On February 24th, Seoul International School hosted a National History Day Korea competition.

The auditorium for the opening ceremony was overloaded with individuals from various international schools in Korea such as Daegu International School, Saint Johnsbury Academy Jeju, North London Collegiate School, and Korea International School.

Students were dressed in formal attire and were forbidden to wear clothes that could indicate their school to ensure a fair judging process.

National History Day is an annual competition that assesses students' ability to research, communicate, and manage projects about a historical event.

Students enrolled in middle school—grade 6 to grade 8— are eligible to participate in the Junior Division, while high school students —grade 9 to grade 12— should compete in the Senior Division.

Students have a choice to participate in one of the different categories of the competition, which includes paper, documentary, exhibit, website, and performance.

Students can choose to work individually or in a group of 2 to 5.

Participants create a project that aligns with the annual theme, some of which include ‘Turning Points in History,’ ‘Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History,’ ‘Rights and Responsibilities in History,’ ‘Taking a Stand in History,’ ‘Debate an Diplomacy in History,’ and more.

The annual theme for National History Day 2024 was ‘Turning Points in History.’

Participants freely researched turning points in history across a wide range of topics such as science, politics, literature, and more.

Those who received first or second prize in each category were granted the honour of competing with winners from different parts of the world at the University of Maryland, the largest university in Washington D.C.

However, winning a prize in any of the categories is a challenging task.

Entries for the contest require a significant amount of work and effort, involving a sequence of tedious work.

Entries are judged on their historical argument, theme, wide research, historical context, multiple perspectives, significance in history, primary sources, clarity of presentation, and student voice.

Participants also have to decorate an exhibit board, conduct an interview, or write thousands of words of essays depending on the choice of their categories.

After the opening ceremony marked the start of the competition, judges interviewed participants, inquiring about their process of creating their entries and what they learned from their projects.

During the judging period, students were encouraged to socialize and take a look at entries created by other students.

After hours of judging and the announcement of the finalists, the competition concluded with the award ceremony and closing remarks from the head of Seoul International School.

Competing in a National History Day competition can be a valuable experience for students, regardless of their results.

Aside from academic benefits, students can learn to be resilient and delve into their areas of interest beyond school learning.

In addition, students get a chance to inspire others through their work and to be inspired by the works of others.

The 2024 competition would be a step towards success in the 2025 competition for all the participants.

Subin Cho
Grade 9
Saint Johnsbury Academy Jeju