Podcasts

Minnesota History Day is piloting a new category this year, the Podcast! 

This is not an “official” National History Day category, and top Podcast entries will be unable to advance to the National Contest.

Podcasts are a narrative-based recording about a student’s topic that will include a thesis statement, historical argument, connect to the annual theme, and are supported by student analysis and historical research. Students will write and record a script and other audio-based evidence to create their project. The following information and rules are only valid for Minnesota students in the 2026 contest year and do not apply to other affiliate programs.

Eligibility

• Any Minnesota school is able to have students create Podcast projects at the school-level or for submission to Regional competition.
• If a student creates a Podcast, they may not participate in another History Day category/project in addition to Podcasts. NHD Contest Rule Book, Section 5: Rules for All Categories, Rule 2: Entry.
• Podcasts will be an individual only category. Students in both the Junior and Senior Division are eligible to participate and will compete separately.
• Podcasts are not eligible to advance to the NHD National Contest in Maryland. 

Podcast Rules

Podcasts are not an official National History Day category. We have adapted similar rules to category pilots in other states. General rules for all projects outlined in the NHD Contest Rule Book will also apply to these projects, in addition to these category-specific rules. 

• View complete Podcast rules.
• View Podcast judge evaluation form.

Podcast Glossary

• Software/Equipment: There are no specific equipment or software requirements for creating a Podcast. Students are able to use software, or their phone/tablet, with which they are comfortable.
• Show Notes: A required element of the written materials. Show notes are brief, timestamped, citations used to credit sources used throughout the Podcast. These will be submitted along with a process paper and annotated bibliography.

Competition Process

Podcasts will compete in a similar model to entries in the Research Paper category. Much like the Paper category, schools can submit Podcast entries into the Virtual Regional Contest while students in other contest categories can participate in an in-person Regional, as long as the same students are not entering multiple projects in a contest year.

• Entries at the Regional level will be judged at through the Virtual Regional Contest with no in-person Regional participation. There are no interviews for Podcasts at the Regional level of competition. View instructions for registrations on the Regional event page.
• After submitting the participation survey, schools will be allotted a maximum number of entries they may register. This number will be purposefully lower in 2026 as we pilot the category.
• The top Podcasts in the Virtual Regional Contest will be named finalists and advance to the in-person State History Day Contest.
• Podcast finalists will have the opportunity to revise their project and will present their Podcast and participate in an interview at State History Day. Podcast entries will be eligible to apply for Topical Prizes at State.
• Podcast winners in each division at State History Day will receive a monetary award in lieu of eligibility to advance to the National Contest.

Entry limits

Each school must complete a participation survey in January and include Podcast projects. Allotments will be sent directly to the lead educator in mid-January that lists how many Podcasts may enter the competition.

Important 2026 dates for Podcast students

• Tuesday, March 3, 2026: Podcasts registered and uploaded by 7:59 pm CST
• Thursday, March 26, 2026: State Finalist Podcasts are announced. Students will get an email from zFairs, the registration system, within 24 hours about the process to register for State. Please check the email you used to register for the contest.
• Thursday, April 2, 2026: State Finalist registration forms and topical prize nominations are due by 7:59 pm.
• Thursday, April 9, 2026: Revised podcasts are due by 10:59 pm
• Sunday, April 19, 2026: State winners are announced.

Podcast judging process

• Podcasts are submitted via online registration.
• History Day staff sort the entries into judging teams, and send Podcasts to teams of judges.
• Podcast judges have about two weeks to review projects and return their results back to the State History Day office, along with completed judge forms.
• History Day posts a list of top entries at the end of March. Comment forms will be available within one week following the event.
• State Finalists are allowed to make changes before submitting a final project back to the History Day office about three weeks before the state competition.
• The finalist Podcasts are sent to new teams of judges.
• Podcast results are announced with all other category results at the State Awards Ceremony.

Podcast Resources

• Review the Minnesota Podcast category rules.
• Review the NHD Contest Rule Book for all category requirements.
• Review the Podcast judge evaluation form.
• Resources about organizing information for your Podcast can be found here (available soon).
• Listen to sample projects from NHD-California to get ideas. Since this is the first year of Podcasts in Minnesota, we don't have other samples to share yet! Please note that California rules are slightly different so they may run longer or shorter than final Minnesota projects.

Questions?

Contact Sammi Jo Papas with questions about the Podcast category.