JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – A group of Mississippi students will participate in the National History Day Contest in College Park, Maryland, in June 2026 after winning at the state level at an event hosted by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH).
The Mississippi History Day (MHD) contest on April 10, 2026, drew middle and high school students to the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson. They displayed projects on the theme of revolution, reaction and reform in history.
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Thirty-four students participated in the 2026 Mississippi History Day State Contest. Of those, 26 won first or second place to qualify for the National History Day Contest. Third-place winners act as alternates for qualifiers who are unable to attend the national contest held June 14-18, at the University of Maryland.
2026 Mississippi History Day winners:
Senior Individual Exhibit
- First Place: Maggie Brown from Hernando High School
- Second Place: Keylee Lang from Starkville High School
- Third Place: C. Gregg from the Youthful Offenders Unit
Junior Individual Exhibit
- First Place: Geneva Hicks from Hernando Middle School
Senior Group Exhibit
- First Place: Allisha Guan and Sivmeng Nak from Hernando High School
- Second Place: Connor Daniels and Christopher Lightfoot from Hernando High School
Senior Individual Website
- First Place: Coy Vanpelt from Hernando High School
Junior Individual Website
- First Place: Aiden Rhee from Armstrong Middle School
Senior Group Website
- First Place: Shriyansh Dash and Kai Saikia from Starkville High School
- Second Place: Brendan Seo and Joseph Thompson from Starkville High School
Junior Group Website
- First Place: Sian Lee and Peter Mun from Partnership Middle School
Senior Individual Documentary
- First Place: Walter Giesen from Mississippi School for Math and Science
- Second Place: Ian Jung from Starkville High School
Senior Group Documentary
- First Place: Ojash Bhushan, Peter Buys, Divya Sai, and Saindhavi Shankar from Starkville High School
- Second Place: Jaida Denz and Jordyn Taylor from Mississippi School for Math and Science
Senior Paper
- First Place: Catherine Shao from Mississippi School for Math and Science
- Second Place: Daniel Hu from Mississippi School for Math and Science
- Third Place: Heer Patel from Mississippi School for Math and Science
Junior Paper
- First Place: Madelyn Hudson from Simpson Central School
Best Project in Medical History Award
- Angelina Tan from Mississippi School for Math and Science
Best Project in Oral History
- Ian Jung from Starkville High School
Best Project in Black History
- Brendan Seo and Joseph Thompson from Starkville High School
Best Project in Archival History
- Walter Giesen from Mississippi School for Math and Science
Best Project in Military History
- Aiden Rhee from Armstrong Middle School
Best Project in Women and Gender History
- Keylee Lang from Starkville High School
Best Project in Mississippi History
- C. Gregg from the Youthful Offenders Unit
The Major Calvin Wu Best Project in Asian History
- Daniel Hu from Mississippi School for Math and Science
Best Project in Humanities History
- Catherine Shao from Mississippi School for Math and Science
- Shriyansh Dash and Kai Saikia from Starkville High School
Best Project in Gulf South History
- K. Smith from the Youthful Offenders Unit
Teacher of the Year Nominee
- Craig Wood from Starkville High School
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