Chapman University Honors Holocaust Survivors in Annual Art and Writing Contest Winners were chosen from nearly 250 registered schools globally

Middle and high school students from throughout the United States and abroad shared their creativity in prose, poetry, art and film in the 24th annual Holocaust Art and Writing Contest co-sponsored by the Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education at Chapman University and The 1939 Society, an organization of Holocaust survivors.

Nearly 250 schools in 32 states and 10 countries outside the U.S. registered for this year’s contest with first place entries coming from schools in Montana and Ohio, as well as schools in Orange County and Los Angeles. For the first time, a winning entry came from the nation of Romania. The contest, marking its 24th year, has grown from a local competition to a national and international one. The global participation counters a “worrying lack of basic Holocaust knowledge” documented in a 2020 nationwide survey, in which more than 1 in 10 respondents said they did not recall ever hearing the word “Holocaust” before.

The contest seeks to make the history of the Holocaust about far more than numbers. The students listened to a survivor’s testimony and then engaged with the history to share the story in their own original art, film or writing. The prompt for this year’s contest was “The Strength of Love and the Will to Survive.” Entries were received from schools in Ireland, Romania, India, South Africa, South Korea, and the Philippines with 13 schools in Poland participating. Nearly 600 students attended the March 10 awards ceremony on the Chapman University campus.

“I think the engagement of so many Polish schools is truly remarkable given the many challenges that country is facing due to the war in Ukraine and the presence of more than 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees,” said Marilyn Harran, Stern Chair in Holocaust education and director of the Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education at Chapman University.

First-place winners shared their works at the awards ceremony and will be invited to participate in a four-day study trip this summer to meet Holocaust survivors and visit the Holocaust Museum LA, the Japanese American National Museum and other sites.

First place winners are as follows:

• Middle school prose: Alejandra Rosas, Good Shepherd Catholic School in Beverly Hills
• High school prose: Angelina Morosan, National College in Bucharest, Romania
• Middle school poetry: Dylan Brigulio, Harbor Day School in Corona del Mar
• High school poetry: Naama Denan, Woodbridge High School in Irvine
• Middle school art: Sophie Shinmei, Beechwood School in Fullerton
• High school art: Aeryn McCallie, Sentinel High School in Missoula, Montana
• Middle school film: Veronica Flack, La Canada High School in La Canada
• High school film: Anna Kunkel, The Seven Hills School in Cincinnati, Ohio

“The students who participated in this year’s contest give us hope at a time when we very much need it,” said Harran. “Their entries affirm the power of memory and the strength of love not only during the Holocaust, but today as well. They also remind us of our responsibility to share our love and support with those in need, here at home and abroad.”

The awards event featured a welcome from Chapman University President Daniele Struppa; introductions and greetings from Harran, comments from William Elperin, president of The 1939 Society; and a speech from Glenn Kurtz, Chapman University Presidential Fellow and author of “Three Minutes in Poland: Discovering a Lost World in a 1938 Family Film.” About a dozen Holocaust survivors who are members of The 1939 Society or Café Europa attended the awards ceremony and interacted with the hundreds of students at the reception following the event.

About Chapman University
Founded in 1861, Chapman University is a nationally ranked private university located in Southern California. Chapman is categorized by the Carnegie Classification as an R2 “high research activity” institution and offers personalized education to more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The campus has produced a Rhodes Scholar, been named a top producer of Fulbright Scholars, and hosts a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society. Based in the city of Orange, Chapman also includes the Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus in Irvine. In 2019, the university opened its 11th college, Fowler School of Engineering, in its newest facility, Keck Center for Science and Engineering. Learn more about Chapman University: www.chapman.edu.

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