2025 Winners

Congratulations to the 2025 Literary & Arts Project Winners!

As antisemitism and other forms of hate surge to unprecedented levels around the world, the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation that is in the town next to Auschwitz - the site of the worst hate crime in human history - stands firmly as a global beacon using education to create allies and advocates who will stand against hatred, now and in the future. They teach lessons of the Holocaust to underscore what hatred can lead to if stoked and encouraged. Therefore, this year we used their prompts:

What made the Holocaust possible? Choose at least one of the following follow up questions in your response.

1. What conditions and ideas made the Holocaust possible?
2. How and why did ordinary people across Europe contribute to the persecution of their Jewish neighbors?
3. How did German professionals and civil leaders contribute to the persecution of Jews and other groups?
4. How can we use lessons from the Holocaust to fight hatred and bigotry in all forms and provide humanitarian assistance to victims of mass atrocities and genocide?

A huge thank you to every student who participated in this year's project, to the teachers for encouraging and helping students with their entries, and to the judges for helping make this project meaningful.

High School Art

HIGH SCHOOL WINNER: "The Devil's Stolen Gold" by Jayden Keenan, Airline High School

High School Essay

FIRST: "Birds of a Feather" by Adya Darsi, Caddo Parish Magnet High School

FIRST: "My name is Prejudice, but you already know who I am." by Micaela Gafford, Caddo Parish Magnet High School

THIRD: "Oppressionist Fires" by Ariv Kohli, Caddo Parish Magnet High School

High School Poetry

FIRST: "The Gallows" by Lillian McCormick, Benton High School

SECOND: "Little Monsters" by Samantha Chirhart, Caddo Parish Magnet High School

THIRD: "Nothing to do with Us." by Kaleigh Kirpluk, Caddo Parish Magnet High School

High School Short Story

FIRST: "Don't Look" by Rachel Evans, Caddo Parish Magnet High School

SECOND: "Arbeit Macht Frei-Confronting the Past to Preserve the Future" by Keerthan Jaganmohan, Caddo Parish Magnet High School

THIRD: "Crumbled Faith" by Jackson Lawrence, Airline High School