Nearly 500 students will present projects at the 2026 Riverside County National History Day on Saturday, March 14, at Canyon Springs High School in Moreno Valley. To coincide with the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the National History Day theme for 2026 is Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History.
Documentaries, websites, exhibits, podcasts, and performances will showcase student expertise on a wide range of topics, ranging from revolutionary moments in the fight for civil rights and religious freedom to fundamental changes in marketing and merchandising after the Cabbage Patch Kids craze of the 1980s and the U.S. Women’s National Team victory at the 1999 World Cup.
The 2026 theme competition features students in grades 4-5 who will participate in the poster and podcast categories, and junior (grades 6-8) and senior division (grades 9-12) students competing in documentary, performance, exhibit, website, and podcast categories.
The competition begins at 8 a.m., with public viewing for the documentary, website, and podcasts available in the gym between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Public viewing of exhibits will be available between 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room. The awards ceremony will wrap up the day at 4 p.m. in the gym.
The top three finishers in each category in the junior and senior division, and the top four finishers in the poster competition for 4th and 5 th grade students, will advance to the National History Day-California State Competition to be held May 1 through May 3 at California State University, Sacramento. Winners at the state level advance to the National History Day Competition from June 14 through June 18 at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Full details on the National History Day competition are available at https://www.rcoe.us/student-events/history-day.
