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.
| Region | Counties Covered | Registration & Submission Deadline | Contest Date | Contest Location | Contest Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandhills | Bladen, Cumberland, Hoke, Moore, Richmond, Robeson, Scotland | Friday, February 20, 2026 | Friday, March 6, 2026 | UNC Pembroke | nc-shrc.nhd.org |
| Southeast | Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender, Sampson | Date Coming Soon! | Saturday, March 14, 2026 | New Hanover County Government Center | nc-src.nhd.org |
| Western | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Gates, Hertford, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans | Date Coming Soon! | Date Coming Soon! | Elizabeth City State University | nc-arc.nhd.org |
| Southwest Piedmont | 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 |