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Holocaust Reflection Contest

Find Your Inspiration

Soon after their liberation from the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps, Holocaust survivors Viktor Frankl, Elie Wiesel, and Thomas Buergenthal published Man’s Search for Meaning,Night, and A Lucky Child respectively. Their books analyze their and other prisoners’ encounters in concentration camps, and, most importantly, they provide perspectives from which we can all learn.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Yad Vashem, the USC Shoah Foundation, and numerous other online resources offer a large selection of survivor testimonials and documented history. These stories offer unique insight on the impact of our daily choices and why we must avoid intolerance, hatred, racism, and bigotry as individuals and as a society.

How to Participate

The application will be made available here December 1, 2015–January 22, 2016.

This contest is open to all middle and high school students in the State of Florida commencing with the 2015-16 school year.

  1. Begin by watching or reading Holocaust survivors testimonials.
  2. Select a testimonial or other historical reference (e.g., a family member's story of surviving the Holocaust) that inspires you. This will serve as your primary resource for understanding, analysis, and evaluation of the Holocaust and how the lessons from this period have an impact on your thinking and your future. (Please make note of the name of the Holocaust survivor and, if the testimonial is found online, bookmark the website. You will be required to include this information on the contest application.)
  3. Reflect on this piece of history, its meaning to you, and how it may impact your future. Why is this piece meaningful to you? How could you adapt it and take its meaning into your future? Submit your answers to these questions (and other related reflections you may have) in the form of an essay, a poem, a short film, or a visual art piece.

Submission Criteria

The application will be made available here December 1, 2015–January 22, 2016.

Each student may enter a maximum of one submission per category (i.e., one essay, one visual art piece, and one film). Group projects will not be accepted; only one student per submission.

Your name, school, and email address should not appear within the content of your submission.

Writing

  • an essay or a poem of no more than 500 words
  • double-spaced
  • 12 pt. font
  • accepted file formats: .doc, .docx, .pdf

Visual Art

  • a two-dimensional image of any variety (a digitally created image, digital photograph, or a photograph of an original art piece)
  • accepted file formats: .jpeg, .bmp

Film

  • running time not to exceed five minutes
  • credits should be prepared but not saved as part of the submitted file
  • accepted file formats: .mp4, .mpeg, .mov

The Prize

Six prizes will be awarded. The winners (three middle school students and three high school students)—along with their respective teachers and one parent per student—will be awarded an all-expense paid trip (flights, hotels, and meals) to Washington, D.C. to visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and other historic sites in June 2016. During their visit, they will be invited to participate in meetings with national and international dignitaries. The winners will also be invited to the awards ceremony at Nova Southeastern University in March 2016, where they will each receive a personalized award certificate.

Every student who enters the contest will receive a certificate of participation.

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