Welcome to the Web site for the City of Akron Holocaust Arts and Writing Contest. Last year more than three hundred Akron and Summit County artists and writers entered the contest, and the judges chose 92 winners.

Please review this website for complete instructions on how you can participate in this year’s contest.

Everything that you need to enter the contest is listed under the tab specified for each media type. Keep in mind that you are permitted only one entry for the entire contest, so choose your media type (Visual Art, Writing, or Multimedia) carefully.

For more information, contact Suzie Graham, Coordinator of Arts and Children’s Programs, via e-mail at info.Holocaust@ci.akron.oh.us or by phone at 330-375-2977.

September 10, 2009

To Teachers and Students in Akron and Summit County:

For the 22nd consecutive year, the City of Akron is honored to commemorate the events surrounding the European Holocaust, and to provide students in our area with an opportunity to use the lessons of the Holocaust as a subject for art and writing achievement.

The contest encourages teachers to integrate the study of the Holocaust into the instructional curriculums to allow students to reflect on the impact of the events and attitudes of the Holocaust through the arts.

Teachers should note that for 2010, the Committee has modified some of the entry criteria. For applications and guidelines, as well as an event calendar and a variety of great resources, you may visit the city of Akron website, at www.ci.akron.oh.us/Holocaust.

Winners will be chosen based on their interpretation of the theme as stated below, as well as technique and originality. Winning entries will include reference to the events of the Holocaust (1933-45) and a reflection on what parallels they discover to students’ lives today.

The City of Akron Holocaust Commemoration Committee’s Arts and Writing Contest has as its theme this year:

"Fighting Apathy, the Power of Individual Choice." By studying the lessons of the Holocaust, students make the essential connection between history and the moral choices they confront in their own lives." Our intention is that students learn by reflecting on the power and influence of individual choice during the Holocaust so that they may gain greater insight into the power they hold and exert through choices made or observed in their own lives today.

The deadline for entries is January 29, 2010. If you have any questions about the contest, please contact my Coordinator of Arts and Children’s Programs and Holocaust Program Coordinator, Suzie Graham, via email at info.Holocaust@ci.akron.oh.us or by calling (330) 375-2977.

We look forward to receiving your entries for the 2010 Holocaust Arts and Writing Contest.

Sincerely,

DONALD L. PLUSQUELLIC
Mayor, City of Akron

DANIEL MARKOWITZ
Chair, Holocaust Commemoration Committee