other entries and entry categories. It was really inspiring to see so many different people of history honored for their leadership and legacy as that was this years theme. You forget that the whole world has a history and there are so many different people and leaders who make up that history. The fact that this day brings together all of us students, our imaginations, our creativity, research skills, and history really reminds you how much of us would be lost if we didn’t remember those who made an impact.”

    ​Maryland History Day student participant

  • “Maryland History Day challenged my daughter to go deeper, deeper in research analysis and presentation. It took her to a whole new level academically.”

    ​Maryland History Day parent

  • “History Day has taught men how to interpret and effective use primary sources in my writing to create and support claims. Now I am much more likely to explore databases, go to libraries, and explore further external sources for credible and effective sources.”

    Maryland History Day 2019 Student

  • “History Day inspired me to become deeply invested in historical topics which I never thought I’d enjoy. It is an amazing experience that has the ability to make learning fun for everyone, no matter what you’re interested in.”

    Addie Skillman, National History Day Gold Winner

  • “MHD illustrated the applicability of the study of history to contemporary issues and current events. It was very motivating to converse with the students about their historical topic and observe how they applied it to current events and their own life circumstances.”

    ​Maryland History Day parent

  • “[The students] learned a variety of ways to present their material and they could focus on what they wanted to learn about. The students had a choice in their learning. It was about their learning NOT what someone else felt they need to learn.”

    ​Maryland History Day teacher
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