Congratulations Grand Prize Winner
Nandita Srikumar receives a 4-year $20,000 scholarship and
Solon High School receives a $5,000 Anti-Bias Education Grant
Click the video to watch her winning essay
About Stop the Hate Youth Speak Out
The Stop the Hate® contest is an initiative of the Maltz Museum that celebrates Northeast Ohio students committed to creating a more accepting, inclusive society by standing up and speaking out against bias and bigotry as they compete for the chance to win a prestigious award. Each year about 3,000 students enter, and with the help of 300 volunteer readers, 32 finalists are named. Since the contest started 17 years ago, over 50,000 students in 15 counties across Northeast Ohio have participated, and as of this year, $1.7 million has been awarded. Rooted in the Jewish value of respect for all humanity, the Maltz Museum is proud that it continues to give young people of all faiths and backgrounds a platform to speak out in support of inclusion and diversity. Congratulations to everyone who has shared their inspiring stories with us. If you are inspired by one or more of these students' stories please share them with your social networks. Watch the video below to see the impact and growth of the Stop the Hate program over the last 17 years.
Meet the Essay Contest Winners
Congratulations 11th & 12th Grade Essay Runner-Up Winners
First Runner Up receives a $10,000 scholarship, Second Runner Up receives a $5,000 scholarship
Each of their schools receives a $2000 Anti-Bias Education Grant
Click the video to watch each winning essay
Congratulations 11th & 12th Grade Essay Honorable Mentions
Each receives a $1000 prize and their schools receive a $500 Anti-Bias Education Grant
Click the video to watch each winning essay
Congratulations 6th - 10th Grade Essay Winners
1st place receives a $400 prize, Runner Up receives a $100 prize
Click their photo to read each winning essay
Congratulations High School Poetry Winners
1st place receives a $2,500 prize and their school receive a $2,000 Anti-Bias Education Grant
2nd place receives a $1,500 prize and their school receive a $1,000 Anti-Bias Education Grant
3rd place receives a $1,000 prize and their school receive a $1,000 Anti-Bias Education Grant
Click the video to watch each winning poem
Congratulations High School Poetry Honorable Mentions
Each receives a $600 prize
Click the video to watch each winning poem
Congratulations Middle School Poetry Winners
1st place receives a $400 prize
2nd place receives a $300 prize
3rd place receives a $200 prize
Click the video to watch each winning poem
Congratulations Middle School Poetry Honorable Mentions
Each receives a $100 prize
Click the video to watch each winning poem
Schools and Teachers of the Year
STOP THE HATE SCHOOLS OF THE YEAR
Together with our partners at Lake Erie Ink, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and ROOTS of American Music, we offered free song, essay, and poetry writing workshops to schools and educators. These workshops provided anti-bias and social emotional learning tools while teaching history, literacy, and the arts to middle school and high school groups.
Congratulations to Almira PreK-8 Academy, Anton Grdina, Bolich Middle School, Brooklyn Elementary School, Charles F Brush High School, Cleveland School of Science and Medicine, Collinwood High School, East Tech High School, Euclid Middle School, Garfield Heights High School, Garfield Heights Middle School, Garfield Middle School, Glenville High School, Harding Middle School, Hathaway Brown, Horizon Science Academy Cleveland, High School, Hudson Middle School, Incarnate Word Academy, John Marshall School of Information, Technology, Kirtland High School, Langston Middle School, Mary M Bethune School, Max Hayes High School, Midview High School, Milkovich Middle School, Mound Stem School, North Ridgeville Academic Center, Oberlin High School, R.B. Chamberlin Middle School, Roberts Middle School, Shaw High School, St. Stanislaus School, Twinsburg High School, W.H. Kirk Middle School, and Windham Junior/Senior High School.
STOP THE HATE TEACHERS OF THE YEAR
With nominations from our partners, the Maltz Museum named two Stop the Hate Teachers of the Year. Each receives a $1,000 cash prize in recognition of their personal commitment to anti-bias education.
Congratulations to Helena Toplak of Horizon Science Academy Cleveland High School and Matthew Thompson of Garfield Heights Middle School.
Hear the Winning Songs
About Stop the Hate Youth Sing Out
In partnership with ROOTS of American Music, Suma Recording, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Maltz Museum celebrates the voices of young people standing up to bias and bigotry through the annual Stop the Hate® Youth Sing Out contest.
This year, 1,215 students from 60 classrooms among 18 schools worked collaboratively to pen and perform original songs, using their voices to advocate for change. Stop the Hate®, Youth Sing Out is an arts-integrated learning initiative that invites students to share their thoughts on discrimination and injustice. Through the Maltz Museum’s Stop the Hate tour, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Power of Music in Protest online experience, and the guidance of ROOTS of American Music Teaching Artist, the annual program sharpens written and oral language skills while fostering a deeper understanding of historic and contemporary human rights events. Classes compete to win anti-bias education grants for their schools. Congratulations to all of the participants for using your voices for good!
Congratulations Youth Sing Out Winners
First Place schools receive a $3,500 Anti-Bias Education Grant, Runner-up schools receive a $2,000 Anti-Bias Education Grant
Click the audio player to hear each winning song
First Place High School
Collinwood High School
"Everyone is Equal"
Written by Violet Taylor's 7th Period Class with ROOTS of American Music Teaching Artist Charlie Mosbrook
Runner-up High School
Shaw High School
"Weak People with Power"
Written by Antoinette Brown's 7th Period Class with ROOTS of American Music Teaching Artist Charlie Mosbrook
First Place Middle School
Milkovich Middle School,
"Stop the Violence"
Written by Mary Matisak's 3rd Period Class with ROOTS of American Music Teaching Artist Ester Fitz
Runner-up Middle School
Harding Middle School,
"Listen to our Words"
Aaron Waryk's 6th Grade Class with ROOTS of American Music Teaching Artist Charlie Mosbrook
Stop the Hate Anti-Bias Grants
Educators in Northeast Ohio dedicated to fostering inclusive learning environments were eligible to apply for one of three $6,000 Stop the Hate Anti-Bias Community grants. These grants fund educational experiences that promote unity, understanding, and commitment to stopping hate among students and educators.
