The Maltz Museum’s 16th Annual Stop the Hate Contest and Program has officially launched for the 2023/2024 school year.
Each year, approximately 8,000 students participate in the Stop the Hate program through workshops and tours and about 3,000 students enter the prestigious contest.
With the help of 400 volunteer readers, 26 contest finalists, 35+ schools, and 2 Stop the Hate teachers of the year are named. Through the generosity of a donor, $100,000 is awarded in support of standing up and speaking out against hate. The Stop the Hate program is one of the largest scholarship opportunities of its kind in the country that the Maltz Museum is aware of.
Who are the students who are participating?
Northeast Ohio 6th through 12th graders living in or attending public, private, or home school in one of the following twelve counties: Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, and Wayne counties.
Since the contest started, over 50,000 students in these twelve counties have participated and $1.5 million has been awarded in the form of scholarships, prizes, and anti-bias education grants.
Rooted in the Jewish value of respect for all humanity, the Maltz Museum continues to give young people of all faiths and backgrounds a platform to speak out in support of inclusion and diversity, while also supporting continued education in classrooms through grant-making.
How can a student enter the Stop the Hate contest?
Students are invited to pen a personal essay in 500 words or less about bias they have witnessed or experienced and share what they have done or will do in response. A visit to the museum is recommended, however if distance is a barrier, there is a digital Stop the Hate tour which can be accessed online at Learn.MaltzMuseum.org and classrooms can schedule a virtual Holocaust Survivor Speaker. Although encouraged, there is no requirement to attend with a school or as part of a group. Essays can be submitted by an individual independent of their school’s involvement.
Deadlines are in February. For complete details, visit Learn.MaltzMuseum.org
