(Courtesy of Yair Leolam) In this time of major disruption and uncertainty in our lives and the lives of your students, Yair Leolam has decided to shift the focus of Project Shine 2.0. This year we have decided to create three separate contests that address the theme of “Finding the Good in Times of Crisis.” Each contest is open to two age groups, sixth through eighth, and 9-12th graders. This is a great opportunity for your 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)

As written above, the theme of each contest should be “Finding the Good in Times of Crisis.” Submissions in art, poetry, or video clip can include any modality they choose (comical, serious, thought-provoking etc.), but most importantly, students’ creativity needs to convey the theme clearly.

Prizes will be awarded to both age groups:

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 new 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 the email as well as a short description under 500 words about their submission (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.”