Middle School Guidelines

A person can be identified as a hero for many different reasons. Find a story of any victim, survivor, liberator, or resistor from the Holocaust that you have not heard of before. Share what the person did, and incorporate two or more of the following:

1. What you would ask or say to that person and why
2. What you can learn from the person
3. How you are inspired by the story
4. Why you view them as a hero
5. In New York City, the Museum of Jewish Heritage sells bracelets that are inscribed with a quote which says, “Repair the world.” How does the person you chose exemplify this quote?

There are two separate Middle School categories for this year's project: Essay and Visual Art.

The guidelines that apply to both categories are:

• Entries must be submitted online through the official entry form. 
• Entries must be pre-approved by your teacher.
• All entries must be in a digital format.
• Entries must include acknowledgement of sources used, with a separate page titled "Works Cited" or "Bibliography."
• Uploaded content (what the judges see) must NOT include reference to student or school name (it will be included in the file name and the form).
• Each entry type has additional criteria which must be met. See the sections below for criteria for each entry type.
• Entries that do not follow these criteria and the category specific criteria below will be disqualified.
• Students who receive an award are expected to attend the Holocaust Remembrance Service.

• Middle School essay entries should be no more than 250 words.
• Entries must include facts to support viewpoints and feelings.
• Entries must have a title. Try to make the title unique to your submission without including any other identifying information (your name, teacher's name, or your school name).
• Entries must include a header on each page with title of entry and page number.
• Acknowledgement of sources must be within the essay, and a list of sources must be at the end of the PDF as a "Works Cited" page. (This page is not part of the word count.)
• Entries must NOT include reference to student or school name. 
• Entries must NOT include graphics, drawings, or other images. 
• Entries must be double-spaced, and in 12-point Arial or Times New Roman font.
• Uploaded essay must be a PDF.
• The file name must use this format with your name: MSE_FirstName_LastName.pdf ("MSE" stands for Middle School Essay; your name will be removed from the file name for judging)
• Submissions must represent the independent work of the student, but teachers may provide grammatical or spelling recommendations.
• Entries must be pre-approved by your teacher. 

• May include photography, digital images, charcoal, pencil, pen & ink, chalk pastel, watercolors, acrylics, oils or mixed media. Fixative spray must be applied to charcoal, pencil, pastel, and chalk art.
• Entry must be a new and original pieces inspired by the prompt.
• Must be a two-dimensional image on medium no thicker than 0.75".
• Entries must be a minimum size of 8" x 10" and no larger than 18" x 24".
• Entries must be digitally submitted.
• Uploaded image must be a graphic file (such as jpeg, png, etc).
• Entry must include a Bibliography page, uploaded as a PDF. 
• File names must use this format with your name:
  • MSA_FirstName_LastName.jpg (or another graphic file extension)
  • MSA_FirstName_LastName_Bibliography.pdf
  • ("MSA" stands for Middle School Art; your name will be removed from the file names for judging). 
• Entries must have a title. Try to make the title unique to your submission without including any other identifying information (your name, teacher's name, or your school name).
• Entry must include an Artist's Statement. There is a field on the submission form for the Artist's Statement.
• The Artist’s Statement must include an explanation of your choices and how the work addresses the prompt.
• The Artist Statement must NOT include student or school name and must not exceed 900 characters (about 150 words).
• The Artist Statement must include facts to support feelings and viewpoint.
• An additional note about the Artist Statement: Entries will be judged primarily on how well the student uses his or her artistic vision that responds to the prompt. Many times, the artistic statement will make a huge difference during judging because this is where the artist can explain the thoughts and feelings for the piece. An explanation of the significance of medium, style, and/or genre might be useful.
• All images, regardless of medium, are considered property of the original artist.
• Renderings of another’s work will be disqualified.
• Submissions must represent the independent work of the student, but teachers may provide technical recommendations.
• Entries must be pre-approved by your teacher.
• Winners will be required to bring the original piece (matted or mounted) to be displayed at the Holocaust Remembrance Service, and take it with them after the event.

The decision of the judges is final. Judging will be based on:

• Originality and creativity
• Historical accuracy
• Addresses the prompt
• Follows the specific criteria for each category

Contest judges review submissions with no knowledge of the student's identity, school, teacher, or residence. In order to provide anonymous papers for judging, the body of the entry should not contain any information identifying the author. The entry must be the original work of the student.

Judges request that teachers review students’ work and submit only entries worthy of being considered for judging. By submitting an entry, you are agreeing to all the judging criteria.

Entries must be submitted no later than March 2, 2026.

Unfortunately, we cannot accept submissions that do not adhere to all of these guidelines, that are submitted late, or come from students outside the Northwest Louisiana area (Caddo, Bossier, DeSoto, Sabine, Webster Parishes).

The North Louisiana Jewish Federation will have the right to reprint winning entries in publications including local media/newspapers or posted online.

Submit Your 2026 Entry

• 1st Place (in each entry type): $200 Amazon Gift Card
• 2nd Place (in each entry type): $100 Amazon Gift Card
• 3rd Place (in each entry type): $50 Amazon Gift Card

*Student winners and their teachers are expected to attend the Holocaust Remembrance Service.

Some awards may not be given, depending on the number of entries received and evaluation of merit by a panel of judges.  Prizes are awarded at the discretion of the Holocaust Remembrance Committee.

• Submissions must represent the independent work of the student, but teachers may provide grammatical or spelling recommendations (for essays or artist's statements), or technical recommendations (for visual art).
• Teachers should review students’ work, and only approve entries worthy of being considered for judging.
• Teachers with students who submit qualifying entries will each receive a $50 Amazon gift certificate.
• Teachers who attend the Holocaust Remembrance Service with at least three of their students will receive an additional $25 Amazon gift certificate. (Teachers who attend the service with students need not have students submit entries to receive an award. There is a field on the event registration form for students to identify the referring teacher.)
• Winning students, as well as all participating schools and teachers, will be recognized during the Holocaust Remembrance Service.

Schools whose students submit eligible entries will receive $100.