Maryland History Day Winners

Each year Maryland students advance to the Maryland History Day state competition.

See which teachers were honored, who walked away with special prizes, and which projects were selected to advance to the 2025 National History Day® competition in College Park, MD.

Maryland History Day 2025 National History Day National Qualifiers (written in order of first and second place)

  • Junior Papers
    Student: Chaitra Maddineni
    Title: National Security vs. Freedom of The Press: The Legacy of The Pentagon Papers
    School: Clarksville Middle School, Howard County
    Teachers: Beth Ceglia, Cass Mairs, and Margaret Brothman

    Student: Owen Miller
    Title: Prohibition in Maryland: How Mencken and Ritchie Kept the State Wet for the Rights of the People
    School: Hampden Elementary/Middle School, Baltimore City
    Teacher: Christopher Drexel
  • Junior Individual Exhibits
    Student: Nicolette Peters
    Title: Bread and Roses Strike – Fight for Economic and Social Rights
    School: Plum Point Middle School, Calvert County
    Teacher: Amber Mullins

    Student: Ava Johnson
    Title: Women’s Suffrage in Maryland
    School: Middletown Middle School, Frederick County
    Teacher: Magdalene Monahan
  • Junior Group Exhibits
    Students: Lillian Matragrano and Keira Oie
    Title: Bloody Sunday: Death on the Streets of Derry
    School: Silver Spring International Middle School, Montgomery County
    Teacher: Kevin Grimsland

    Students: Genevieve Lichtenberger and Lydia Garside
    Title: Women’s Right to Vote: Before and After the 19th Amendment
    School: Sligo Middle School, Montgomery County
    Teacher: Jason Smith
  • Junior Individual Documentaries
    Student: Roman Jackson
    Title: Seconds Save Lives: Rights and Responsibilities When Dialing 9-1-1
    School: Frederick Homeschoolers, Frederick County
    Teacher: Christine Pritt

    Student: Navya Dwivedi
    Title: Within the Shadows of Inequality: How Women Fought for Justice in American Spy Organizations
    School: Clarksville Middle School, Howard County
    Teachers: Beth Ceglia, Margaret Brothman, and Cass Mairs
  • Junior Group Documentaries
    Students: Leena Rajkotia and Kavya Rajkotia
    Title: Democracy’s Crucible: Rights Reborn, Responsibilities Reclaimed
    School: Rajkotia Homeschool, Montgomery County
    Teacher: Yogesh Rajkotia

    Students: Jack Topel, Jas Shandilya, and Aryan Patel
    Title: Voices Against Tyranny: The White Rose
    School: Bonnie Branch Middle School, Howard County
    Teachers: Steven Boone, Kara Nanni, and Sarah Russo
  • Junior PapersStudent: Chaitra Maddineni
    Title: National Security vs. Freedom of The Press: The Legacy of The Pentagon Papers
    School: Clarksville Middle School, Howard County
    Teachers: Beth Ceglia, Cass Mairs, and Margaret Brothman
    Student: Owen Miller
    Title: Prohibition in Maryland: How Mencken and Ritchie Kept the State Wet for the Rights of the People
    School: Hampden Elementary/Middle School, Baltimore City
    Teacher: Christopher Drexel
  • Junior Individual ExhibitsStudent: Nicolette Peters
    Title: Bread and Roses Strike – Fight for Economic and Social Rights
    School: Plum Point Middle School, Calvert County
    Teacher: Amber Mullins

    Student: Ava Johnson
    Title: Women’s Suffrage in Maryland
    School: Middletown Middle School, Frederick County
    Teacher: Magdalene Monahan
  • Junior Group ExhibitsStudents: Lillian Matragrano and Keira Oie
    Title: Bloody Sunday: Death on the Streets of Derry
    School: Silver Spring International Middle School, Montgomery County
    Teacher: Kevin Grimsland

    Students: Genevieve Lichtenberger and Lydia Garside
    Title: Women’s Right to Vote: Before and After the 19th Amendment
    School: Sligo Middle School, Montgomery County
    Teacher: Jason Smith
  • Junior Individual DocumentariesStudent: Roman Jackson
    Title: Seconds Save Lives: Rights and Responsibilities When Dialing 9-1-1
    School: Frederick Homeschoolers, Frederick County
    Teacher: Christine Pritt

