(PHOENIX—Jan. 28, 2021) -- Arizona’s 7th-12th graders are encouraged to submit original creative work to Phoenix Holocaust Association’s (PHA) Writing and Arts Contest.

Contest categories include writing, visual arts and performance arts. Utilizing a personal experience with a Holocaust survivor or having participated in PHA’s recent Holocaust by Bullets exhibit, students are asked to submit an original creative piece that depicts their experience.

“Late last year, the Arizona Board of Education decided on a mandate that would add the teachings of the Holocaust and other genocides into school curriculum,” said Sheryl Bronkesh, president of the Phoenix Holocaust Association. “We have long worked with schools across the state to bring survivors and their families into the classroom to help teach about the Holocaust. This creative arts contest is just one way for the students to share their experiences.”

Cash prizes will be awarded in each category based on grade levels.

Writing Category
This includes essays, short stories, poems, and playwriting.

Visual Arts Category
Works may include drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, crafts, architecture, photography, or film/video.

Performance Category
This category includes works meant to be performed in front of an audience, such as music, drama, or dance.

For more information on the requirements and submission instructions, please visit https://www.phxha.com/contest/. Submissions will be accepted through March 15, 2021. Winners will be announced April 30, 2021. An awards ceremony is tentatively scheduled for May 16, 2021 at the Arizona Jewish Historical Society.

About the Phoenix Holocaust Association
The Phoenix Holocaust Association was incorporated in 1985 as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. PHA is a partnership of Holocaust survivors, their descendants and the larger community, whose mission is to honor the memory and legacy of the survivors and victims, promote awareness of the Holocaust, provide education of this and other genocides, and contribute to tikkun olam, repair of the world. http://www.phxha.com

Photo by Eliott Reyna on Unsplash