Chapman University's Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education, with The 1939 Society, runs the Sala and Aron Samueli Holocaust Art and Writing Contest for students in grades 6 to 12, in the United States and internationally. This year's theme is The Courage to Begin Again: students watch one full-length Holocaust survivor video testimony and respond to a moment in it through art, film, poetry or prose. Students enter through their school, which can put forward up to three entries per division.

What you get:

• A $400 first prize for the student in each category, in both the middle school and high school divisions
• A $200 second prize for the student in each category
• First prize also brings $200 each for the sponsoring educator and school; second prize brings $100 each
• Winning entries are presented at the awards ceremony at Chapman University on March 19, 2027, which can be joined in person or by live video link
• The chance to meet Holocaust survivors at the ceremony, for those attending in person

What you'll do:

• Watch one full-length survivor testimony from the approved archives, such as the USC Shoah Foundation or The 1939 Society
• Pick a word, phrase or sentence about the courage to begin again and note its timestamp
• Create an artwork (up to 12 by 18 inches, photography allowed), a film of up to 3 minutes, a poem of up to 30 lines, or prose of up to 500 words
• Include a personal reflection on how the survivor's story inspires you

Key dates:

• Entries open December 1, 2026
• Postmark deadline for mailed entries February 1, 2027
• Digital submission deadline February 3, 2027
• Awards ceremony March 19, 2027, Chapman University, Orange, California

More information:

• Full criteria, rubrics and a list of shorter testimonies are in the Resource Guide linked from the contest page
• Educators register their school through the school registration form on the contest page

• Enrolled in grades 6 to 8 (middle school division) or grades 9 to 12 (high school division)
• Open to students in the United States and internationally; entries must be in English
• Must be sponsored by a school or educator; individual entries without sponsorship are not accepted
• Each school may submit up to three entries per division, one entry per student
• Entry must be based on a full-length testimony from one of the approved archives and include a timestamp
• AI-generated work is not permitted
• Students must attend the awards ceremony, in person or virtually, to receive first or second prize unless an exception is approved in advance