Two Carmel High School students received the Women in History Award at the 2023 National History Day Contest awards ceremony for their documentary, “Janet Guthrie: Paving the Way for Women.”

Juniors Annalise Taller and Alice Mayer said they grew up loving the Indianapolis 500 and wanted to learn more about the first woman to race in the event.

“It started with Janet Guthrie breaking through and creating a frontier for future women in racing,” Taller said.

The documentary chronicles Guthrie becoming the first woman to race in the Indy 500 in 1977 and her ninth-place finish the following year. It was the highest finish by a female driver until 2009, when Danica Patrick placed third.

“Guthrie has a fascinating story,” Taller said. “It’s always cool to see women in history doing things that are pretty much unheard of.”

Taller and Mayer received a cash prize sponsored by the National Museum of Women’s History and National History Day medals. The awards ceremony was in June at the University of Maryland. They plan to compete in the contest again.

National History Day gives students an opportunity to create historical projects based on a chosen theme each year. The 2023 theme was Frontiers in History.

To watch the documentary, visit youtube.com/watch?v=6pE5Ko6PETM.