Students from Redmond Junior High School, Redmond High School and International Community School in the Lake Washington School District are among those presenting their original research during the North Puget Sound Regional History Day contest at Shoreline Center on Friday, March 13.

The culmination of a year-long program in which students choose and research a history topic, the North Puget Sound Regional History Day is part of a national effort to enhance history education and prepare students to become informed and involved citizens.

At Friday’s event, more than 400 students in grades 6-12 take part by conducting research and presenting their results in one of five categories: exhibits, papers, multimedia documentaries, original performances and Web sites. They work as individuals or in groups of up to five members.

More than 2,000 students will take part in seven regional contests held around at the state, competing in the junior (grades 6-8) or senior divisions (grades 9-12). They hope to qualify for the state competition at Green River Community College on Saturday, April 25.

The top two finishers in each category will compete in the national contest June 13-18 at the University of Maryland, College Park.

This year’s contest theme is “The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies.”

Preliminary round judging begins at 9 a.m. on March 13 and final round judging commences at 12:30 p.m. As part of the judging, students are interviewed about their projects and must provide a complete bibliography and a paper describing their research process.

The awards ceremony is scheduled for 3 p.m. in the Shoreline Center Auditorium, 18560 1st Ave. NE in Shoreline.