Dorothy Zhou and Thanvi Voruganti win Lowell Milken Discovery Unsung Heroes Founders Award

 "I’m thrilled to congratulate Dorothy and Thanvi on winning the Lowell Milken Discovery Unsung Heroes Founders Award. Working alongside these two exceptional young women as they researched and built a project honoring Judith Heumann has been a privilege. Thank you to the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, the Milken Family Foundation, and everyone who supported our pursuit to tell meaningful historical stories. Your encouragement empowers students to explore, question, and honor the people who inspire us to build a more inclusive future." from NHD teacher and incredible mentor Stacey Trepanier reports.

The Historical League is a proud supporter of the National History Day program and thrilled to see Dorothy Zhou and Thanvi Voruganti doing so well, and telling the Judith Heumann story.

Dorothy Zhou,  Stacey Trepanier, Thanvi Voruganti

teacher Grant Trepanier, Dorothy Zhou, Thanvi Voruganti, teacher Stacey Trepanier

Jon Kyl 1942-2026, Former Arizona Senator and honored as Historymaker in 2014

With heavy hearts we report that Jon Kyl has passed, September 16, 2026. He was honored by the Historical League as an Arizona Historymaker in 2014. Listen to him tell his story at  https://historicalleague.org/historymakers/jon-kyl/

 

"We know that Jon belonged to all of Arizona, a state he loved and explored with vigor, curiosity and wonder. Serving his state and nation in Congress was a privilege and responsibility he honored and respected. We are grateful for his full and meaningful public life.
We are grateful, too, for his full and meaningful family life, guided by his faith and endowed with honor, warmth and love. We cherish his presence in our lives and are thankful he has joined his beloved Creator, Jesus Christ." The Kyle family

Monetary awards for National History Day Arizona students 2026

Congratulations to all NHDAZ special award winners!

Special Awards 2026

This list entails all of the special awards winners from the NHD State Competition of 2026.

Special awards do not have anything to do with advancing to nationals. Special awards are sponsored by organizations, institutions, or individuals who want to recognize outstanding projects that relate to a specific topic, theme, group, or historical contribution. Each special award includes a monetary prize. Congratulations to all special awards winners!

Best African American History Awards sponsored by the African American Museum of Southern Arizona - $150

1.Junior Paper - Ruby Bridges; A Child Pioneer of Integration

Senior Individual Website - Revolutionizing Education: The Freedom Schools of the Civil Rights Movement by Ethan Tsay

 

AZ Historical Society Award for Equality in History - $150

2.Junior Individual Website - Braille: The Unseen Revolution

3.Senior Group Performance - Chinese Immigration in America

AZ Historical Society Award for Woman’s History - $150

4.Junior Group Documentary - Equality Denied: The Success of the 19th Amendment and Failure of the Equal RIghts Amendment

5.Senior Paper - Sybil Ludington and the Construction of American Patriotism

Best in Western United States History sponsored by the BYU Redd Center - $100

6. Junior Individual Documentary - Not Told Enough History: The Bisbee Deportation of1917

Senior Individual Website - The Delano Grape Boycott: Farmworker Revolution Leading to Reform by Aaron Senthikumar

Weiss Family Historic Places & Spaces Award - $100

Junior Group Website - Built on Speed and Soil; How McDonald's Transformed the Fast Food Industry by Adrish Gande, Owen Yin

Senior Individual Exhibit - Thanks to J.D.C Atkinson, My Language Is Dying by Tanae Lupe

The Roe Family Best Arizona History Entry - $200

7. Junior Individual Exhibit - When the River Turned Red- The Legacy of Camp Grant

8.Senior Group Documentary - Viva Libertad: Revolution Against Spanish Rule

Best Government History sponsored by Stephanie Mann - $50

Senior Paper -“The Endless Frontier”: How Atomic Revolution, Reaction, and Reform Gave Us Our Current System of Public Investment in Science by Ira Parsons

Best Entry for an Arizona Family History or Ethnic History sponsored by the Arizona Genealogical Advisory Board - $100

