Student Holocaust Writing, Art and Multimedia Contest
“When Time Stood Still: The Fate of Jewish Families and Communities During the Holocaust”
Entries due Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Jewish Community Relations Council of the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation invites students in grades 7–12 from Mahoning, Trumbull, and Columbiana Counties in Ohio, as well as in Western Pennsylvania, to participate in its annual Holocaust Writing, Art, and Multi-Media Contest.
This contest is held each spring in conjunction with Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Memorial Day), which will be observed this academic year on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. Yom Hashoah is a solemn day set aside to honor the memory of the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust and to remind us of what can happen to civilized people when bigotry, hatred, and indifference reign.
The theme for the 2026 contest is “When Time Stood Still: The Fate of Jewish Families and Communities During the Holocaust.” This year’s theme is inspired by an 18-panel exhibit from Yad Vashem that highlights how each of the six million victims was more than just a number. Every individual had a unique identity—a life filled with hopes, fears, dreams, ambitions, and most importantly, family.
The Holocaust devastated Jewish families and communities across Europe. Synagogues, cemeteries, and cultural institutions were destroyed. Entire shtetls (Jewish towns and neighborhoods) were targeted for extermination by the Nazis, with their inhabitants rounded up, murdered, or deported to concentration and death camps. The destruction of the shtetls resulted in the near-total eradication of eastern European Jewry. In many cases, Holocaust Survivors returned to their home towns after liberation to find no one from their families alive.
Though countless families were torn apart, their bonds remain unbroken in memory. Even in the darkest moments, it was love—especially the love of family—that sustained the human spirit. They were mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, siblings, cousins, and friends—each one part of a vibrant, close-knit community. By telling their stories, we ensure their legacies live on.
All submissions must reflect the theme and explore the role and impact of family and community in the lives of Holocaust victims and Survivors—before, during, and (for those who survived) after the Holocaust. Entries should demonstrate how family was a source of strength, resilience, or loss—and how these individuals and their loved ones were impacted or remembered.
Students are encouraged to draw inspiration from local Survivor testimonies, which are available for free through the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation - https://www.jewishyoungstown.org/federation/holocaust-survivor-interviews/.
The guidelines for the format of the contest entries are as follows:The writing component can be a narrative composition or piece of poetry, no more than 1,500 words, double spaced and submitted in Microsoft Word. The art component should demonstrate originality and a creative representation of the theme, using paint, crayon, pencil or other similar medium on 8.5x11 white paper. Multimedia submissions, no longer than five minutes, will be accepted in the form of YouTube videos, Instagram stories, or TikTok posts submitted electronically or on a flash drive, and should demonstrate originality and a creative representation of the theme, and should be as substantial in form and content as a written entry. All entries, whether writing, art, or media, must be accompanied by a title page or label containing the following information: student’s name, home address and telephone number; student’s school name, address and telephone number; teacher’s name; and grade.
The deadline is Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Submit submissions via email to Nancy Sentelik at the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation, nsentelik@jewishyoungstown.org. Presentation of contest awards will be made during the Yom Hashoah Community Commemoration at noon on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at the Mahoning County Courthouse. All are also invited to the Shoah Memorial Service on Sunday, April 19, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center. Contact the JCRC at 330.746.3250, ext. 108 for further information.
2025 Winners:
Nevaeh Teague
First Place – Poetry Grade 7-8
Akiva Academy
Rylen Primous
Second Place – Poetry Grade 7-8
Lowellville High School
Aria Lubonovich
Third Place – Poetry Grade 7-8
Austintown Middle School
Roei Sigler
First Place – Essay Grade 7-8
Akiva Academy
Christy Huang
Second Place – Essay Grade 7-8
John F. Kennedy Catholic School
Rebecca Sakelaris
Third Place – Essay Grade 7-8
Akiva Academy
Payton Buchan
First Place – Art Grade 7-8
Austintown Middle School
Addison Woodburn
Second Place – Art Grade 7-8
Lowellville High School
Sarah Baquero
Third Place – Art Grade 7-8
Akiva Academy
Adriana Willmitch
Fourth Place – Art Grade 7-8
Austintown Middle School
Trayon Kelley
First Place – Poetry Grade 9-10
Struthers High School
Daniel Ramovs
Second Place – Poetry Grade 9-10
Boardman High School
.
Trista Rowe
Third Place – Poetry Grade 9-10
Boardman High School
Rachel DunLany
First Place – Essay Grade 9-10
Boardman High School
Carter Yocum
Second Place – Essay Grade 9-10
Boardman High School
Addison Volosin
Third Place – Essay Grade 9-10
Boardman High School
Kira Carpenter
First Place – Art Grade 9-10
Boardman High School
Hannah Tringhese
Second Place – Art Grade 9-10
South Range High School
Lydia Campbell
First Place – Poetry Grade 11-12
Crestview High School
Lola Gordiejew
Second Place -Poetry Grade 11-12
Boardman High School
Jikyra Smith
Third Place – Poetry Grade 11-12
Campbell Memorial High School
Tessalyn Massey
First Place – Essay Grade 11-12
West Middlesex High School
Julia Forbes
Second Place – Essay Grade 11-12
Boardman High School
A.J. Milhoan
Third Place – Essay Grade 11-12
Crestview High School
Mary Ramovs
First Place – Art Grade 11-12
Boardman High School
Danni Svirbly
Second Place – Art Grade 11-12
West Middlesex High School
Edwin Bonilla
Third Place – Art Grade 11-12
Campbell Memorial High School