    Student: Navya Dwivedi
    Title: Within the Shadows of Inequality: How Women Fought for Justice in American Spy Organizations
    School: Clarksville Middle School, Howard County
    Teachers: Beth Ceglia, Margaret Brothman, and Cass Mairs
  • Junior Group Documentaries
    Students: Leena Rajkotia and Kavya Rajkotia
    Title: Democracy’s Crucible: Rights Reborn, Responsibilities Reclaimed
    School: Rajkotia Homeschool, Montgomery County
    Teacher: Yogesh Rajkotia

    Students: Jack Topel, Jas Shandilya, and Aryan Patel
    Title: Voices Against Tyranny: The White Rose
    School: Bonnie Branch Middle School, Howard County
    Teachers: Steven Boone, Kara Nanni, and Sarah Russo

Maryland History Day Teacher Awards

  • Maryland History Day Statewide Middle School Teacher of the Year
    Lindsay Matthews
    Easton Middle School
    Talbot County
  • Maryland History Day Statewide High School Teacher of the Year
    Sam Manelski
    Loyola Blakefield
    Baltimore County
  • Anne Arundel County
    Jennifer Roman
    Virtual Academy, Anne Arundel County Public Schools 
  • Baltimore City
    Allisun Thompson
    Roland Park Elementary Middle School
  • Calvert County
    Dr. Jessica Western
    Calvert Middle School
  • Caroline County
    Linda Echternach
    Lockerman Middle School
  • Carroll County
    Joyce Abbott
    Oklahoma Roads Middle School and Sykesville Middle School
  • Cecil County
    Ray Costello
    The Tome School
  • Charles County
    Allen G. Hopkins
    Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building
  • Frederick County
    Katelyn Bishop
    Crestwood Middle School
  • Garrett County
    Amanda Wilburn
    Northern Garrett Middle School
  • Howard County
    Jennifer Coker
    Reservoir High School
  • Juvenile Services Education Program
    Sheila Leatherbury
    Victor Cullen Center
  • Montgomery County
    Rachel Lunsford
    North Bethesda Middle School
  • Prince George’s County
    Victoria Patch
    Eleanor Roosevelt High School
  • Queen Anne’s County
    Thomas Hayman
    Centreville Middle School
  • St. Mary’s County
    Leif Liberg
    St. Mary’s Ryken

2025 Special Prize Winners

  • Excellence in Latine History Award, Sponsored by Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman
    Students: Marla Fullen, Rosemary Murcia Sanchez
    Title: The Chicano Civil Rights Movement
    Category: Junior Group Exhibit
    School: Sykesville Middle School, Carroll County
    Teacher: Mary Mullinix

    Student: Emerson Vivrette
    Title: El Movimiento: Chicano Identity and the Fight for Mexican American Civil Rights
    Category: Junior Individual Website
    School: Elkridge Landing Middle School, Howard County
    Teacher: Felicia O’Meara
  • Marilyn Hatza Award for Excellence in African American History, Sponsored by the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture
    Student: Jalene Hailu
    Title: A Monumental March: Selma to Montgomery
    Category: Junior Individual Documentary
    School: Milton M. Somers Middle School, Charles County
    Teacher: Kristen Barrett

    Student: Alma Naghedi 
    Title: “Many Called Salvageable”: Crownsville State Hospital and America’s Struggle with Race and Mental Health
    Category: Senior Individual Documentary
    School: Crofton High School, Anne Arundel County
    Teacher: Daniel Collins
  • Award for Excellence In Indigenous History, Sponsored by The Baltimore Reservation Project
    Student: Max Moayedi
    Title: The Cost of Colonization: Indigenous Rights in Jamestown
    Category: Junior Individual Performance
    School: Elkridge Landing Middle School, Howard County
    Teacher: Felicia O’Meara
  • Senator Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. Award for Excellence in Government History
    Students: Kimberly Mueth and Sanjay Shenoy
    Title: Patriot or Traitor: The Release of the Pentagon Papers
    Category: Junior Group Documentary
    School: Patapsco Middle School, Howard County
    Teacher: Matthew Dymek

