How I Use History Contests in My Classroom

I’ll be honest, when I first started incorporating history contents into my classroom I really wasn’t sure how it would go. Between pacing guides, testing schedules, and everything else that teachers are required to do, adding new things can be difficult and feel overwhelming. I quickly learned though, that history contests don’t really add more work. They simply added more purpose to the work I was already assigning. 

I would say that a majority of the contests that I have my students participate with are intentionally directly built into my existing units. If they are already writing an essay, completing a research project, or making an art piece, I look for contests that involve and align with that. This not only cuts down on duplicative work, but makes the assignments more impactful as they are more than just “another grade” and can lead to cool opportunities or prizes. 

One of the biggest changes I noticed was in student effort. When students knew their work would be read by judges outside the classroom, they paid more attention to my suggestions and asked better questions. This led to student conferences that were more meaningful with the students actually invested in strengthening their arguments and explanations. The contests didn’t raise classroom expectations, it just made them feel more important. 

In my classroom, contests are often built directly into my graded assignments rather than treated as optional extras. For the students, having a grade attached usually provides the confidence and motivation needed to fully engage with the work. While some students naturally jump at the opportunity, others sometimes only rise to the challenge because of the grade. Once they are invested, many go the extra mile and take great pride in their final product. What’s most important to me, however, is that each student views history as something that they can actively participate in instead of just a series of people or events to memorize. Through research, writing, and creative expression, all types of students have a way to engage with the past and build meaningful historical skills.

Over time, I unfortunately had to learn a few lessons the hard way. Deadlines matter, and it always helps to build in extra time. Clear rubrics and checklists make the process smoother for everyone, and reaching out to local organizations early makes a huge difference. Most groups are excited to support teachers and are more than happy to answer questions, provide guidance, or visit classrooms.

One of the best ways to get my students invested is to “make a show of it” and make sure that they know their successes are a big deal. When contest results are announced, I always make sure to get the students public recognition. This could come by sharing it over the morning announcements or celebrating their work in class. I also submit photos for the school newsletter so that the students can see some visible recognition for their work. While that recognition might seem frivolous, it really matters to the students as it validates their hard work and helps build a school culture that values academic achievement, creativity, and historical thinking. It also gives school administrators and families a tangible result of the student's learning, often leading to additional support for these kinds of activities in the future.