Volunteers needed for Illinois History Day student competition May 1

The Illinois State Museum is seeking judges and volunteers for the student Illinois History Day competition May 1 at the Bank of Springfield Center in Springfield.

Illinois History Day judges are tasked with evaluating student projects and determining which students advance to the next level of competition. Judges are not required to have a degree in history but must possess a willingness to give positive, constructive and useable feedback to student competitors. All judges will be trained and made to feel confident ahead of the competition.

Additional volunteers are needed to assist with wayfinding, greeting, and tear-down after the competition. Last year, the event drew 621 students to the Illinois contest.

Illinois History Day is a project-based learning program designed to take students in sixth through 12th grades on a journey through research, analysis, and discovery. Students conduct indepth research on a topic of their choosing to prove their historical argument.

Research is presented in the form of an exhibit, documentary, website, research paper or live performance. Students present their project at one of four regional competitions across the state with a chance to compete at the Illinois History Day state contest in Springfield. Winners of that competition will get a chance to compete at the National History Day Contest in Washington, D.C., in June.

The 2025 competition theme is rights and responsibilities in history. Students will research and explain the rights and responsibilities found within their topic.

"National History Day in Illinois is such an important program for middle and high school learners to gain skills and confidence in the history and humanity fields," said Jenn Edginton, Director of the Illinois State Museum, which sponsors the event. "This program aims to inspire the next generation of future historians."

Interested judges and volunteers should contact Illinois History Day state coordinator Laura Mitchelle at laura.mitchelle@illinois.gov.

Illinois History Day began in 1947 as a publication titled "Illinois Junior Historian" and later "Illinois History" sponsored by the Illinois State Historical Society and the Illinois State Historical Library (now the Lincoln Presidential Library) and then the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. The first history day fair took place in 1963, before the emergence of National History Day in 1974. In 2023, the Illinois State Museum became the official sponsor and home for Illinois History Day.