White Rose Student Essay Contest
Your school is invited to submit student entries for the 3rd Annual White Rose Essay Contest.
The White Rose Essay Contest provides an impactful research and writing experience for high school students.
Using primary sources and survivor testimony, students are able to synthesize researched information to demonstrate understanding of the Holocaust and how it happened. They can use the contest to better understand the rhetorical concepts of audience, purpose, genre, and style. By conducting original research, the contest provides students an opportunity to explore an integrated model of literacy.
Winning submissions will be displayed on the Holocaust Center website as well as distributed in digital format for the award ceremony attendees.
Click here to download the prompt and educator packet.
Awards!
The awards in this contest are made possible by the generous donation of an anonymous benefactor who hopes that students will continue to learn from the lessons of the Holocaust through education. Prizes are as follows:
Student Prizes:
1st Place: $1,000
2nd Place: $500
3rd Place: $250
Sponsoring Teacher Prizes:
1st Place: $500
2nd Place: $250
3rd Place: $100
Note: This prize money may be considered taxable unless used for tuition, books, or similar. It is best to consult an accountant or other tax professional.
Frequently Asked Questions:
The contest is open to students in Central Florida region.
Students currently enrolled in grades 9- 12.
Each school may submit 1 entry per student.
No. Student work must be completed individually.
The award ceremony will be virtual. For participants who would like to take part in the ceremony, a live video link will be made available.
All entries must be based on a video testimony on the approved websites listed in the contest materials only. Works based on other testimony sources without express approval will be disqualified.
Books may be used as sources to supplement video testimony, but used not in lieu of; all book sources must be cited as well as one of the approved websites listed in the contest materials.
Yes, please contact Stephen Poynor at spoynor@holocaustedu.org or at (407) 628-0555 to discuss how to obtain testimony and resources from HMREC.
Testimonies and resources can be from a myriad of sources. For a list of testimonies and resources, please refer to the list on page 2 & 5 of this booklet.
Students must be sponsored by schools. Works submitted without a school/educator sponsorship will not be entered into the competition.
Yes, all educational facilities that serve grades 9 – 12 are eligible to participate in the contest.
Yes, students are required to provide the URL of sources used in their works. In addition, if secondary sources are used, students should submit a list of citations for these sources along with their entries.
All submissions become the property of the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida.
Details for the awards ceremony will be announced soon.
- Digital entries be submitted digitally to
- Written entries will also be accepted via postal mail and by in-person
- Physical written entries may be hand-delivered or sent via postal mail to:
ATTN: Stephen Poynor
HMREC
851 North Maitland Avenue,
Maitland, FL 32751
The deadline for submissions is March 26, 2021.
Yes. The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center will offer workshop sessions. Please check the contest website for specific dates and information on how to register.
