Maltz Museum presents Stop the Hate

What began in 2009 as a simple essay contest for 11th- and 12th-grade students in Northeast Ohio has grown considerably. Today, Stop the Hate is a competition open to students in grades 6-12, but its mission remains the same.

“The Stop the Hate competition was originally conceived by Maltz Museum founders Milton and Tamar Maltz with the intention of providing students of all backgrounds with the opportunity to use their voices to inspire change in the world,” says Stop the Hate associate director Valerie Temple.

“The essay prompts ask for a personal narrative from the students’ own experiences with an injustice, bias or hate they have witnessed, what that felt like, and how it prompted them to act.”

Categories for Stop the Hate entries include essay, poetry and songwriting. Stop the Hate’s partner organizations include Lake Erie Ink, a creative writing space helping young people discover their voices, and Roots of American Music, an organization using music to connect Northeast Ohio communities. Students entering the songwriting competition must be be enrolled in classroom-based workshops facilitated by Roots of American Music.

“Both organizations provide artist-led workshops for educators, free of charge, to guide students through the process of developing their competition submissions,” says Valerie. “The Maltz Museum also provides educators with resources upon request to facilitate participation in Stop the Hate.”

The Stop the Hate grand prize winner comes from the 11th- and 12th-grade level of the competition and is announced at the annual awards ceremony. The winner receives a $30,000 scholarship with that student’s school receiving a $4,000 prize.

Valerie reports this past year included 30 finalists in the poetry and essay categories, and four songwriting finalists among nearly 2,000 submissions from students spanning 15 counties across Northeast Ohio. 

And if you’re wondering who is judging the entries, Stop the Hate relies on a large group of volunteers who freely give their time to be trained on a scoring rubric, then read the entries during the review period after the submission deadline. 

“This is a rigorous process,” says Valerie. “There are several rounds in each category involving 235 volunteer readers.”

Valerie’s vision for Stop the Hate is continued growth for student participation and for community involvement.

“We get amazing feedback from our volunteers,” says Valerie. “They are inspired by what the students have to say. These are difficult, powerful subjects and, really, every submission is a winner. It’s extremely hard to choose among these students who are brave enough to share their stories about these very important issues. We are extremely proud of every one of them.”

This year, Stop the Hate submissions launched on September 1, 2026, and will continue to be accepted until Thursday, January 14, 2027. The awards ceremony will take place on Tuesday, April 6, 2027. 

“The awards ceremony includes the top 4 11th and 12th grade finalists reading their essays aloud for final scoring,” says Valerie. “Hearing the students’ words directly from them is particularly powerful.”

Valerie and her team at the Maltz Museum encourage all students to enter and community members interested in volunteering as readers to reach out for details.

“Stop the Hate is our signature education program at the museum,” says Valerie. “We are deeply invested in the success of the program and of these students. Each one is truly exceptional and offers such hope for our future. If you’re interested in making a change in the world, Stop the Hate offers a platform for action.”

For details on Stop the Hate, contact the education team at Education@MMJH.org or call 216-593-0595. Visit MaltzMuseum.org/StopTheHate for submissions, resources and tools for educators and students. 

Maltz Museum

2929 Richmond Road, Beachwood

216-593-0575

MaltzMuseum.org