Waldman Arts & Writing Competition
The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh invites middle and high school students to partake in the 42nd annual Waldman Arts and Writing Competition!
We’re excited to launch a new format that extends the opportunity to participate to more students. Participants can now submit their entries directly to the Holocaust Center in three categories: essay, poetry, and visual arts.
Although we are no longer using the three-round format that required Teacher Sponsors and in-school judging, we encourage teachers to get involved. In-class assignments that meet the provided criteria may be submitted to the Holocaust Center by all your students—no sign-up by teachers needed! For teachers who require students to submit an entry as an assignment for their class, upon request, we can provide them with a list of students who submitted entries from their school.
General Guidelines
The competition is open to students in grades 6-12 who reside in western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and northern West Virginia.
Participants are evaluated in two groupings: Middle School (Grades 6-8) and High School (Grades 9-12). Cash prizes are awarded to winners in both groupings within each of the three categories. Instructions for each category can be found by navigating to the tabs above.
Competition Deadline: Complete the submission form by 10:00 p.m. on Monday, March 1, 2027
Background
After surviving the Holocaust, hundreds of Jewish individuals and families rebuilt their lives here in Pittsburgh. They built a community and became part of the fabric of this city. Some of these survivors and their descendants undertook a mission to help people learn about the Holocaust and counter intolerance and hate in all its forms. In an act of resilience against antisemitism, they formed the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. With the loss of so many survivors in recent years, it’s more important than ever to keep their memories alive, learn from their stories, and uphold their mission.
Judging Criteria
Entries will be judged on:
- Overall quality, technical skill, creativity and individuality
- Alignment with the assigned prompt
- Historical accuracy and understanding
- Demonstration of emotional depth and thoughtful consideration of the topic
- Clarity of writing
- Inclusion of required components and adherence to guidelines
Artwork and writing must be human-created and original. Plagiarized and AI generated entries will be disqualified.
Essay Instructions
Prompt
Begin by exploring the HCP’s Local Survivors Archive or the other resources below. Select a Holocaust survivor who settled in the Pittsburgh area or has a connection to one of our Generations Speakers. In 4-5 paragraphs, address the following prompts:
- Give a brief summary of the individual’s story.
- Why did you choose to tell this survivor’s story?
- What can we learn from their story and the stories of other survivors?
This should be a personal, reflective essay — not a research report. We want your own voice and thinking, grounded in what you learned about a real person.
Additional Required Components
On a separate page, please include the following components in your submission:
- Your name
- A list of any sources that you referenced to write your essay (a minimum of one is required). Citations can be written in any major style, such as MLA, APA, or Chicago.
Submitting Your Entry
Submit a PDF file containing your essay and citations through the submission form. The deadline to submit is Monday, March 1st at 10:00 p.m.
Poetry Instructions
Prompt
Begin by exploring the HCP’s Local Survivors Archive or the other resources below. Select an individual whose story you’d like to represent and write a poem in any style, rhymed or unrhymed, with maximum of 40 lines. The poem should be inspired by the life of a Holocaust survivor who settled in the Pittsburgh area or has a connection to one of our Generations Speakers.
Additional Required Components
On a separate page, please include the following components in your submission:
- Your name
- A list of any sources that you referenced to write your essay (a minimum of one is required). Citations can be written in any major style, such as MLA, APA, or Chicago.
- An artist’s statement written by you. In one paragraph, answer the following questions:
- What is the title of your piece?
- Whose story did you choose to represent and why?
- What impact would you like your piece to have on the reader?
Submitting Your Entry
Submit a PDF file containing your essay and citations through the submission form. The deadline to submit is Monday, March 1st at 10:00 p.m.
Visual Arts
Prompt
Begin by exploring the HCP’s Local Survivors Archive or the other resources below. Select a Holocaust survivor who settled in the Pittsburgh area or has a connection to one of our Generations Speakers. Create an original 2-D or 3-D art piece inspired by their life, including but not limited to paintings, drawings, ceramics, and photography.
Additional Required Components
In addition to your art, please include a PDF document with the following components in your submission:
- Your name
- A list of any any sources that you referenced (a minimum of one is required). Citations can be written in any major style, such as MLA, APA, or Chicago.
- An artist’s statement written by you. In one paragraph, answer the following questions:
- What is the title of your piece?
- Whose story did you choose to represent and why?
- What process did you go through to create your piece? Include a description of materials you used and why you chose them.
- What impact would you like your piece to have on the viewer?
Submitting Your Entry
Fill out the submission form. You should include a high quality photo(s) of your art piece in good lighting and a PDF file of your artist’s statement. You may wish to submit multiple photos to show all angles, close-ups of details, etc. Your submission will be judged based on these photos. The deadline to submit is Monday, March 1st at 10:00 p.m.
You may be asked to physically submit your piece for further judging and/or to be displayed at the awards ceremony.
Frequently Asked Questions
Resources
HCP Local Survivors Archive
Learn about Holocaust survivors who settled in the Pittsburgh area by accessing their individual profiles. These profiles provide a central hub for any available testimony, photos, and other resources.
The Holocaust Testimony Project
In honor of our 30th anniversary, the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh created a 2 part documentary, The Holocaust Testimony Project. Both parts are available in their entirety on our YouTube channel, featuring testimony from 17 local survivors.
Generations Speaker Series
The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh’s Generations Speaker Series consists of video recordings of dialogues between Holocaust survivors and their family members, as well as talks by members of our Generations Speakers Bureau.
CHUTZ-POW! Superheroes of the Holocaust
CHUTZ-POW! SUPERHEROES OF THE HOLOCAUST is an acclaimed and ongoing comic-book series created and published by The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh that seeks, as its mission, to place stories of UpStanders’ courage, resilience, and sacrifice at the forefront of Holocaust awareness.
Local Testimony at USHMM
Collection of oral video testimony that consists of 35 interviews of Holocaust survivors and liberators in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area.
Publications by and about
Local Survivors
Many books have been written by and about Holocaust Survivors. Click the button below to find a list of publications involving local survivors.
About the Waldmans
Diane and Hal Waldman started the Arts and Writing contest shortly after the Holocaust Center was started in Pittsburgh in the early 1980s. The contest was inspired by meeting many survivors in the Pittsburgh area. The plan came together after a mission trip to Israel with the first director of the Holocaust Center, Isaiah Kuperstein (z”|).
Through the years the contest greatly expanded to include essays, poetry and the visual arts. Thousands of students have participated in the contest over more than 40 years.