Manatee History Day

2026 Theme:
"Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History"

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2026 WINNER LIST!

Have questions or want to get started?
Email history.day@manateeclerk.com or call 941-749-7165.

Congratulations to Mackenzie and Channing!

View Channing and Mackenzie's Projects!

Channing's Documentary

Mackenzie's Paper

On May 4, Channing and Mackenzie proudly represented Manatee County at the state level in Tallahassee for Florida History Day, where they competed against some of the best students from across the state.

We are thrilled to share that Mackenzie earned two special prizes, and Channing received the Outstanding County award! Channing also advanced to the runoff round, placing him among the top eight competitors in the state. We are so proud of their hard work and the way they represented our community!

Program Resources

Click on any of the items below

Getting Started

Manatee History Day (MHD) Program FAQ
Request an in-class overview of annotated bibliographies and/or primary vs. secondary sources
National History Day (NHD) Rule Book
Graphic Organizer
2025-2026 Theme Book
Exhibit Board Project Examples from Florida History Day (Junior Category) (Senior Category)
Teacher Resources from National History Day

Research Resources

Putting Your Project Together

NHD Annotated Bibliography Handbook
NHD "What is a Process Paper?"
Websites: NHD Web Central Instructions
Project Checklists (Paper) (Website) (Documentary) (Performance) (Exhibit Board)

Registering on Z Fairs and Submitting A Project

Z Fairs Registration Instructions
Register Here
Video Walk Throughs (Students) (Teachers) (Judges)
Written instructions: (Students) (Teachers) (Judges)
Project Submission Instructions (post registration)

Judge Resources

Judge Evaluation Forms
Judge Z Fairs Registration Instructions
Virtual Judging Instructions (for documentaries, websites, and papers)

State Team Helpful Resources

Note: Students will not be interviewed at the county contest but are interviewed if they are promoted to the state contest in Tallahassee.

Registration

The Manatee History Day competition utilizes the Z Fairs online contest management system. This is where you will register for the program, submit projects, and keep up with contest information. Late registrations will not be accepted.

Z Fairs Registration Instructions:

All teachers, students, and judges must create a new profile annually regardless of whether they are new or returning to the program.

Student Instructions (Registration Window: August 11, 2025 -January 30, 2026)*

Written Instructions

Video Walk Through

Teacher Registration Instructions (Registration Window: August 11, 2025 - December 19, 2025)*

Written Instructions

Video Walk Through

Judge Registration Instructions (Registration Window: December 1, 2025 - January 16, 2026) REGISTRATION EXTENSION: January 21, 2026**

Written Instructions

Video Walk Through

Project Submission Instructions: Click HERE

Virtual Judging Instructions (for documentaries, websites, and papers only): Click HERE

*Students cannot register until their teacher has registered. If teachers do not register by the December 19, 2025 deadline, their student(s) will not be able to compete.

**Volunteer paperwork will also be sent to you and must be completed by January 16, 2026)

Student Information

Registration Window: August 11, 2025 - January 30, 2026

STUDENTS CANNOT REGISTER UNTIL THEIR TEACHER DOES AND CANNOT PARTICIPATE WITHOUT A REGISTERED TEACHER.

Student Criteria:

Must be a student at a school in Manatee County (public, private, charter, or homeschool)
Must be sponsored by a teacher who teaches in Manatee County (the project does not need to be required or on their syllabus).

Student Registration (Open August 11, 2025 - January 30, 2026)*

Whether you have participated in the past or are new to the program, you are required to register through our contest management website, Z Fairs, annually.

Registration Reminders:

You will not be able to register until your teacher has completed their registration
Use your personal email to register - your school's firewall will most likely block emails from ZFairs if you use your school email.
You will need to provide your parent/gaurdian's contact information - any contact between coordinators and students (if needed) will include the parent/guardian and teacher
Be sure to always check your spam/junk folder for emails from MHD Zfairs.
If you are not receiving any emails from MHD Z Fairs please contact the contest coordinators.

Registration Instructions:

Student projects are due by January 30, 2026. No late student registrations or projects will be accepted. You do not have to submit your project to register on Z Fairs but both registration and project submission are required to participate in the program. If your teacher has not completed registration by December 19, 2025, you will not be able to compete.

Project Submission (Due January 30, 2026):

You do not have to submit your project when you register on Z Fairs. If you have already registered and are submitting your project at a later date, click HERE for instructions.

If your teacher has not completed registration by December 19, 2025, you will not be able to compete.

