South Carolina History Day Spectator Policy
In an effort to ensure our student competitors have a fair and fun experience, please adhere to the following policies. Thank you in advance for adhering to these policies.
- TURN OFF ALL CELLPHONES while viewing any student project.
- Refrain from cheering during documentaries and performances. Brief applause at the end is acceptable.
- While walking/waiting in the hallways, keep your voices down so as not to disturb the judging process.
- Please do not speak to the judges concerning the judging of your student’s project. Contact contest officials with any concerns.
- While judging is in progress, stay in your seat and do not interject with your opinions.
- Do not enter a room once judging has started.
- Judges have absolute authority to remove disruptive individuals from the judging room if they deem it necessary to protect the integrity of the judging process.
- All participants are expected to maintain proper standards of decorum during the event. Individuals who engage in disruptive behavior will be asked to leave the contest area and may be barred from future SCHD competitions.
Personal Property Disclaimer
South Carolina History Day and SCGSAH staff and volunteers assume no responsibility for personal property. It is the owner’s responsibility for arranging the pickup of any items left/lost at the contest.
The theme this year is Breaking Barriers in History. For more information about the theme, visit the Annual Theme page.
This regional contest is for students in Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, and Union counties. Winners are selected on a scale model in 2019. This means the more projects competing in a category, the more projects eligible to advance to the state contest.
- You will receive details pertaining to your interview/presentation location and time in advance.
- All categories
- You must bring FOUR copies of your annotated bibliography and process paper. Printing will not be made available.
- Be able to access any necessary materials in multiple ways: online, flash drive, tablet, etc.
- All equipment must be set up and operated by the student throughout the competition. The competition staff is not obligated to supply additional equipment for this purpose.
- Arrive to your room at least 15 minutes prior to your scheduled time.
- The exhibit area will be closed to the public during this time.
- Students must supply their own laptops/tablets to screen documentaries.
All History Day projects are judged according to the following
Historical Quality (60%)
- Is my entry historically accurate?
- Does my entry provide analysis and interpretation of the historical data rather than just a description?
- Does my entry demonstrate an understanding of historical context?
- Does my annotated bibliography demonstrate wide research?
- Does my entry demonstrate a balanced presentation of materials?
- Does my entry demonstrate use of available primary sources?
Relation to Theme (20%)
- How does my topic relate to the theme?
- Why is my topic important?
- How is my topic significant in history and in relation to the NHD theme?
- How did my topic influence history?
- How did the events and atmosphere (social, economic, political, and cultural aspects of my topic’s time period) influence my topic in history?
Clarity of Presentation (20%)
- Is my entry original, creative, and imaginative in subject and presentation?
- Is my written material clear, grammatically correct, and accurately spelled?
- Is my entry well-organized?
- Do I display stage presence in a performance?
- Is my visual material presented clearly?
Rule infractions occur when you violate any of the rules stated in this Contest Rule Book. Infractions are not grounds for disqualification, but judges will take any rule infractions into consideration in their final rankings. Failure to comply with the rules will count against your entry. Any rule infractions should be corrected before a winning entry competes in the next level of competition.
A project may be disqualified from the contest on three grounds:
- Plagiarizing all or part of the NHD project. Please note that failing to give proper credit is plagiarism.
- Reusing, individually or as a group, a project (or research from a project from a previous year, or entering a project in multiple contests or entry categories within a contest year).
- Tampering with any part of the project of another student.