Allison Cutuli, a 10th-grader at Seattle Prep has been awarded first place in the annual Jacob Friedman Holocaust Writing and Art Contest sponsored by the Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center. The topic of the contest this year was: “What can we learn from Holocaust survivors?”

The Bothell resident’s art was selected from among 800 entries, and she received a $200 cash prize, as well as recognition during the center’s commemoration of Yom Hashoah (Day of Holocaust Remembrance) May 4. Her winning entry will be posted on the Holocaust Center’s Web site: www.wsherc.org.

The Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educational resources to students, teachers and community groups who want to include Holocaust studies into their curricula. Currently, the center is expanding its services to include studies of contemporary genocide such as the crisis in Darfur, Sudan. The center provides speakers to classes and community groups through its Speakers Bureau of Holocaust survivors.

The contest is a chance for students express their feelings and demonstrate their knowledge through writing and art. Through these creative means, students reflect on the genocide of the Holocaust and understand how these studies affect their everyday lives.

This is the first year the contest has accepted art entries. Three winning entries were chosen from grades 5-8 and three from grades 9-12. In total, 12 students were recognized for their writing and art entries from all across Washington.