N.C. History Day Regions & Contests
North Carolina has eight regions for National History Day®. Students must compete at their assigned regional contest in order to qualify for the state contest. If a student or school needs to participate outside of their assigned region, please contact nchistoryday@dncr.nc.gov to make arrangements before February 1st.
Very Important! We currently do not have a regional host for our Southwest Piedmont Region. If you want to compete from this region, please email nchistoryday@dncr.nc.gov so that we can assist with your participation.
Students should complete projects before the registration deadline listed for their region as many project materials must be submitted during registration. To see what is due during registration in each category, please view the project submission guidelines. Instructions on how to submit will be provided in registration directions.
Read the NHD Project Submission Guidelines
Type your county's name in the search box to find your region. Click on the plus symbol to view full details for your region.
| Contest | Counties Covered | Registration & Submission Deadline | Contest Date | Contest Location | Contest Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandhills Region | Bladen, Cumberland, Hoke, Moore, Richmond, Robeson, Scotland | Friday, February 20, 2026 | Friday, March 6, 2026 | UNC Pembroke | nc-shrc.nhd.org |
| Southeast Region | Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender, Sampson | Friday, February 13, 2026 (Registration Deadline), Friday, March 6, 2026 (Project Submission Deadline) | Saturday, March 14, 2026 | New Hanover County Government Center | nc-src.nhd.org |
| Western Region | Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, McDowell, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Yancey | Friday, February 27, 2026 | Saturday, March 14, 2026 | Blue Ridge Community College - Flat Rock Campus | nc-wrc.nhd.org |
| Central Piedmont Region | Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Guilford, Harnett, Johnston, Lee, Orange, Person, Randolph, Rockingham, Vance, Wake, Warren | Friday, February 27, 2026 | Saturday, March 14, 2026 | Wake Technical Community College - Southern Wake Campus | nc-cpc.nhd.org |
| Northeast Region | Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Dare, Edgecombe, Greene, Halifax, Hyde, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Nash, Pamlico, Pitt, Tyrrell, Washington, Wayne, Wilson | Wednesday, March 4, 2026 | Thursday, March 26, 2026 | East Carolina University | nc-nrc.nhd.org |
| Northwest Piedmont Region | Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Iredell, Rowan, Stokes, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin | Friday, March 13, 2026 | Friday, March 27, 2026 | Surry Community College | nc-nprc.nhd.org |
| Albemarle Region | Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Gates, Hertford, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans | Friday, March 13, 2026 | Friday, March 27, 2026 | Elizabeth City State University | nc-arc.nhd.org |
| Southwest Piedmont Region | Anson, Cabarrus, Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Stanly, Union | Contact NC History Day to participate in this region in 2025-26. | Contact NC History Day to participate in this region in 2025-26. | nchistoryday@dncr.nc.gov | |
| State Contest | All NC students who qualify at their assigned regional contest. | Wednesday, April 15, 2026 | Saturday, May 2, 2026 | UNC Greesboro | nc.nhd.org |
| National Contest | The top 2 medalists in each category at the North Carolina state contest. | Tuesday, May 12, 2026 | Sunday, June 13 - Thursday, June 18, 2026 | University of Maryland in College Park | nhd.org/en/contest/national-contest |