Carmel students take top honors at 2026 National History Day Contest

Four Carmel High School students earned a first-place finish, and many other students from across Indiana earned multiple Top 10 placements and additional honors at the 2026 National History Day® National Contest, held June 14 to 18.

Leading Indiana’s accomplishments, Katie Zhao, Olivia Lim, Stephanie Tan, and Valerie Fu of Carmel High School earned first place in Senior Group Website for their project, The War Powers Resolution: Redefining the Separation of Powers in the Vietnam Era.

Indiana’s delegation to the national contest included 50 students from 16 schools who advanced through local and state contests held throughout the spring. They joined nearly 3,000 students from across the United States and international schools at the weeklong competition. Students presented original historical research through exhibits, documentaries, performances, papers, and websites, with projects evaluated by panels of judges from across the country.

Additional Top 10 projects were recognized, including Katelyn Chen of Carmel High School, who placed ninth in Senior Individual Website for Resisting Hate: Notre Dame Students’ Revolutionary Reaction to the Ku Klux Klan, and Evyn Arockia, Jeonghu Yang, and Luke Zhang of Carmel High School, who placed 10th in Senior Group Website for The Wounds of Labor Justice: Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in the Indianapolis Streetcar Strike of 1913.

Indiana students also earned four Honorable Mentions, recognizing projects that ranked among the top 20 entries in the nation. Honorees included Stephen Olson of Zionsville, Amos Groothuis of Indianapolis, Benjamin Lu, Divya Ariyur, Emma An, and Shawn Feng of Carmel, and Iman Hallab of Fishers.

“We were so excited to return to the National Contest this year! Indiana’s students explored this year’s theme of Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History by creating exhibits, performances, websites, documentaries, and papers,” said Lexi Gribble, HIS Manager of Education and National History Day in Indiana Coordinator. “I am incredibly proud of the work they put in to prepare and present their projects for the judges at the National contest. I hope this experience inspires them to continue to explore history and develop strong research skills!”

Two Indiana students also received special recognition through National History Day’s Outstanding Affiliate Entry awards, which honor one junior division project and one senior division project from each state:

• Amos Groothuis of Northview Middle School earned the Junior Division recognition for his website, Saving Our Birds: How the Migratory Bird Treaty Act Brought Birds Back From Near-Extinction.
• Iman Hallab of Eman Schools received the Senior Division recognition for her website, The Catalyst for Change: Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and the Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in Environmental Policy.

Indiana students were also selected to participate in national showcase programs in Washington, D.C. on June 17. Isabella Henderson and Kate Templeman of Carmel High School were selected for the Exhibit Showcase at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History for their project, Dorothea Dix and the Central State Hospital. Abhijay Masetty of Penn High School was selected for the White House Historical Association’s Paper Showcase for The Battle of Blair Mountain: The Revolution Against Oppression That Shocked America Forever.

National History Day in Indiana (NHDI) engages students in grades 4 through 12 in historical research, critical thinking, and communication through an annual project-based competition. This year’s National theme, “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History,” challenged students to examine moments of significant change and the responses they inspired, exploring how individuals, groups, and institutions shaped the course of history.

The 2026 NHDI Contest is presented by the Rooker Family Foundation, with support from the Vigran Family Foundation.

For more information about National History Day in Indiana, visit indianahistory.org/historyday.