Asher Essay Contest

ASHER ESSAY CONTEST
To see a sample of last year's winners, click here.
ATT sponsors the Asher Essay Contest annually for all of its grades 3 -12 students of its affiliated schools. Established through the generosity of Helen and Norman Asher, the program allows our students to show their creativity, their ability to research Jewish topics, and to improve their writing skills. The goals of the contest are:
  • To encourage students to do research in the primary sources of Judaism and/or in their preferred areas
         of interest
  • To explain the relevance of Torah to all aspects of life
  • To allow students the opportunity of strengthening their commitment to Judaism through writing
  • To encourage students to improve their writing skills
  • To recognize and celebrate our students' creativity and their writing skills

2011-2012 Asher Essay Contest Prizes:
  •         High School Winners                            $75.00 U.S. Savings Bond
  •         Elementary School Winners                $50.00 U.S. Savings Bond

Asher Essay Contest Rules:
1.      All submissions of essays must include first name, last name, home address, city, state, zip, grade, and school in                            
         order to be eligible.
2.      Note: Earlier Deadline: Monday, January 30, 2012 by 5:00 p.m.
3.      Essays may be submitted by:
                     Mail:   2828 W. Pratt Blvd., Chicago, IL 60645
                     Email: asheressay@att.org
                     Online: See form at the bottom of the page
4.      Length of essay: 500 word maximum
5.      Essay Topics:
         1.       Research a question about a Judaic topic that you are interested in.
  •                    e.g.: Why do we light two candles for Shabbat?        
         2.       Research a historical Jewish personality or event. Using what you have learned from your
                   research, explain how it applies to your own life and/or contemporary Jewish life. (Essay should
                   include two parts, a brief summary of what has been researched and its relationship to you or
                   modern life in general.)
  •          e.g.: Write a brief summary (1 -2 paragraphs) of the Inquisition and then explain how it impacts our lives today.
         3.       Create a poem or creative writing on a Jewish theme, idea, personality, event, or holiday.
  •         e.g.: Write a poem about Rosh Hashana from one of its related objects' perspective (e.g.
                             shofar, apple, machzor).
        4.       Explain a tefilah (prayer) from the Siddur and its special meaning to you and the role it plays in your  
                  life.
  •         e.g.: Modeh Ani and why it makes me happy to be alive
       5.       Explain a difficult passage from the Tanach. Present a minimum of two resolutions to the problem.
  •         e.g.: Why didn't Yosef inform his father of his presence in Egypt?
       6.       Describe a modern problem and show our sacred texts deal with the problem.
  •         e.g.: The Sanctity of Marriage; Environment; Social Justice
6.      Asher Essays will be judged on these criteria:                                            
                        i.Following directions     
                       ii.Content/research/originality and creativity   
                      iii.Mechanics (grammar, spelling, etc.)
7.      All submitted essays are the property of the ATT and may be published in an ATT publication. Winners
         will be requested to resubmit their essays electronically.

For Online Submission, complete the form below.



First Name:
 Last Name:
Address:
 Address 2:
City:
State:
Zip Code:
School:
 Grade:
Topic:
Submit Essay:
 
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