History Day

The History Day in Arkansas Program is supported in part by a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and The National Endowment for the Humanities. It is also sponsored by the University of Central Arkansas and the Arkansas Association of College History Teachers. It involves collaboration between teachers, students, historians in colleges and universities, and other museums, historical societies and archives.

History Day in Arkansas is affiliated and part of National History Day, an exciting academic enrichment program that helps students learn about historical issues, ideas, people, and events. This academic adventure provides teachers with an innovative teaching tool and fosters students' enthusiasm for learning.

A media presentation should reflect student's ability to use media to communicate his/her/their topic's significance, much as professional documentaries do. The media category will help students develop skills in using photographs, film, video, audiotapes, and graphic presentations. The presentation should include primary materials, but must also be an original production. To produce a media entry, students must have access to equipment and be able to operate it.

A media project must follow the rules below:
Rule 1: Time Requirements: Media presentations may not exceed 10 minutes in length. Students will be allowed an additional 5 minutes to set up and 5 minutes to remove equipment. Timing will begin when the first visual image of the presentation appears and/or the first sound is heard. Any lead on videotapes (e.g. color bars, etc.) will be counted as part of the presentation.
Rule 2: Introduction : Only the title of the presentation and names of participants may be announced. Live narration or comments prior to or during the presentation are prohibited.
Rule 3: Student Involvement: Students are responsible for running all equipment and carrying out any special lighting effects.

Rule 4: Student Involvement & Production: All entries must be student-produced. Students must operate all equipment. Students must provide the narration, voice-overs, and dramatizations.

Rule 5: Entry Production: The entry must be an original production. Students may use professional photographs, film, slides, recorded music, etc. within the presentation. However, students must integrate such items into the presentation and give proper credit within the presentation as well as in the annotated bibliography. Slides may be professionally developed. Students must operate or supervise the operation of any editing equipment used in the production of the presentation.

Rule 6: Displays : Added exhibits of visual or written materials are not allowed.
Rule 7: Computer Entries: A student-composed computer program is an acceptable entry. Students must be able to run the program within the 10 minute time limit. Interactive programs are not acceptable; judges are not permitted to participate in the presentation by operating any equipment.