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Events for aspiring humanities majors: local, regional, and national

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The humanities cover many fields ranging from art and history to languages, all which focus on the human experience. Although very broad, humanities also provide great opportunities as selecting extracurricular activities to build a strong, competitive package for even the most demanding Tier 1 schools is approachable from many angles. Generally, local events related to the humanities have very low or no entry fees and are worth considering if you’re not yet sure if you want to commit to a big regional or national event. National event wins are excellent for any package, but one related to your field of interest makes your college preparation look planned and efficient. If you’re not sure which option you should consider, here’s a breakdown of the three major groups to get you started. 

Local level

Local level events are great because they are often an entry point to explore various fields without having the pressure of earning a high grade. Many of the local events you find will act as preparation for larger, more competitive events if you become interested in advancing further in a particular field.

  • Debate club: the purpose of a debate club is to instill confidence when speaking about well-researched topics in front of large groups. This skill is useful in any job where you need to argue your points, present things persuasively, or in general, speak in public. There are clubs in nearly every school; if there isn't one in yours, this is a great club for you to start and grow. Depending on your comfort level, debates are organized at the local, regional, and national level with many of them being conducted online. If you’re not ready to jump into a highly competitive regional or national event, start small with a local event and work your way up. 

  • Creative writing club: different from academic writing, creative writing focuses on using writing as a tool to express and elicit emotion. If you like writing to convey a message, or if you like reading stories, a writing club is a great way to coordinate related activities with other students. There are local contests (probably at your local public library or maybe posted in the rec center), regional events, and national competitions to give you a chance to participate at every level of competitive writing. You can even have your work published while you’re still a student.

  • Drama club: You'll see drama clubs in nearly every high school. If you're at a school that's known for having a strong drama club, you'll find excellent direction and advice in learning. If your school doesn't have a drama club, it may be more difficult, but if you can get together 3-4 friends, you can definitely get one started. If you can't perform in front of your school, you can't perform in front of the world, right? There's a lot of help for this online in the form of ideas for club activities and practice sheets. Getting started is tough, but knowing where to find help will make everything faster and more convenient. 


Regional level 

Just as an example, we've chosen California as the state for our regional humanities events, but you will find that all major cities across the states have either the exact same event or a very similar variation. 

  • National History Day California Contest

    Making up your own humanities-related activity is going to be tough since building a framework to gauge the understanding of this field would simply require too much time. But if you know that you like history, that’s a great place to start. Maybe you have an amazing history teacher or just have an interest in some topics. This contest lets you do your own research based on an annual theme and you can choose to compete with your research. 

  • Youth Speaks: Under 21 Open Mic & Teen Poetry Slam

    Whatever the reason or subject, if you find joy in writing verses and see it as an expressive outlet, you should consider building that into a strong extracurricular activity. Join like-minded fans of poetry at this event, where your time on the mic is just three minutes. This event, held in San Francisco for the last 25 years, celebrates up-and-coming future poets and can give you an experience that is worth its own short college essay down the line. 

  • Congressional Art Competition

    Though Californian high school students will compete in their own districts, this is a regional event that has national recognition. For over 40 years, this competition has allowed visual artists to compete regionally and have the opportunity to have their work included in the 400+ pieces – one from each participating congressional district – to be displayed in the U.S. Capital exhibit. The experience will be different from what you get from standard school education and will allow you to explain another dimension of yourself that isn't seen elsewhere in your application.

National level

These are the big events. Wins here are rare and involve competing against thousands of other students who are just as competitive as you. Some require school sponsors, mentors, or teams. Some are offered for individuals. But, all of these are for students who are sure that this is the big thing they want to put on their application. You can do these just for fun, of course, but it is important to understand how beneficial an accomplishment at this level would be for your application. 

  • National History Day

    This event is the end of all of the regional National History Day contests from across the states. Though this isn't an event that you directly apply to as the process will take several months of preparation and requires prerequisite invitations – not to mention actually winning your regional event – but you can use this to reverse engineer your prep. You’ll be able to get a sense of the scale, and by looking at the website you’ll also see the criteria for the dozens of special awards that are handed out at this contest. In other words, this is an excellent place to begin thinking of ideas for your own project. Also, take a look at past winners to get a feel for the level of work, and if it's right for you. A win at a contest of this level is what would make your application super competitive for a top-level, Tier 1 application. But keep in mind that because of this, the competition is stiff since you’re up against many teams across the country with great ideas. 

  • Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

    With over two dozen categories split between various art and writing themes, this is a national recognition that is a great addition to any application, but will particularly suit packages for students with a creative flair. Previous winning submissions are posted to give students an idea for the level of writing that is appropriate for recognition. There are many national writing contests and competitions, but this is the longest-running and one of the most prestigious. 

  • World of 8 Billion 

    Create a short video explaining how the world's population will be affected by either climate change, gender equality, or waste, and your thoughts on a solution. Though there are science elements, the unique human focus of this challenge allows students to deeply incorporate themes from the humanities.