Read all of the Contest Rules. Entries that do not adhere to these rules and guidelines will not be judged.
1. DEADLINE INFO: Essays will be accepted until Midnight
of April 19, 2012, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Entries received after 12:00 a.m. (EST) will not be accepted.
2. ELIGIBILITY: This contest is open to all students age 19 and under who meet the following criteria: 1) are currently enrolled as a high school student in grades 9-12 (including home schooled students), or who are high school seniors who may graduate high school any time in 2012, or who are enrolled in a high school equivalency program; and (2) are residents of the United States, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, or are U.S. citizens living abroad.
3. WRITING PROMPT and WORD COUNT: Students responding to this year's writing contest should study the Holocaust and then, in an essay of no more than 1,200 words: (a) analyze why it is vital that the remembrance, history and lessons of the Holocaust be passed on to a new generation; and (b) suggest what young people can do to combat and prevent prejudice, discrimination and violence in our world today. Your essay may have a theme that addresses one or two aspects of the Holocaust, or may be a broad overview. It is important that your essay exhibit your research skills as well as your creativity.
4. SUBMISSION: All essays must be uploaded to this contest web site. Essays sent by mail, faxed, or e-mailed will be disqualified. The body of your essay may be
NO MORE THAN 1,200 WORDS. The essays must be written in English. Every student must also submit an entry form which you will be prompted to complete before you download your essay.
Be sure to log into this website through Internet Explorer or Firefox in
order to successfully submit your uploaded essay and entry form.
5. REFERENCES: While this is a creative writing contest, research must be an integral component of the writing process.
Every essay must include a Works Cited, Reference Page, or Bibliography citing all materials used in the research and writing of the essay. When conducting your word count, do not include words contained on your Works Cited, Reference Page, or Bibliography.
6. YOUR NAME: We will identify your essay electronically through the entry form you complete when
you enter the contest.
Do not include your name anywhere on any page of your essay. When conducting your word count, do not include words contained on your Works Cited, Reference Page, or Bibliography.
7. AUTHORSHIP and FORMAT: Each essay submitted must be the work of one student and may not be the collective work of more than one student. The essay must be in prose format and may be a commentary or interpretation of primary and secondary source material such as historical and reference material; oral histories; interviews, eyewitness accounts; official documents, maps, diaries, correspondence, testimonies, autobiographies and works of poetry, video or audiotapes, films, art, CD-ROM and Internet sources. The essay must be primarily directed toward this year's writing prompt. The essay must not be a fictitious story, poem, or lyrics to a song.
8. JUDGING: Entries will be judged anonymously and will not be returned to students. Submissions that adhere to the guidelines will be judged with special attention to: (1) evidence of relevant reading and thoughtful use of resource materials; (2) treatment of the writing prompt; (3) clear and effective language, mechanics and grammar; and, (4) a coherent plan of organization, and (5) creative use of literary devices.
9. ORIGINAL WORKS: By submitting an essay, applicants certify that their essays are original, authored solely by them and that in writing their essay the writer did not plagiarize or otherwise infringe upon the rights of any third parties.
10. CERTIFICATES OF PARTICIPATION: Certificates of Participation will be issued by e-mail to all students who enter an essay to the Holocaust Remembrance Project and provide a working e-mail address in their entry form. Certificates will be printed out by recipients.
11. WINNERS: Winners will be notified of contest results by a telephone call, and all winning essays will be posted to our Web site by June 10, 2012. The ten First-Place Winners and teachers chosen to accompany the group will join Holocaust survivors during an all-expense-paid trip to Boston in late June of 2012.
12. SCHOLARSHIPS: The ten First-Place Winners will be awarded college scholarships from $5,000 to $2,500. Announcement of awards will take place at a special event during the
Boston trip. Scholarships are directly paid to winners' post-secondary educational institutions after students have graduated from high school and upon Holland
& Knight Charitable Foundation's receipt of copies of their registration paperwork from said post-secondary educational institutions.
13. GRANTS: Ten Second-Place Winners are awarded $500
grants. Ten Third-Place Winners are awarded $250 grants. These prizes are presented in the form of checks that are mailed to the address provided in the Second and Third Place Winners' entry forms.
