HHREC to Host Second Annual White Rose Student Competition

The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center (HHREC) will host the second annual White Rose Student Research Contest for 2022. This competition is open to 7th-12th grade students in the greater Westchester County NY area. The 2021/2022 contest theme is Auschwitz and the Hungarian Deportations. 

Participating students who compete in the project will submit essays or documentaries based on research of primary source and secondary source materials and additional guidelines provided on the HHREC website. The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2022. Teachers are required to email a list of participating students to Julie Scallero at jscallero@hhrecny.org by February 4th, 2022.

This contest is sponsored by the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center, and it is named in memory of the White Rose, a resistance movement consisting of German university students. The project commemorates the efforts of the brave young people who gave their lives for what they believed in. HHREC is encouraging teachers to utilize this writing contest as a classroom exercise.

“We are pleased  at the response we received last year from area teachers and their students about this program  that we have developed to further their knowledge of the Holocaust.” said Julie Scallero,  Co-Director of Education, Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center. “This project commemorates the efforts of brave young people during the Holocaust who gave their lives for what they believed in. May their memories inspire us to reflect upon our own responsibilities as citizens in a democratic nation.”

Student Competition Guidelines

Each participant is limited to one entry per year, and all projects will be evaluated on historical accuracy, development of content and theme, and original expression. Entries are accepted in three age divisions – 7-8th grade, 9-10th grade and 11-12th grades, and sponsoring teachers are limited to submitting no more than 10 papers per age division. Winning entries for the HHREC White Rose Student Research Contest will be identified by a panel of Blue-Ribbon judges and honored at a (virtual) reception in May. The top prize winner in each age level will be awarded a cash prize, and the sponsoring teacher of each first prize winner will be awarded a voucher for use on professional development and/or Holocaust resources.

For more information and to apply for the competition, visit White Rose Student Competition or contact Julie Scallero at jscallero@hhrecny.org or Robin Schamberg at rschamberg@hhrecny.org .