The “Stop the Hate” contest and program, from the Maltz Museum in Beachwood, gives students in Northeast Ohio an opportunity to reflect on real-life experiences in which they have witnessed, experienced or learned about hate, exclusion or injustice — and how to encourage others to take action — through personal essay writing. Students in grades six through 12, from Ashland, Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit, Trumbull and Wayne counties, can enter their essays for a chance to win scholarships.
The program, in its 18th year, has reached more than 50,000 Northeast Ohio students and has awarded over $1.7 million in scholarships. Starting this year, the grand prize essay scholarship has been increased to $30,000. Also, in response to the growing interest in poetry, it is expanding poem submissions.
This year’s program draws inspiration from the words of “Stop the Hate” alumnus Alex Stojsavljeciv, the 2011’s Grand Prize Winner, who wrote: “I have high hopes that one day I can look down upon the world and be glad in knowing that I had a part in it. In that regard, I believe I am just an ordinary teenager — I am living my life and creating a world that I want to live in.” Like Alex, students are asked to reflect on the quote and use their writing to imagine the world they want to live in.
Submissions should be made independently by students at maltzmuseum.org/sth/contest
