CLEVELAND — An 11th-grader at Lakewood High School used the power of words to create an award-winning essay in the 14th annual “Stop the Hate Youth Speak Out Contest and Youth Sing Out Contest."
Jacqueline Hudak was named the grand prize winner of $20,000 for her essay on the importance of body positivity in young girls.
She said, in part, “My vocation is to help young girls to be thankful for all the different jobs their bodies do for them—for girls to be as kind to themselves as they are to others… Discrimination has plagued society for hundreds of years and it comes from the disease of misinformation and a lack of education. It takes all of us uniting not in fear but in hope to stop the hate.”
Read Hudak's essay and others here.
Since the contest began 14 years ago, the Maltz Museum has awarded $1.4 million to students and schools across 12 Northeast Ohio counties.
The “Stop the Hate” contest has two components: essay writing for individual students and songwriting for classrooms. Both contests celebrate students in grades 6-12 who are committed to making their communities more inclusive and accepting.
2022 Youth Speak Out 11-12th grade winners
Youth Speak Out Grand Prize Winner
- Jaqueline Hudak, Grade 11, Lakewood High School
($20,000 scholarship; $5,000 grant to Lakewood High School)
Youth Speak Out First Runner-up
- Maraja Moss, Grade 12, Jackson High School
($10,000 scholarship; $2,000 grant to Jackson High School)
Youth Speak Out Second Runner-up
- Sanjana Katiyar, Grade 11, Strongsville High School
($5,000 scholarship; $2,000 grant to Strongsville High School)
Youth Speak Out Honorable Mentions
($1,000 scholarships; $500 grants to schools)
- Moira Ackerman, Grade 12, Hudson High School
- Raychelle Davis, Grade 12, Hudson High School
- Lizzy Huang, Grade 11, Shaker Heights High School
- Tiba Jraik, Grade 12, Rhodes College and Career Academy
- Samah Khan, Grade 11, Beachwood High School
- Jenan Qaraqish, Grade 12, Hudson High School
- MyKenna Roy, Grade 12, Mayfield High School
2022 Youth Speak Out 6-10th Grade Winners
(1st place receives $400 cash prize; 2nd place receives $100 cash prize)
10th Grade
- First Place: Benjamin Ralph, Walsh Jesuit High School
- Second Place: Asia Howard, Twinsburg High School
9th Grade
- First Place: Michael McNally, Mayfield High School
- Second Place: Anah Khan, Beachwood High School
8th Grade
- First Place: Ida Chang, Beachwood Middle School
- Second Place: Chelsea Gipson, Monticello Middle Schoo
7th Grade
- First Place: Jocelyn Sesnowitz, Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School
- Second Place: Aanchal Nassar, Hathaway Brown
6th Grade
- First Place: Juliet Richards, Hudson Middle School
- Second Place: Mattia Sturman, Rocky River Middle School
2022 Youth Sing Out Winners
(1st place schools receive a $3,500 grant; runner-up schools receive a $2,000 grant)
High Schools
- First Place: “Speak Out” performed by Taylor Lamborn
Written by Nicole Majercak’s 1st Period Class of Beachwood High School - Runner-Up: “Skittles” performed by Charlie Mosbrook
Written by Sarah Hodge’s Civics 2.0 Class of Glenville High School
Middle Schools
- First Place: “Tell Me (My Life Matters)” performed by Charlie Mosbrook
Written by Lisa Blasko’s 7th Grade Class of Garfield Middle School - Runner-Up: “Revenge Is Not The Way” performed by Sam Hooper
Written by Mollie Lockwood’s 6th Grade Class of Clark Elementary School
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