Volunteer As A Judge

Dates:

Friday, April 19th and/or
Saturday, April 20th

Location:

California State University, Sacramento
6000 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95819

Judging Opportunities

This year we have two opportunities for judging:

Historical Paper Contest - Online

February 16 - 27120 judges needed!No interviews. Judges will evaluate, comment, and rank.

NHD-CA State Contest - In Person

April 19 - 20 at Sacramento State University250 judges needed for student interviews & project evaluation.

There are multiple days and sessions for judging at the NHD-CA state Contest. You can select the ones that work for your schedule:
Friday, April 19th
    • Friday Judge Training 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM — Required
    • Morning Session 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM
    • Afternoon Session 1:30 PM - 6:30 PM
    • Evening Session 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Saturday, April 20th
    • Saturday Judge Training 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM — Required
    • Morning Session 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM
    • Afternoon Session 1:30 PM - 6:30 PM
    • Evening Session 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Pre-Judging: 

Judges selected for websites and historical papers will be required to preview these projects ahead of time.  In addition to this preview, judges in these categories will need to be available at the competition to interview students.

CEUs for Judging:

Teachers and pre-service teachers who judge both days can earn 1.9 CEUs from Sonoma State University.

Judge Expectations

As a judge, History Day events are rewarding experiences. The History Day program, students, and teachers will also be relying on you as a critical part of the educational process. Here is what you can expect at History Day, as well as what the program expects of you as a judge.

As a Judge you will:
  • Sign up in advance on the website.
  • Attend a judge orientation on the day of the event.
  • Work with 1-2 other volunteers to review projects and interview students.
  • Select the strongest projects to advance to the next level of competition.
  • Provide written feedback about each project you view.
As a judge, you are responsible to:
  • Arrive on time and stay until the judging process is completed.
  • Let us know as soon as possible if your schedule changes and you are unable to judge.
  • Be familiar with the Judge Handbook and the category rules of the projects you are evaluating.
  • Remember the age of your audience. Some students are as young as 4th grade and may be nervous to discuss their work. Ask questions which prompt students to provide information, and be patient if they are shy or anxious.
  • Pay careful attention so you can evaluate well. Students have worked for months on their projects and are looking forward this opportunity to share their work.
  • Judges should avoid distractions such as personal phone calls, texts, etc. during the event.
  • Judges may not bring minor children that they need to supervise to the event.
  • Let the History Day staff know right away if there are problems. We are here to help!
We appreciate your time and will do our best to make this experience rewarding for everyone involved!

Judge Video

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Sacramento County Office of Education

NHD-CA
P.O. Box 269003
Sacramento, CA 95826

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