About the Stop the hate Contest

What is the Stop the hate contest?

Now in its 16th year, the Stop the Hate® contest is comprised of two components: Youth Speak Out, an essay writing contest, and Youth Sing Out, a songwriting contest. Both celebrate Northeast Ohio students in 6th-12th grade who are committed to creating a more accepting, inclusive society by standing up and speaking out against bias and bigotry as they compete for a chance to win prestigious awards.

Each year about 3,000 students enter, and with the help of 400 volunteer readers, 26 finalists are named. Since the contest started, over 50,000 students in twelve counties across Northeast Ohio have participated and $1.5 million has been awarded to students and schools.

Rooted in the Jewish value of respect for all humanity, the Maltz Museum is proud that it continues to give young people of all faiths and backgrounds a platform to speak out in support of inclusion and diversity.

What is the Essay contest?

Youth Speak Out Essay Writing Contest invites sixth to twelfth grade students 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. Any sixth to twelfth grade student may participate as long as they live within Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, and Wayne counties. Students compete to win scholarships for themselves and anti-bias education grants for their school.

How do I Enter the Essay contest?

Teachers: Book a workshop with Lake Erie Ink to start the process
Help your students get the most out of the Stop the Hate program. We now offer free essay writing workshops with Lake Erie Ink for classes of 15+. Learn more and book your workshop.

Students: Respond to the Essay Prompt

Both workshop and non-workshop students may individually submit an essay that reflects on the following prompt.

"I no longer believe that we can change anything in the world until we have first changed ourselves." - Etty Hillesum

Etty Hillesum was a young, Jewish-Dutch woman who wrote diaries in Amsterdam during the Second World War. In 1943, she was murdered at Auschwitz, at only 29 years old. Etty believed internal personal change was a necessary first step to bringing about positive change in the world, and that this was the main lesson to be learned from the Holocaust. Etty bears witness to what it means to be human and commits herself to a radical choice: not to hate, even as she opens her heart to the horrors unfolding around her.

In honor of Etty’s message, we ask you to share your story.

For the essay contest: In 500 words or less:

  • Describe a moment of injustice, bias, discrimination, or exclusion: something you witnessed or experienced, or a time when you learned about an unjust situation or event that affected you or others.
  • How did this moment impact the people involved? What kind of personal change does this experience inspire in you?
  • How can your personal change lead you to make positive changes in your community and the world? (How have you or will you affect others positively?) 

How to Enter
Submit your entry using the official entry form

Important Dates & Deadlines
Contest Opens: Friday, September 1, 2023
Stop the Hate Info Session (virtual): Wednesday, September 6, 2023 at 7pm
Deadline Grades 6-10 Essays: Thursday, February 8, 2024
Deadline Grades 11 & 12 Essays: Thursday, February 15, 2024

Official Rules and Judging Criteria
Grade 6-12 Rubric and prompt

what are the prizes for the essay writing contest?

Anti-Bias Community Grants: 
Every school that participates in a Stop the Hate workshop with Lake Erie Ink or Roots of American Music will be eligible to apply for anti-bias community grants.  Learn how you can apply

Top scoring students receive individual awards, trophies, and their schools receive anti-bias education grants.

Top ten awards for Grades 11 & 12:
Grand Prize Winner: $20,000 scholarship + $5,000 grant for their school.
First Runner Up: $10,000 scholarship + $2,000 grant for their school.
Second Runner Up: $5,000 scholarship + $2,000 grant for their school.
(7) Honorable Mentions: $1,000 cash prize + $500 grant for their schools.

Top awards for Grades 6- 10:
1st Place winners in each grade: $400 cash prize
2nd Place winners in each grade: $100 cash prize

All classes who participate receive recognition. Students and schools will receive congratulatory upstander certificates that can be printed and displayed in their classrooms and schools.

Celebrate your teachers. In addition to awarding classes and students, the museum will present a $1,000 cash prize to the Stop the Hate® Youth Speak Out Teacher of the Year, to honor their personal commitment to anti-bias education.



What is the Songwriting contest and how do i enter?

The Youth Sing Out Songwriting Contest is a classroom-based group competition for 6th-12th grade students. In order to enter, classrooms must participate in a free workshop with Roots of American Music. Working with a teaching artist, the class will pen an original song. This song becomes the class submission to the contest and is judged by a panel of music experts selected in partnership with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Winning classrooms receive anti-bias education grants for their school.

Important Dates & Deadlines
Program opens & workshops are available: Friday, September 1, 2023
Stop the Hate Info Session (virtual): Wednesday, September 6, 2023 at 7pm
Submission Deadline for Songs: Thursday, February 15

Official Rules and Judging Criteria
Grade 6-12 Rubric

what are the prizes for the songwriting contest?

Anti-Bias Community Grants: 
Every school that participates in a Stop the Hate workshop with Lake Erie Ink or Roots of American Music will be eligible to apply for anti-bias education grant money. Learn how you can apply

Winners in middle and high school categories receive anti-bias education grants:
1st Place in both categories receives $3,500.
2nd Place in both categories receives $2,000.

All classes who participate receive recognition. Students and schools will receive congratulatory upstander certificates that can be printed and displayed in their classrooms and schools.

Celebrate your teachers. In addition to awarding classes and students, the museum will present a $1,000 cash prize to the Stop the Hate Youth® Sing Out Teacher of the Year, to honor their personal commitment to anti-bias education.



The Maltz Museum is supported by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, Jewish Federation of Cleveland, and Ohio Arts Council

© 2022 Maltz Museum

Maltz Museum