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What does "outstanding academic merit and potential" mean in the humanities?

I am in the second year of my four-year bachelor's in history and I am looking at my options for master's programs and scholarships. If I google the term "outstanding academic merit" online, most sources explain that it means winning awards and competitions, along with getting good grades.

I have a high GPA but my university doesn't offer much in terms of extracurriculars, such as debate clubs, or research projects for undergraduate students. Otherwise, prizes and competitions (that I can find) are usually either only available for science and tech students, like hackathons, or for architecture and design students.

The equivalent for history students and academics seems to not only be much more scarce but far more competitive, such as prizes recognizing great pieces of historical literature, usually awarded to works written by tenured professors that take years to research and write.

There is a historical society at my university that has its own journal. Students of all levels may contribute their work. I've also found many online journals that seem to accept submissions from anyone, not just seasoned researchers. There are also a few specifically geared towards undergraduate work. Would successfully getting a piece published in one of these journals be something that would impress recruiters and showcase "outstanding academic merit"? Or would they not care much if the journals are not well-known and prestigious?

What else could someone in my situation do to improve their resume? Perhaps there are other achievements and activities for humanities students that I am overlooking completely. Upvote 1 Downvote 5 comments Share