The Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center, the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center, and the Jewish Museum Milwaukee are proud to partner on a contest that encourages middle and high school aged students to engage with stories of survival from the Holocaust. This contest is generously sponsored by the Habush Family Foundation. View the below contest guidelines in a printable PDF file.
Eligible Participants: 6-12th grade students
Submission Deadline: Monday, April 1, 2019 at 11:59pm CST
Prompt: Each entry must be based on the testimony of a Holocaust survivor. Video testimonies of local, Wisconsin Holocaust survivors can be viewed here. Students who have had the opportunity to hear from or interview a Holocaust survivor in person may respond to that experience instead.
To enter the contest, create a piece of writing or artwork that reflects a personal engagement with the survivor testimony you have selected. Choose one of the following prompts:
Format: Original writing or art entry may be one of the following:
All works must be submitted digitally. Other than poetry, entries are limited to a single object (sculpture entries may include up to four images from different angles).
Artist’s Statement: All entries must include an artist’s statement, 50-200 words, in which you identify your artistic process and the takeaway you would like the audience to have.
Judging Criteria: Each entry will be judged with the following criteria in mind and using this scoring rubric:
Prizes: There will be 4 grand prize winners, one in the writing category and one in the art category, for each of the two grade divisions (middle and high school). These 4 grand prize winners will be taken to Washington DC where they will visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Teachers of the 4 grand prize winners will receive a $100 gift.
All winners will be featured on the website of the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center and selected pieces will be included in an exhibit at the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center in Spring 2019.
Instructions: Email contest submissions to Contest@JCCMilwaukee.org by Monday, April 1, 2019 at 11:59pm CST with the following 3 attached files:
More Information: Contact Brittany Hager McNeely, Director of Education at the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center at 414-963-2714 or BrittanyH@MilwaukeeJewish.org
Some of the materials for the Writing and Art contest have been adapted from Chapman University’s Holocaust Art and Writing Contest, presented by the Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education, in partnership with The 1939 Society. We are grateful for their support and collaboration.
2017 Topic: Choose an example of survival, resistance or rescue from the Holocaust that has an impact on you. Explain how it influences the way you behave in the world today. Be sure to give historical details of your examples in your essay.
Photo: 2017 Holocaust Essay Contest Award Winners in Washington DC
2016 Topic: How has learning about the Holocaust influenced the way you act, the way you look at the world, and/or the way that you treat others? In your answer use specific examples about events, groups, people, and/or survivors from the Holocaust.
Photo: 2016 Holocaust Essay Contest Award Winners in Washington DC
2015 Topic: Hate is rampant in the world today. Describe two lessons you have learned from studying the Holocaust that can help fight hate. Use specific examples about events, groups, people or survivors from the Holocaust that inspire each of these lessons.
Photo: 2015 Holocaust Essay Contest Award Winners in Washington DC