Holocaust Center for Humanity

Student Art Contest

Art Contest Website Banner 2026

The Art of Courage and Resistance: Student Art Contest

The Art of Courage and Resistance: Student Art Contest challenges students to explore the history and personal stories of the Holocaust and to consider how these stories connect to our lives today.

Open to students in grades 5-12 from Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska.  The Holocaust Center for Humanity's Art Contest is offered in memory of Jacob Friedman, a Holocaust survivor who recognized the incredible value of education.

Prizes are awarded in three categories:

  • Category 1 - Grades 5-6
  • Category 2 - Grades 7-8
  • Category 3 - Grades 9-12

Navigate directly to a subtopic:

2026 Prompt | Prizes & Categories| Rules & Requirements | How to Enter 

 

Prompt

Background:

“I was 18, 19, 20. I was not married. I did not have any responsibility–only for myself–and that made a big difference...I felt I could help. I had the opportunity.” - Carla Peperzak

During the Holocaust, countless individuals and groups resisted Nazi oppression in ways both large and small. Resistance took many forms—armed uprisings, hiding and protecting others, preserving cultural and religious identity, writing, creating art and music, or even secretly documenting the truth so that future generations could learn about the atrocities being committed in the hope that such evils would never again occur against anyone. These acts of courage often came at great personal risk, yet they represent the resilience of the human spirit in the face of injustice and dehumanization.

Prompt:

Holocaust survivors rebuilt their lives in communities all over the world. Our Survivor Encyclopedia contains stories, video clips and photos about the experiences of Jewish Holocaust survivors who ultimately relocated to Washington State. Choose from among the below list of survivors to learn how courage and  resistance played a role in their survival story. Your art should convey one or more aspects of a survivor’s story that best illustrates the theme of resistance.

Include a short artist’s statement (no more than 150 words) explaining:

  • what specific art technique/s you used (eg., painting, drawing, digital painting, pixel, digital collage, etc. – no AI!)
  • what your art represents;
  • why you selected the person and the image, scene or concept of courage and resistance that you did;
  • and how this survivor’s story inspires you when considering your opportunities today to resist, including educating others about injustice

Here are survivors in the Encyclopedia (links to their entries are included) whose stories clearly demonstrate one or more examples of resistance:

  

Prizes & Categories

Entries will be judged in the following three groups with three prizes available for each. 

Grades 5-6 Art

First Prize - $200 | Second Prize - $100 | Third Prize - $50 

Grades 7-8 Art

First Prize - $200 | Second Prize - $100 | Third Prize - $50 

Grades 9-12 Art

First Prize - $200 | Second Prize - $100 | Third Prize - $50

Winning entries will be displayed at the Holocaust Center, at events, and in publications throughout the year. Winners will be honored at our annual Yom Hashoah Community Program, April 12th, 2026

 

Rules & Requirements

Submissions due Friday, March 27th, 2026, at 11:59 PM (PT). Submission Guidlines:

All entries must be original (no AI)  and respectful to the historical subject. This includes no depictions of graphic violence or of Hitler. The use of any swastika is strongly discouraged, unless it is not in any way prominent and is absolutely necessary to show what is being portrayed.

For other submissions guidelines and information about this year’s Contest, see:

RULES RUBRIC FAQ'S

 

Recommended Resources:

About the Holocaust.

About Resistance.

  
 

How to Enter

SUBMIT THE FORM