Founder of HoSZ Became the First Chinese Winner of National History Day Contest

COLLEGE PARK, MD,  June 13th, 2025 —  Albert Z. Wang, founder of Humans of Shenzhen, recently competed in the National History Day® National Contest, held at the University of Maryland at College Park from June 8–12. He was awarded third place with his "rich, compelling, and well-argued paper" on migrant workers, the Hukou system, and urban villages, making him the first Chinese student to stand on NHD's podium in its 50-year history.

The judges praised Albert's paper as "very well-researched and written." With a "bold choice of what some might consider a non-traditional topic," they wrote, "this is an impressive piece of historical research that says what it seeks to examine and then fulfills the aim. [Albert] dove into a wealth of official documents and interviewed numerous people who experienced, and in some cases administered, the momentous change to China that [he] chronicled. [He] credibly and convincingly make the case that a 'bottom-up' economic dynamic swamped the CCP's plans for managed growth of China's cities. The 'economic miracle,' [he] shows, was largely the outgrowth of desperate measures by the dispossessed." One judge "found this paper to be particularly interesting because, unlike histories of Western Civilization where modernization is casually linked to the Enlightenment and democratic ideals, [the paper demonstrated that] in China the drivers of modernization were social and economic factors, whether instituted by the government or by individuals...All too often historians view working and lower classes as lacking in intelligence and initiative; this is why [Albert's] study of the working poor is so fascinating."

The 2025 contest theme was Rights and Responsibilities in History. Albert joined more than half a million students globally who completed historical research projects for NHD. After completing a project, students compete in a series of contests beginning at the local level. The top students in each project category from both middle and high school divisions in 49 states, Washington D.C., U.S. territories and international schools are invited to compete in the annual NHD National Contest. For Albert, this meant winning second place in the highly competitive NHD China round to qualify for NHD finals in College Park.

“National History Day continues to be one of the most important activities students can participate in during their middle and high school years,” said NHD Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. “This year’s National Contest participants represent just one percent of NHD students worldwide and they should be proud of their accomplishments during the 2025 contest season. The critical thinking, research, writing and analysis learned from NHD will benefit students far beyond academics as they become successful professionals, community-minded leaders and engaged citizens.”

540 historians and education professionals served as judges for the students' work. More than 100 students took home cash prizes between $250 and $2,000 for superior work in a particular category of judging. 

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About National History Day® (NHD): NHD is a non-profit organization based in College Park, Maryland, that seeks to improve the teaching and learning of history. Established in 1974, NHD currently engages more than half a million students each year in conducting original research on historical topics of interest and supports teachers through professional development opportunities. Students present their research as a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website. Projects compete first at the local and affiliate levels, where the top entries are invited to the annual National Contest at the University of Maryland at College Park. NHD is sponsored in part by the Joyful Noise Charitable Foundation, The Better Angels Society, Bezos Family Foundation, Library of Congress, Dr. Scholl Foundation, Behring Global Educational Foundation, 400 Years of African American History Commission, and the National Park Service. For more information, visit nhd.org.