Student Schedule*

Please note that some dates may be subject to change and no exceptions to these deadlines will be accepted.

Student Registration Opens: Monday, August 11, 2025 (students cannot register until their teacher does)

Student Registration and Projects Due: Friday, January 30, 2026 (for students to participate - their teacher must have registered by December 19, 2025)

Exhibit Board Drop Off (at Manatee Village Historical Park): Saturday, February 21, 2026 from 8 AM - 10 PM

Performance Judging (at Manatee Village Historical Park): Saturday, February 21, 2026

Final Round Judging: Monday, February 23, 2026

Exhibit Board Pickup (at Manatee Village Historical Park): February 23 - 28, 2026 from 9 AM - 4 PM (open hours)

Awards Ceremony** (at Manatee Village Historical Park): Saturday, February 28, 2026 from 10 AM - 11 AM

Final Call to Pick Up Contest Materials***: Wednesday, March 4, 2026

*MHD judges will not interview students at this year's competition.

** Entries for the State Team will be selected from each category based on content, subject matter, and research. Winning 1st or 2nd place does not guarantee selection to move on to state.

***Any items (exhibit boards, performance props, etc.) left after 4 PM will be disposed of

Teacher Information

Registration Window: August 11, 2025 - December 19, 2025

TEACHER REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS EARLIER THAN THE STUDENT DEADLINE

Teacher Criteria:

Must teach at a school in Manatee County (public, private, charter, or homeschool)
May only submit up to 10 projects per category
- Paper (Individual Only)
- Exhibit Board (Individual)
- Exhibit Board (Group)
- Website (Individual)
- Website (Group)
- Documentary (Individual)
- Documentary (Group)
- Performance (Individual)
- Performance (Group)

How to Use MHD in the Classroom:

You can add History Day as an assignment on your syllabus or hold a classroom or school-wide contest. You may also have a student approach you about being a sponsor and not including it in your classroom at all.

If you would like an in-classroom overview of the program, how to use or find primary and secondary sources, or to address what your students can expect, please email us by clicking HERE.

Teacher Registration (Open August 11, 2025 - December 19, 2025)*

No matter how you choose to incorporate the program, you are required to register on Z Fairs for the program before your student(s) will be able to do so.

Registration Reminders:

Use your personal email to register - your school's firewall will most likely block emails from Z Fairs if you use your school email.
Any contact between coordinators and students (if needed) will include the parent/guardian and teacher
Be sure to always check your spam/junk folder for emails from MHD Z Fairs.
If you are not receiving any emails from MHD Z Fairs please contact the contest coordinators.

Registration Instructions:

Late registrations will not be accepted. Your students cannot participate in the contest if their teacher has not fully registered by the deadline. Student projects are due by January 30, 2026. No late student registrations or projects will be accepted.

If you'd like to be added to our communications list about teacher registration, please click HERE or you can follow us on Instagram or Facebook.

Teacher Contest Schedule

Please note that some dates may be subject to change and no exceptions to these deadlines will be accepted.

Teacher Registration Opens: Monday, August 11, 2025

Teacher Registration Closes: Friday, December 19, 2025 (please note that this is earlier than the student registration deadline)

Awards Ceremony* (at Manatee Village Historical Park): Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 10 AM - 11 AM

* Entries for the State Team will be selected from each category based on content, subject matter, and research. Winning 1st or 2nd place does not guarantee selection to move on to state.

Judge Information

Registration Window: December 1, 2025 - January 16, 2026

Judge Criteria

Must be able to judge appropriately based on the student's age (i.e. Junior Category are 11 - 14 year olds; Senior Category are 14-18 year olds)
Must be at least 20 years old
Must be able to be unbiased towards students, project types, and topics
Must have an interest in history (formal education and/or experience is not required)
Must be willing to attend the in-person Judge Training on Saturday, January 24, 2026 at 10 AM (at Manatee Village Historical Park) or complete the online Judge Training which must be requested in advance and requires passing a short quiz due by Sunday, January 25, 2026.
Must be willing to become a registered volunteer with Manatee Village Historical Park and be able to pass a background check

Judge Registration (Open December 1, 2025 - January 16, 2026) REGISTRATION EXTENSION: January 21, 2026

Judges must be a registered volunteer with Manatee Village Historical Park which requires passing a background check. Additional paperwork will be sent to you. This paperwork must be completed by January 16, 2026 in order to participate.

Additionally, all judges (new or returning) must register annually through our contest management program, Z Fairs.