    Students: Amelia Lancaster and Lauren Miller
    Title: Lives in Balance
    Category: Senior Group Documentary
    School: Poolesville High School, Montgomery County
    Teacher: Stephanie Gomer
  • Award for Excellence in Asian History, Sponsored by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County History Department
    Students: River Skeen and Rowan Chang
    Title: The Chinese Exclusion Act
    Category: Junior Group Website
    School: Roland Park Elementary/Middle School, Baltimore City
    Teacher: Allisun Thompson
  • Award for Excellence in Civic Engagement and Action, Sponsored by the Maryland Council for the Social Studies
    Student: Annette Clougherty
    Title: Cow Wars
    Category: Junior Individual Exhibit
    School: Easton Middle School, Talbot County
    Teacher: Lindsay Matthews

    Student: Eleanor Hotchkiss 
    Title: “The Face Behind the Photo” Lewis Hine and his Impact on the Child Labor Industry
    Category: Senior Individual Performance
    School: Annapolis High School, Anne Arundel County
    Teacher: Jessica Pantazis
  • The Barry A. Lanman Award for Excellence in Oral History, Sponsored by Barry A. Lanman
    Students: Kamaal Aaron, Kenson Okah, and Michael Ayodeji
    Title: The Disguised Genocide
    Category: Senior Group Documentary
    School: Oxon Hill High School, Prince George’s County
    Teachers: Paul Mock and Elexis Brooks
  • Award for Excellence in Labor History, Sponsored by Bill Barry and Friends
    Student: Caroline Shaw
    Title: Exposing Injustices: Muckrakers in the Progressive Era
    Category: Junior Individual Exhibit
    School: Centreville Middle School, Queen Anne’s County
    Teacher: Andy Anders

    Student: Ishita Singh
    Title: The Radium Girls: The Undead Fight for Worker Rights
    Category: Senior Paper
    School: Poolesville High School, Montgomery County
    Teacher: Andy Ward
  • Eugene J. Becker Award for Excellence in Cybersecurity and Cryptology, Sponsored by National Cryptologic Foundation
    Student: Anna Hao
    Title: Code Girls: The American Women Who Broke Codes in World War II
    Category: Junior Individual Exhibit
    School: The Bryn Mawr School, Baltimore City
    Teacher: Matthew Hetrick

    Student: Chloe Chang
    Title: Making WAVES: The First Women’s Reserve in the Navy
    Category: Senior Individual Website
    School: Poolesville High School, Montgomery County
    Teacher: Stephanie Gomer
  • The George Washington Leadership Prize, Sponsored by George Washington’s Mount Vernon
    Student: McKenna Stockman-Quade
    Title: Forge Ahead! How Washington’s Army Overcame Adversity, 1777-1778
    Category: Senior Individual Exhibit
    School: Homeschool, St. Mary’s County
    Teacher: Carol Stockman-Quade

    Student: Aidan Bossle
    Title: Republicanism in the Federal Convention of 1787
    Category: Senior Paper
    School: Loyola Blakefield, Baltimore County
    Teacher: Samuel Manelski
  • The Major General John E. Morrison Award for Excellence in STEM Education and Innovation, Sponsored by the National Cryptologic Foundation
    Student: Levi Golt 
    Title: A Need for Nothing: A History of the Greatest Mathematical Discovery
    Category: Junior Paper
    School: The Tome School, Cecil County 
    Teacher: Raymond Costello

    Student: Jasper Benke
    Title: Balancing Safety and Security: Lessons from the 1979 Three Mile Island Nuclear Accident on US Energy Policy and Government Responsibility
    Category: Senior Individual Website
    School: Walt Whitman High School, Montgomery County
    Teacher: Peter Kenah
  • Award for Excellence in Maryland History, Sponsored by the Maryland Center for History and Culture
    Student: Owen Miller
    Title: Prohibition in Maryland: How Mencken and Ritchie Kept the State Wet for the Rights of the People
    Category: Junior Paper
    School: Hampden Elementary/Middle School, Baltimore City
    Teacher: Christopher Drexel

