The Institute hosts winners of Chapman University’s 20th Annual Holocaust Art and Writing Contest

The USC Shoah Foundation hosted winners of the 20th Annual Holocaust Art and Writing Contest on Monday, June 24.

Participants were asked to create artistic or written responses to Holocaust survivor testimony from IWitness or The 1939 Society’s archives, in the form of poetry, prose, artwork or short film.

Sponsored by the Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education at Chapman University—a private college in Orange County—and supported by USC Shoah Foundation and other groups, the contest gives students from public, private and parochial schools the opportunity to share their creative works in response to survivors’ oral testimonies.

Middle and high school students from across the world submitted artwork, writing and films in response to Holocaust survivor testimony from various sources, including the USC Shoah Foundation.

This year's winners in the Middle School Division are Cate McMackin (art), Carly Nguyen (film), Sophia Harvey (poetry) and Grace Min (prose). Amanda Harris (art), Chase Martin (film), Abigail Stephens (poetry) and Madeline Gillete (prose) headlined the High School Division. A link to their entries can be found here.

Since its inception in 1999, the contest has grown to include over 200 schools in Southern California, the United States, and even countries like China and Slovakia.  First-place students and their teachers receive an all-expense-paid study trip to visit sites of historical interest in Los Angeles.