Registration Instructions:

If you'd like to be added to our communications list about judging registration, please click HERE or you can follow us on Instagram or Facebook.

Judge Training

Judge Training is mandatory for this program. There are two options: in-person and online.

In-person training will be held at Manatee Village Historical Park on Saturday, January 24, 2026 from 10 AM to 11 AM.

Online training is available upon request. All online training requests must be made by Friday, January 23, 2026. All materials and the online quiz (pertaining to the training material) passed by Sunday, January 25, 2026. This is to ensure enough time to process volunteer applications. We cannot extend or make exceptions to these deadlines.

Virtual Judging

Instructions for judging virtual projects (papers, documentaries and websites) can be found HERE.

Judge Contest Schedule

Please note that some dates may be subject to change and no exceptions to these deadlines will be accepted.

Judge Registration Opens: Monday, December 1, 2025

Judge Registration and Paperwork Due: Friday, January 16, 2026 REGISTRATION EXTENSION: January 21, 2026

Deadline to Request Online Training Materials: Friday, January 23, 2026

Judge Training (at Manatee Village Historical Park): Saturday, January 24, 2026 at 10 AM

Online Judge Training Materials Due*: Sunday, January 25, 2026

Paper, Website and Documentary Judging Opens: Monday, February 9, 2026

Performance Judging (at Manatee Village Historical Park): Saturday, February 21, 2026 from 10:00 AM -2:00 PM

Exhibit Board Judging (at Manatee Village Historical Park): Saturday, February 21, 2026 from 10:00 AM-2:00 PM

Paper, Website, and Documentary Judge Materials Due: Monday, February 16, 2026 at 11:59 PM

Awards Ceremony (at Manatee Village Historical Park): Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 10 AM - 11 AM

*Online judge training materials must be requested by January 23, 2026 and requires a passing score of a short quiz

State Team Information

State Team Materials

Paperwork required to participate at the state level will be posted here once the local contest has concluded.

State Team Schedule

State Team Meeting (Right After Awards Ceremony): Saturday, February 28 at 3 PM

Manatee County Participation Forms Due: Sunday, March 8 by 11:59 PM

You must meet with your coordinators at least once by this deadline (virtual or in-person) and once more before the FHD registration deadline or you will not be sent the FHD registration link

Special Prize and Scholarship Applications Due**: Wednesday, March 25 by 11:59 PM

Optional Judge Practice or Project Review with coordinators (must RSVP in advance): Saturday, March 14 & 28

Optional Judge Practice or Project Review with coordinators (must RSVP in advance): Saturday, April 11& 25

Florida History Day state competition in Tallahassee, FL.: May 3 - 5, 2026

Contest Check In and Exhibit Set Up (Tallahassee Community College): Sunday, May 3, 2026

Project Judging and Late Check In (Tallahassee Community College): Monday, May 4, 2026

Awards Ceremony (Donald L. Tucker Civic Center): Tuesday, May 5, 2026 at 10:00 AM

*Both forms are required to be filled out - there is an option to not give permission for Photo/Video Release

**Scholarships are only applicable for topics that apply to the National Maritime Historical Society

***Must have first completed the Manatee County Participation Form

****Hotels with special pricing will be posted here when available. Some hotels have a reservation block with a closure date before the registration deadline for Florida History Day. Reference Florida History Fair or FHD for special pricing. State Team members are not required to stay in a specific hotel.

About Manatee History Day

Manatee History Day is the local affiliate of Florida History Day (FHD) and National History Day (NHD), statewide and nationwide thematic contests, like the science fair, that reinforces the importance of writing skills, critical thinking, use of credible sources, and other methods to prepare students for high school or college. Students can choose between submitting a paper, documentary, exhibit board, website, or a performance. The best of these projects are recommended to compete at the state contest in Tallahassee with the possibility of competing at the national level in Maryland.

Every year National History Day frames students’ research within a historical theme. The theme is chosen for the broad application to world, national, or state history and its relevance to ancient history or to the more recent past. This year’s theme is Rights and Responsibilities in History. The intentional selection of the theme for NHD is to provide an opportunity for students to push past the antiquated view of history as mere facts and dates and drill down into historical content to develop perspective and understanding.

The NHD theme provides a focused way to increase students’ historical understanding by developing a lens to read history, an organizational structure that helps students place information in the correct context and finally, the ability to see connections over time.

Manatee History Day

2026 Theme: "Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History"

Congratulations to Mackenzie and Channing!

Program Resources

2026 Theme:
"Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History"