Frequently Asked Questions

Middle School and High School prompts/guidelines are available online. Note that the deadline for the Literary Competition will always be March 1st.

Click here for a description about Narrative Poetry.

A submission can be as long as needed to address the prompt, as long as it does not go beyond the maximum number of words.

A student can ask teachers or counselors support them when submitting an entry. Teachers or counselors can each earn prizes by having students of theirs submit essays or having students join them at the Holocaust Remembrance Service.

For many years the prizes were bonds. Then for a few years the prizes were iPads and Tablets. Recently it was suggested that gift cards would allow students/teachers to purchase books, or whatever supplies or rewards they choose.

Make donations to Northwest Louisiana Jewish Federation (245 Southfield Road, Shreveport, LA 71105) and specify that it is for the Holocaust Literary Competition. Thank you for your support!

Contact the Northwest Louisiana Jewish Federation.

If submissions follow the guidelines to keep entrant's identity safe, the judges cannot know who submitted the entry or which school the entrant is from.

Judges are supposed to have winners determined during the first week of April, and the intention is to let the students know if they have won by the middle of April. Teachers who have had students submit any entries are already eligible for an award, and teachers with at least 3 students attending the service will also automatically receive an award during the service.

Please check this website each year for the prompts, which should be posted with sufficient time to be able to submit entries by the March 1st deadline. While attempts are made to contact each school, and parish school coordinators, sometimes there are complications (email addresses no longer valid, mail not delivered, etc.) Even if you do not receive the prompts, check the details on this website. If you still have questions, email here.

Teachers should help students to hone the submission so that it is worthy of submission. If insufficient entries meet the basic guidelines, then not all prizes will be awarded.

The number of submissions vary each year, but often the total number of submissions for all categories is more than 100.

We feel that it is very important that students learn about the Holocaust for historical and humanistic reasons. When students are aware of this horrible time in the history of humanity, hopefully they will feel bolder about preventing injustice, and become more sensitive to the plight of others.