14. MISCELLANEOUS INSTRUCTIONS: All essays submitted may be used or published in whole or in part by the Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation or by other parties with its written permission. The Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation reserves the right not to publish any essay it deems inappropriate for any reason. First-Place Winners MUST agree to participate in the entire Holocaust Remembrance Scholarship experience in
Boston in order to receive a scholarship. In the event that a First-Place Winner is unable or unwilling to participate in the
scholar week in Boston, in its entirety, no substitution prize will be awarded. The Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation reserves the right not to award a prize or any prizes when submissions do not meet contest standards or criteria. Former Holocaust Remembrance Project First-Place Winners are not eligible to enter in this essay contest. For more information on past essays, visit our Web site at www.holocaust.hklaw.com or e-mail all questions (not essays) to holocaust@hklaw.com. Before you contact us by e-mail, please check the
Frequently Asked Questions section below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Are you having problems submitting your
essay?
A. Try copying & pasting your essay to notepad, then copy & paste from notepad into the different sections of the submission form. If you have additional problems, e-mail us at holocaust.hiklaw.com.
Q. How do I apply for this essay contest?
A. You do not apply for this contest – scholarships are not based on financial need or grades. Besides submitting a paper exhibiting research and scholarly writing, you will fill out an entry form which you attach to your submission.
Q. When is the deadline for the 2012 Holocaust Remembrance Project?
A. Entries must be received by 12:00 a.m. (EST) on April 19, 2012
Q.When will the winners be announced?
A. Names of the winners will be posted on the Web site by June 1, 2012! Winners will be notified by a telephone call. Make sure you enter your phone number correctly on the entry form when you upload your essay.
Q. Is the contest only open to high school seniors? Who is eligible to submit an essay?
A. No, anyone age 19 or under who is currently enrolled in high school grades 9-12 (including home schooled students) may be eligible to participate. The contest is not open to any college students.
Q. What should I write my essay about?
A. Did you read the contest rules? The writing prompt is Contest Rule #3.
Q. When I do my word count, should I include words used in my bibliography too?
A. NO. The bibliography is separate.
Q. If I were to be chosen as a First-Place Winner, would I have to participate in the trip to
Boston in order to receive my scholarship?
A. Yes. If you are not able or willing to participate in the entirety of the
scholar week in Boston, then you will forfeit your scholarship and no substitution prize will be awarded.
Q. What do you mean by "prose?"
A. If you do not know what "prose" is, you should consult with your English teacher. The Webster Dictionary describes prose as follows: "1 (a): the ordinary language people use in speaking or writing, (b): a literary medium distinguished from poetry especially by its greater irregularity and variety of rhythm and its closer correspondence to the patterns of everyday speech; 2: a prosaic style, quality, or condition."
Q. I am a resident of the United States, but not a citizen. May I participate in the essay contest?
A. Yes. The contest is open to all residents of the United States, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Q. How many essays are submitted in this contest?
A. Each year differs. The total submissions can be between 2,500 to 10,000.
Free Teacher Guide Available On-line!
Check out the Holocaust Remembrance Project on-line
Teacher Resource Guide!
This guide contains more than 50 masterful lesson plans designed
specifically for teachers interested in sharing the Holocaust with their
high school students. Each lesson plan contains excerpts from published
authors, photos relevant to that lesson, and thought-provoking questions to
engage students in the study of the Holocaust and teach how it applies to
all of us today. Access to the Teacher Resource Guide is FREE.
2012 Holocaust Remembrance Project Scholar Week - Boston
60-Second Overview
Click below to open a new window and play a 60-second Microsoft Windows Media Player video overview of the Holocaust Remembrance Project essay contest! We suggest you play this video only with a high speed Internet connection.
Watch a 90-second informational
video on the essay contest. Clicking on image opens a Microsoft
Windows Media Player window.
Video Comments
Clicking on an image below will open a new window and play a Windows Media Player file. We suggest you view these videos only with a high speed Internet connection.
Teacher Alumni coordinates event featuring survivors she
met through Holocaust Remembrance Project.
High school teacher Adrienne LaGier (center) put together a
special "Night of Hope" at her school in Maryland featuring several
Holocaust survivors she met through the Holocaust Remembrance Project.
Click here for a newspaper article describing the event.