    Student: McLuhan Conway
    Title: Smallwood and Torrey: Renegades for Rights
    Category: Senior Individual Documentary
    School: Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Baltimore City
    Teacher: Patrice Frasier
  • Michael E. Patten Memorial History Award for Best Use of Primary Sources, Sponsored by the Frank Patten Family
    Students: Dalya Lippmann, Grace Kepka, and Lydia Tucker 
    Title: Balancing Rights and Responsibilities: Cigarette Advertising in the Late 20th Century
    Category: Senior Group Exhibit
    School: Montgomery Blair High School, Montgomery County
    Teacher: Marc Grossman
  • Award for Excellence in History of Science and Technology, Sponsored by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County History Department
    Student: Liliana Katz
    Title: The Birth of Bioethics
    Category: Senior Individual Documentary
    School: The Bullis School, Montgomery County
    Teacher: Sara Romeyn
  • Special Prize for Excellence in Women’s History, Sponsored by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County History Department
    Student: Yashaswini Kunati
    Title: Silenced Voices: The Dark Era of Eugenics that Haunts Our World
    Category: Junior Individual Website
    School: Windsor Knolls Middle School, Frederick County
    Teacher: Rebecca Clark
  • Special Prize for Excellence in Women’s History, Sponsored by the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center
    Student: Arianie Dey
    Title: Breaking The Bar
    Category: Senior Paper
    School: Urbana High School, Frederick County
    Teacher: Erin Spahr
  • Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation, Sponsored by the Maryland Historical Trust
    Students: Garrett Savage and Owen Rowe
    Title: Frostburg Preservation: Museum Leading Generations
    Category: Junior Group Exhibit
    School: Northern Middle School, Garrett County
    Teacher: Amanda Wilburn

    Student: A Juvenile Services Education Program Student
    Title: Tangier Island
    Category: Senior Individual Exhibit
    School: Victor Cullen Center
    Teacher: Sheila Leatherbury
  • Award for Excellence in Legal and Constitutional History, Sponsored by Cynthia Raposo and Joseph Furey
    Students: Mary Thrush and Violet Taylor
    Title: The Nuremberg Trials: Serving Justice by Creating International Law while Protecting Human Rights 
    Category: Junior Group Website
    School: Northern Middle School, Garrett County
    Teacher: Amanda Wilburn

    Student: Brett Sheranko
    Title: Corporate Personhood: When Speech Comes with a Price Tag
    Category: Senior Individual Documentary
    School: Patuxent High School, Calvert County
    Teacher: Jacqueline Hall
  • Award for Excellence in LGBTQ+ History, Sponsored by Jeanne M. Marcus and Friends
    Student: Noah Burd 
    Title: “Our Last Oppressed National Minority”: The Lavender Scare’s War on Queer Lives
    Category: Junior Individual Performance
    School: Thomas Johnson Elementary/Middle School, Baltimore City
    Teacher: Julie Ruff

    Students: Clara Park, Hadley Miller, and Olivia Lawrence
    Title: Frank Kameny’s Fight: Forging Gay Equality in the Government
    Category: Senior Group Website
    School: Poolesville High School, Montgomery County 
    Teacher: Stephanie Gomer
  • Excellence in White House History, Sponsored by the White House Historical Association
    Student: Sloan Willey 
    Title: The Founding of Shenandoah
    Category: Junior Individual Exhibit 
    School: Lockerman Middle School, Caroline County
    Teacher: Linda Echternach

    Student: Grace Stine
    Title: The Burning of Washington/The Rights and Responsibilities of The White House Legacy
    Category: Senior Individual Exhibit 
    School: Francis Scott Key High School, Caroll County
    Teacher: Rebecca Bell
  • The Award for Excellence in United States Military History, Sponsored by the Maryland Military Monuments Commission
    Student: Liam Carsia
    Title: Atomic Veterans: The Fight for Rights, Government Responsibility, and Recognition
    Category: Junior Individual Documentary 
    School: Milton M. Somers Middle School, Charles County
    Teacher: Kristen Barrett

    Student: Christopher Hill 
    Title: The Fight for The Right of Flight: The Tuskegee Airmen
    Category: Senior Individual Documentary
    School: Oxon Hill High School, Prince George’s County 
    Teacher: Adam Thomas
NHD® and Maryland Humanities Contest Disclaimer

National History Day® and Maryland Humanities does not censor student contest entries based on content. This means that the views and opinions expressed in student entries are those of the students and/or the sources cited in their projects. They may not and often do not represent the views or opinions of National History Day, Inc., Maryland Humanities or its donors, sponsors, supporters, partners, or affiliates.