Awards

Heart of Texas Regional History Fair Awards

The HOTRHF awards medals to first, second, and third place winners and awards ribbons to honorable mention winners in all competition categories of the junior and senior divisions. All 4th-5th Grade division competitors receive a participation ribbon and the top to advance to state.

First and second place winners in the HOTRHF competition advance to Texas History Day. The top two state-level winners in each category qualify to compete in National History Day. Many HOTRHF competitors have won distinction at Texas History Day and National History Day. To view a complete list of our past national competitors and winners, click here.

The HOTRHF would like to acknowledge the generosity of the Waco Scottish Rite Charitable Foundation, who provide the medals for all first, second, and third place winners in the HOTRHF each year. In addition, the Waco Scottish Rite Charitable Foundation also provides travel stipends to local students who win at the state competition and advance to National History Day in College Park, Maryland.

Special HOTRHF Awards
In addition to medals and ribbons for category winners, HOTRHF presents special awards for overall performance in any category. These include:

• The Ada Margaret Smith Award recognizes the year's most outstanding young historian.
• The Calvin B. Smith Award is presented to the most outstanding teacher of the year.
• The James M. SoRelle History Department Sweepstakes Award recognizes the sponsor(s) with the highest collective score at the HOTRHF.

Special Awards from Sponsor Organizations
Each year, a number of Central Texas organizations present special awards and prizes to HOTRHF competitors based on their own special criteria. Visit the Special Awards page for a list of sponsors and the criteria for their awards.

Gifts
Many Waco and Central Texas businesses generously support the Heart of Texas Regional History Fair by donating gift cards and merchandise for distribution to all fair competitors. Visit the Local Support page for a list of local supporters.