Congratulations to our three grantees: Incarnate Word Academy, Urban Community School, Windham Jr/Sr High School.
Since the start of the Stop the Hate program the Maltz Museum has provided more than $432,000 in anti-bias grants to educators and schools across Northeast Ohio. Watch the video below to see some of the impact these grants have had on local students, educators, and schools.
SUPPORTERS & JUDGES
We are grateful for the commitment of the sponsors, educators, judges, volunteers, committee members, and Maltz Museum Board Members, without whom this program would not be possible.
MALTZ MUSEUM BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Reneé Chelm, Chair
Milton Maltz, Chairman Emeritus
Tamar Maltz, President
Keith Libman, Vice President
James Gomez, Treasurer
Mary Ann Corrigan-Davis, Secretary
Grant Dinner, Immediate Past Chair
Joe Cimperman
Lois Goodman
David Katz
Susan Krantz
Kenneth B. Liffman
Darrell McNair
Kim Meisel Pesses
Larry Pollock
Albert B. Ratner
James Ratner
Irving Rosner
Felton Thomas Jr.
Phillip Wasserstrom
Daniel Zelman
Adam Zelwin
Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr, Trustee Emeritus
Adele Silver, Honorary Trustee
EX OFFICIO
Jeff Kaplan, Friends of the Maltz Museum
Rabbi Robert Nosanchuk, Congregation Mishkan Or
Erika Rudin-Luria, Jewish Federation of Cleveland
Aaron Petersal, Maltz Museum
STOP THE HATE COMMITTEE
Darrell McNair, Chair
Scott Simon, Vice Chair
LaVora Gadison
Yolanda Hamilton
Laurie Kincer
Bobbie Lindenbaum
Gregg Levine
VOLUNTEER READERS
We are grateful to the 178 volunteers who generously donated their time to blind-score this year’s essays, poems, and song lyrics.
See a full list of readers.
YOUTH SPEAK OUT ESSAY JUDGES
Jessica Daigler, Director of LeadDIVERSITY, The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio
Eduardo Kim, Partner, Thompson Hine LLP
Lisa Kollins, Executive Director, The Superhero Project
John Panza, Associate Professor, English Honors Coordinator, Cuyahoga Community College, Eastern Campus
Michele Pomerantz, Chief of Education, Office of the Mayor, The City of Cleveland
YOUTH SPEAK OUT POETRY JUDGES
DaQuala Hunt, Author, Poet, Spoken Word Artist
Ygal Kaufman, Multiple Media Journalist, Ideastream Public Media
Sergio Roper, Poet, Teaching Artist, Wick Poetry Center, Kent State University
Michelle Smith, Programming Director, Literary Cleveland
Rachel Zake Ozan, Writer/Director/Actor
YOUTH SING OUT JUDGES
Kathryn Clusman, Director of Education and Community Engagement, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Edward P. Gallagher, Vice President for Education, The Beck Center for the Arts
Jeff Niesel, Music Editor, Cleveland Scene
Treva Offutt, Director of Education, Playhouse Square
Jason Weiner, Philanthropic Advisor, Cleveland Foundation
AWARD CEREMONY JUDGES
Michael A. Baston, J.D., Ed.D. President, Tri-C Cuyahoga Community College
Liron Fanan, General Manager, Cleveland Charge
Alexandra Wainwright, Stop the Hate ‘16, Associate, JONES DAY®- One Firm Worldwide®
LAKE ERIE INK
Amy Rosenbluth, Executive Director
Cynthia Larsen, Education Director
John Boucher, Teaching Artist
Manny Harvey, Teaching Artist
Amy Hughes, Teaching Artist
Charlie Mosbrook, Teaching Artist
Od Perry-Richardson, Teaching Artist
Ellie Piszel, Teaching Artist
Jody Podl, Teaching Artist
Vivian Vail, Teaching Artist
Melodie Yates, Teaching Artist
ROOTS OF AMERICAN MUSIC
Michele Colopy, Executive Director
Bettyjeane Quimby, Education Program Director
Tam Sivertson, Bookkeeper
Esther Fitz, Teaching Artist
Jul Big Green, Teaching Artist
Sam Hooper, Teaching Artist
Charlie Mosbrook, Teaching Artist
Kennedy Nagel, Teaching Artist
Mikey Silas, Teaching Artist
SUMA RECORDING
Rachael Kuret, Recording Engineer
David Alan Shaw, Recording Engineer
Michael Seifert, Mixing Engineer
ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME
Kathryn Clusman, Director of Education and
Community Engagement
ADDITIONAL PARTNERS
Beth Segal Photography
Blue Robot
Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Public Library
College Now Greater Cleveland
Cuyahoga County Public Library
Julie Jones Writes LLC
Mariana Edelman Photography & Design
Meredith Camp Events, LLC
Steve Hacker Productions
STOP THE HATE IS MADE POSSIBLE WITH THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF:
Stop the Hate Presenting Sponsor
Stop the Hate Signature Sponsors
A stage for stories of struggle, courage, and creativity; a forum for difficult conversations about discrimination and intolerance; and a platform for youth to share their vision for a brighter future, The Maltz Museum brings history to life, issues to light, and people together.
The Maltz Museum is supported by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, and Jewish Federation of Cleveland
© 2025 Maltz Museum