Senior Individual Exhibit - Thanks to J.D.C Atkinson, My Language Is Dying by Tanae Lupe

Best Use of Archives sponsored by the Arizona Archives Alliance - $150

Sr Group Documentary - Judith Heumann: Trailblazer of the Disability Rights Revolution by Thanvi Voruganti, Dorothy Zhou

9. Jr Documentary - The Bisbee Deportation

Best Use of Oral History sponsored by the Southwest Oral History Association - $100

10. Senior Group Exhibit - Native boarding schools

Diana Smith Award for Excellence - $150

Junior Paper - The Indonesian National Revolution and Its Impact on the World by Aryapadi Hariadi

Senior Paper - “The Endless Frontier”: How Atomic Revolution, Reaction, and Reform Gave Us Our Current System of Public Investment in Science by Ira Parsons

Barbara Lewis Award sponsored by Grant Trepanier - $160

Junior Individual Performance - From Conservatory to Cotton Club by Nathan Davies-Venn

Arizona Story of Arizona Historymaker sponsored by the Historical League - $150

Junior Individual Documentary - The Cool Revolution: How Air Conditioning Reformed The Valley of the Sun into a Habitable Metropolis by Mathew Davies-Venn

Senior Individual Exhibit - Thanks to J.D.C Atkinson, My Language Is Dying by Tanae Lupe

Jim Rex Memorial Award (For Youth Division Participants Only) - $20

Youth Group Documentary - The Smallpox and the Anti-Vax Leagues in England

Youth Group Exhibit - Running Against the World

Youth Group Documentary - Browder v. Gayle: The Four Women Who Fought Back

Youth Group Website - Banditen! Jewish Partisan Resistance During the Holocaust by Graydon Lilly Cohen and Maxwell Martin

Youth Individual Exhibit - Hello Girls

Youth Individual Website - March of Bread and Roses: A Child's Tale

Youth Paper - Too Unfit for a Slave?

Flashback to Friday 1915

 Flashback to 1915 Friday! 

The old plank road circa 1915 that allowed automobiles to traverse the Algodones sand dunes in Imperial County, CA connecting Yuma to San Diego. This photo shows a Studebaker on the first plank road carrying passengers to Holtville, CA from Yuma.

From Arizona Historical Society.

Photo Identifier - PC1000_42039— with Clarence Ratcliff.

Grand Canyon History

On Labor Day 1971, two professors from Northern Arizona University conducted a study of the noise level at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. At that time, air traffic was allowed to fly over the area. "Noise levels at this once tranquil vacation spot now rival levels on a busy downtown street."

The peak at times was 90 decibels. The tests were performed on the South Rim, near Phantom Ranch, and along two inner canyon trails. "Researches said there was no time, from dawn to dusk when they did not hear the sound of an aircraft flying over the canyon."

Thanks to Grand Canyon Historical Society for this history.

Kristen Rex at Library and Archives, Arizona History Museum in Tucson

Kristen Rex views the treasure trove of knowledge at Library and Archives, Arizona History Museum, after an epic transfer from Pioneer Museum in Flagstaff. As AHS Education Director, she knows there is a world of rich Arizona history to be found in those stacks.

National History Day Arizona students can be directed to this valuable resource.

The 28th Annual Prescott Indian Art Market Sept 19-20, 2026

 The 28th Annual Prescott Indian Art Market is just around the corner!

Join us Saturday, September 19, and Sunday, September 20, 2026, for two days celebrating Native American art, culture, music, performances, demonstrations, and more at Sharlot Hall Museum.

PIAM features more than 80 top Native artists in this juried fine arts market, showcasing an incredible variety of work, from oil painting and beadwork to pottery and weaving. Experience Native American culture in a unique and meaningful way while supporting Indigenous artists and celebrating their creativity and traditions.

Admission is $15 for non-members. Sharlot Hall Museum members and children under 9 are free.

Mark your calendar and join us for a weekend of art, culture, and connection!