COVID-19 Update – MCHE is still accepting submissions to the contest by email only. To submit your student’s essay please send the essay (including title page and works cited) along with a photo or scan of the entry form to shellyc@mchekc.org. We can accept a Google Doc as long as it is set to allow download.
The Midwest Center for Holocaust Education is pleased to announce its 25th annual White Rose Student Essay Contest. The 2019-2020 contest theme is:
The Holocaust in the East
Historical events impact individuals in unique and varied ways, framed by many factors including experience, geography, the progression of time. The effort to personalize the history of the Holocaust seeks to counter the perception that there was one universal perspective.
Jews living in Eastern Europe (defined here as Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Belarus, Ukraine and the Soviet Union) constituted the largest population of Jews in the world. Beginning with the Nazi invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, Polish Jews faced immediate persecution and acts of violence. By summer 1941, Operation Barbarosa brought total war and genocide to the Jews of eastern Poland and the Soviet Union. Those two years represented a radicalization of Nazi policy toward the Jews that was driven by ideology, conditions of war, and opportunity, culminating in the formulation of the Final Solution.
Using at least 3 of the documents provided below, plus a minimum of 2 outside resources, prepare an essay that addresses all parts of the following topic:
- RESEARCH: Explain the evolution of Nazi policy toward Jews in one of the following East European countries (Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Ukraine, Soviet Union), how it was affected by the progression of the war, and its impact on the life of one Jewish family or individual.
- REFLECTION: Reflect on how the Holocaust is memorialized today in the country you studied.
DOCUMENTS
You must base your research on at least three of the following documents. All documents referenced from this list are considered electronic sources and the Works Cited page should clearly denote that they were referenced from the MCHE site. That citation can take any format chosen by the teacher.
We ask students and educators to respect the privacy of the survivors and to refrain from conducting personal interviews.
ESSAY REQUIREMENTS AND MECHANICS
Read each section for important details
Please refer to EACH of these links for important details:
Each contestant is limited to one entry per year. Previous winners may enter again. Essays will be evaluated on historical accuracy, development of content and theme, original expression, grammar, and mechanics.
Content
- Evidence of comprehensive and accurate historical research
- Utilization and consistent citation of at least 3 of the designated documents and 2 additional resources
- Adherence to theme, demonstrating substantial supporting detail
- Research section to be written in third person narrative
- Reflects personal insight, interpretation, and unique writing style with minimal direct quotes
- Synthesis of information gathered from a variety of both print and digital sources
Mechanics
- Correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation
- Completed entry form, including original signatures where indicated
- Proper citations – all citation styles are accepted, but citations must be consistent
- Sources – The ideal essay will reflect a variety of print and digital sources. Whole books found online are considered digital sources.
- Works Cited – Only sources cited in the body of the paper should appear on the Works Cited.
- Typed double-spaced on 8.5” x 11” plain white paper and size 12 font. Use only one side of the paper.
- Maximum of 1200 words. All words in the body of the essay except internal citations are counted in the total.
- Essays must be free of plagiarism. Those with passages copied directly from other sources, without proper citations, or containing vast amounts of quoted or minimally paraphrased material are subject to disqualification.
- One cover sheet with the student’s name, school and teacher’s name
- Five copies of essay, each stapled in the upper left corner. To ensure blind judging, the student’s name should NOT appear on any pages of the essay.
- Electronic copy of essay, cover sheet, and Works Cited — submitted as ONE document — in Microsoft Word format. Students may submit on an individual disc/drive labeled with student’s name, school, and teacher’s name OR teacher may submit one disk/drive with all student submissions saved as separate documents titled by students’ names.
All entries become property of the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education and will not be returned. Applicants give the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education permission to reprint entries. Decisions of the judges are final.
PRIZES
- The top ten essayists in each division will be recognized at a reception in May
- First, second and third place winners in each division will be awarded cash prizes
- First, second and third place sponsoring teachers will be awarded vouchers for professional development or classroom resources
- The first place school in each division will be awarded a resource collection
| 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place | |
| Students | $300 | $200 | $100 |
| Sponsoring Teachers | $150 voucher for professional development or resources | $100 voucher for professional development or resources | $50 voucher for professional development or resources |
- Entries are limited to 1,200 words. This includes the body of the paper only. It does not include the cover sheet, title, footnotes, or Works Cited. Papers exceeding this limit may be disqualified. Students should use the “Word Count” function on their computers.
- MCHE encourages teachers to utilize this writing contest as a classroom exercise. To ensure that each essay receives the full attention of our judges, however, sponsoring teachers are limited to submitting no more than 10 essays per division.
- Each essay should reflect the student’s own work, guided and reviewed, but not edited in detail by the sponsoring teacher. Teachers should take care in attesting to compliance with contest requirements. A completed entry form with original signatures must accompany each essay.
- We strongly recommend that students link to reliable web sites through www.mchekc.org and visit MCHE’s Library and Archive, which houses nearly 3,000 titles available for free loan. Hours are 8:30 until 5:00, Monday through Friday and on Wednesdays until 7:00 pm by appointment only.
- Plagiarism results in disqualification.
- Entries must be postmarked NO LATER THAN the postmark deadline, or delivered in person to the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education office by 5:00 PM that day. Essays postmarked after the deadline, those brought to MCHE after the designated time, or essays sent by fax or e-mail will not qualify for judging.
- Up to 10 finalists in each division will be recognized at a reception in May.
- All entries become property of the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education and will not be returned.
- Applicants give the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education permission to reprint entries.
- Decisions of the judges are final.
The White Rose Student Essay Contest is now open to 8th-12th grade students in the eastern half of Kansas and the western half of Missouri. Please see the map and list of counties below to determine your eligibility. Educators who teach in Kansas and Missouri who fall outside of this geographic range may contact MCHE at 913-327-8195 or jessicar@mchekc.org to discuss an exception to the geographic boundaries.
KANSAS
Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Bourbon, Brown, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Cowley, Crawford, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Elk, Franklin, Geary, Greenwood, Harvey, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Labette, Leavenworth, Linn, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, McPherson, Miami, Montgomery, Morris, Nemaha, Neosho, Osage, Ottawa, Pottawatomie, Republic, Riley, Saline, Sedgwick, Shawnee, Sumner, Wabaunsee, Washington, Wilson, Woodson, Wyandotte
MISSOURI
Andrew, Atchison, Barry, Barton, Bates, Benton, Boone, Buchanan, Caldwell, Camden, Carroll, Cass, Cedar, Charlton, Christian, Clay, Clinton, Cole, Cooper, Dade, Dallas, Davies, De Kalb, Douglas, Gentry, Greene, Grundy, Harrison, Henry, Hickory, Holt, Howard, Jackson, Jasper, Johnson, Laclede, Lafayette, Lawrence, Linn, Livingston, McDonald, Mercer, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, Newton, Nodaway, Ozark, Pettis, Platte, Polk, Ray, Saline, St. Clair, Stone, Sullivan, Taney, Vernon, Webster, Worth, Wright
This year’s contest is made possible by a gift from Katherine DeBruce and by members of MCHE’s White Rose Society.
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Questions? Contact Jessica Rockhold, MCHE’s Associate Director, at jessicar@mchekc.org or 913-327-8195.
The contest is named in memory of Hans and Sophie Scholl, German university students who, along with several friends and their professor, were arrested and executed for distributing leaflets denouncing the evils of the Nazi regime. The project commemorates the heroic efforts of these brave young people, members of the White Rose, who gave their lives for the causes of understanding, tolerance, and freedom. May their memories inspire us to reflect upon our own responsibilities as citizens in a democratic nation.