National History Day vs The Concord Review: Which Program Is Right for You?
Two very different history credentials: NHD is a project competition (papers, documentaries, exhibits) with a school-to-national ladder; The Concord Review publishes full academic history papers by high schoolers — closer to a journal acceptance than a contest. Ambitious students turn an NHD paper into a Concord Review submission.
Below is a live side-by-side comparison of National History Day (NHD) and The Concord Review (Publication), built from ExtracurricularHub's verified catalog.
| National History Day | The Concord Review | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Not verified — no price on file. Not verified — check nhd.org | $70 — the program's own page says “$70”. Source: tcr.org · 2026-08-08 |
| Application deadline | Rolling / not listed | Rolling / not listed |
| Grade eligibility | Grades 6–12 | Grades 9–12 |
| Format | Hybrid — College Park, MD | Virtual / online |
| Time commitment | ~6 hrs/week | ~6 hrs/week |
| Organizer | National History Day | The Concord Review |
National History Day (NHD)
Explore history through research, writing, and creative projects in this hybrid competition. Build skills, enhance college applications, and showcase your talents!
Full National History Day details, FAQs, and application link
The Concord Review (Publication)
Publish your high school history research in a prestigious peer-reviewed journal. Enhance writing skills, boost college applications, and gain recognition globally.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper, National History Day or The Concord Review?
Only half of this pair is sourced, so we will not rank them. National History Day: Not verified — no price on file. The Concord Review: $70 — the program's own page says “$70”. The The Concord Review line is quoted from its official page and linked below; the National History Day line is our catalog talking, and we do not publish a price we have not read on the program's own page. Confirm National History Day on its official site before you compare the two.
Can I apply to both National History Day and The Concord Review?
Reasoning rather than a sourced fact, and we would rather say so than pretend: neither National History Day nor The Concord Review is quoted on this page publishing any rule about applying to the other, so we cannot tell you in their words that there is no penalty. What is generally true of selective admissions is that programs judge the application in front of them, and applying to more than one is how most students handle a low-odds year. Before you count on it for these two specifically, read each program's own application page — every one we have quoted is linked on this page. If you do apply to both, work each cycle on its own calendar and reuse essay material where the prompts overlap.
Which is better for college applications, National History Day or The Concord Review?
Neither is automatically "better", and anyone ranking them for you is guessing: no admissions office publishes what a given program is worth in its process, so we will not either. Our view, offered as a view: what you can describe having done carries further than the name it was done under. Two very different history credentials: NHD is a project competition (papers, documentaries, exhibits) with a school-to-national ladder; The Concord Review publishes full academic history papers by high schoolers — closer to a journal acceptance than a contest. Ambitious students turn an NHD paper into a Concord Review submission. Pick the one whose work you'd actually finish, and go deep.
What grades can apply to National History Day and The Concord Review?
National History Day: grades 6–12. The Concord Review: grades 9–12. Eligibility can shift between cycles — confirm on each program's official page before planning your year around it.