(Courtesy of Project Shine) The countdown has begun! But there is still time for students in grades 6-8 and 9-12 to participate in this year’s Project Shine 2.0 contests. Submissions have been coming in from the USA, South Africa and Israel and we are expecting from the UK and Australia as well. The theme for all three contests is “Finding the Good in Times of Crisis.” This is a great opportunity for students to remotely engage in something designed to raise their spirits in addition to their important general and Judaic studies.

Contest 1 is an art contest (drawing, painting etc.)

Contest 2 is a poetry contest (in English, please)

Contest 3 is a video-clip contest (two minutes max)

Submissions in art, poetry or video clip can include any modality (comical, serious, thought-provoking etc.), but most importantly, students’ creativity needs to convey the theme clearly.

Prizes will be awarded to both age groups in each contest:

First place: $360 in Israel Bonds

Second place: $180 in Israel Bonds

Third place: $100 in Israel Bonds

Honorable mentions in each category will be publicized along with the prize winners.

The deadline for submission is Tuesday, May 12 (Lag B’Omer). Only one submission per student among the three contests is allowed.

All submissions and questions should be sent to [email protected] with the name of the contest (art, poetry, video) in the subject line. Please make sure students include name, school, grade and country in the body of their email submission as well as a short description, under 500 words, about their creation (i.e., what it’s about, why they chose it etc.).

What better way to make things a little happier than by shining some “light” and helping raise someone’s spirits during a time of relative “darkness”?