Special Prizes

At the 2011 Maryland History Day state competition a number of special prizes were awarded. Recipients of special prizes received a cash award and a plaque, and in some cases, award winners were invited to showcase their projects at special events and in museum and community settings.

Awards are determined by the Special Prize Committee, based on nominations made by judges as they review entries in both junior and senior divisions and in all categories.

All projects, whether or not they are entries for special prizes, must address the National History Day theme.

Below is a list of special prizes that served as topics for History Day 2010-2011 projects. Students are not required to address one of the special prize themes below.

African American History - sponsored by the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture. For more information, see www.africanamerican.maryland.gov/.

Award for Excellence in Civic Action and Engagement - sponsored by the Maryland Council for the Social Studies. This prize is awarded to an outstanding entry whose research and presentation relates to an individual, group or organization that worked toward and succeeded in making a difference in the civic life of their community, state or nation. For more information, see www.mdcss.org.

Barry A. Lanman Award for Oral History Excellence - sponsored by the Martha Ross Center for Oral History, University of Maryland Baltimore County. This award is presented to recognize exemplary student participants for high academic performance and technical skill in the creation of new oral history research or for the use of existing oral history resources in the completion of a Maryland History Day project. The award is established, on behalf of the Martha Ross Center for Oral History, as a lasting tribute to honor the distinguished career of Barry A. Lanman who has dedicated his professional life to the mentoring of students, the improvement of education, and the development of oral history as a distinct practice. For more information, see http://umbc.edu/mrc/.

Emily Hoffman Award for Outstanding Documentary - sponsored by Amy Plummer and Kenneth Hoffman.

Ethical Issues in History - sponsored by the Hoffberger Center for Professional Ethics, University of Baltimore. For more information, see http://www.ubalt.edu/hoffberger/.

Financial History - sponsored by T. Rowe Price. For more information, see http://individual.troweprice.com/family/center/home.jsp?van=trowefamilycenter.

Historic Preservation - sponsored by the Maryland Historical Trust. The Maryland Historical Trust prize is awarded to student projects that successfully recognize and encourage the protection, use and appreciation of Maryland's diverse history. Projects should focus on resources such as historic buildings, artifacts or objects, historic districts, landscapes, and land and underwater archeology sites. Projects might include research on historic battlefields, industrial buildings like mills or canning and packing houses, archeological evidence of Native American settlements, historic schools, or historic ships. There are many more possibilities for research on historic preservation through museums and historical societies. Students who wish to do research at the Maryland Historical Trust library may contact mdesarran@mdp.state.md.us. For more information, see http://mht.maryland.gov/.

Labor History - sponsored by the Community College of Baltimore County Labor Studies Program. For more information, see www.ccbcmd.edu/laborstudies/history.html.

Legal and Constitutional History - sponsored by Paul Mogin, Esquire, of Williams & Connolly LLP, Washington, DC.

Maryland History - sponsored by the Maryland Historical Society. For more information, see www.mdhs.org/.

Michael E. Patten Memorial History Award for the Best Use of Primary Sources - sponsored by the Surratt Society, an associate group of the Surratt House Museum. The award is given to an individual or group project in the Senior Division, and an award is also made to the school of the winning student(s). For more information, see www.surratt.org/.

Military History - sponsored by the Historical Miniatures Gaming Society. For more information, see http://www.hmgs.org/.

Milt Zaslow Award in Cryptology - sponsored by the National Cryptologic Museum Foundation. Topics might include the use of computers in cryptology, the impact of the National Security Agency, use of signals intelligence, Navaho Code Talkers, cryptology in the ancient world, and computer security. Students who wish to do research at the National Cryptologic Museum may contact the Museum library. For more information, see www.cryptologicfoundation.org/.

Peace Study Center Prize - sponsored by the Peace Study Center, Baltimore.  http://peacestudycenter.org/.  The Peace Study Center Prize is given to entries that best examine the aesthetics of peace, justice, or non-violence as a way to sustain our earth,  promote global awareness and support the  dignity of all persons. 

The Mary Douglas Glasspool Award for Religious Freedom - sponsored by Rev. Florence L. Ledyard, Rector, St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church. The award is given to recognize superlative Maryland History Day projects that explore the history and spirit of the development and practice of Religious Freedoms found in the many nations, cultures and peoples of the world.

History of Science and Technology - sponsored by the Human Context of Science and Technology Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Senator Thomas V. "Mike" Miller, Jr. Award for Excellence in Government History

Women's History - sponsored by the History Department and the Women and Gender Studies Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

For information, contact Judy Dobbs
Maryland Humanities Council
410-685-4185 or jdobbs@mdhc.org