Paul Seideman Scholarship for Yrs 7-13
PAUL SEIDEMAN SCHOLARSHIP 2025 AWARDED
ON INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY, IN PARLIAMENT, 27 JANUARY 2026
The Paul Seideman Scholarship exists to encourage young people to engage thoughtfully and creatively with Holocaust history, remembrance, and its relevance to the world they are inheriting. By inviting students to respond through essays, poetry, art, film and music, the awards affirm that remembrance is not only about learning about the past, but about giving voice to empathy, reflection, and moral courage today.
We were delighted to celebrate the 2025 Paul Seideman Scholarship winners at a ceremony held in Wellington on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 27 January 2026 hosted by Hon. Chris Bishop, and marking 81 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Entries were of the highest calibre and the judging committee was pleased to see so many submissions in honour of Paul Seideman z"l and Holocaust remembrance.
WINNERS
Year 7 - 8: Maanvir Chawla, Year 7 from Papatoetoe Intermediate School, with his untitled poem.
Year 9 -10: Zara Beck, Year 10, from St Peter's School - Cambridge, with her art piece 'The Tree of Remembrance'.
Year 11 - 13: Kitty Grotrian, Year 11, from Queen Margaret College, with her musical piece 'Woven Threads'.
Mazel tov! Huge congratulations to them, their parents and teachers.
Students presented their winning entries to a distinguished audience of MPs, councillors, members of the diplomatic corps, Jewish community members (including Holocaust survivors and their descendants), interfaith leaders, their parents, and members of the public.
The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand proudly presents this annual competition, a vibrant legacy endowed by the late Paul Seideman z"l. We extend our deepest gratitude for his vision and generosity in establishing this remarkable initiative.
A huge thank you to all the talented students nationwide who submitted their incredible work! We were truly impressed by the exceptional standard of research and composition, spanning a diverse range of artistic mediums – from captivating art and moving music to thought-provoking poetry, insightful essays, and compelling films.
Students presented their winning entries to a distinguished audience of MPs, councillors, members of the diplomatic corps, Jewish community members (including Holocaust survivors and their descendants), interfaith leaders, their parents, and members of the public.
The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand proudly presents this annual competition, a vibrant legacy endowed by the late Paul Seideman z"l. We extend our deepest gratitude for his vision and generosity in establishing this remarkable initiative.
A huge thank you to all the talented students nationwide who submitted their incredible work! We were truly impressed by the exceptional standard of research and composition, spanning a diverse range of artistic mediums – from captivating art and moving music to thought-provoking poetry, insightful essays, and compelling films.
[L to R] Kitty Grotrian, Zara Beck, Maanvir Chawla with Hon Chris Bishop and Kris Clancy, Holocaust Centre of New Zealand Education Director. International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 27 January 2026. Photography by Woolf.
BACKGROUND
Holocaust survivor Paul Seideman was a great supporter of Holocaust education and remembrance in Aotearoa New Zealand.
As a young Czech Jew, Paul managed to survive the Lodz Ghetto, several concentration and labour camps, including Auschwitz, and a death march, during World War II. He was liberated at Dachau, aged 17. After liberation, Paul emigrated to Australia and then New Zealand. Sadly, Paul's mother and father died in the Lodz Ghetto in 1941 and 1942, respectively.
To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau by the Soviet Army on 27 January 1945, and to encourage students in Aotearoa New Zealand to engage in Holocaust studies, Paul funded an annual Holocaust essay competition for secondary students, administered by the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand. This was established in 2014, as a 500-word essay on “The Holocaust and its lessons for New Zealand”, and inaugurally awarded on 27 January 2015 at the UN International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemoration at Parliament.
Originally for year 10 and 11 students, the Paul Seideman Holocaust Essay Competition grew into the Paul Seideman Annual Composition Prize, with students from Years 7 to 13 submitting entries in a variety of formats to answer the questions posed, awarded in three categories - Years 7-8, Years 9-10, and Years 11-13.
HCNZ is honoured to carry on Paul's legacy and continues to administer this competition, which annually engages hundreds of students across the nation in Holocaust education, and has now become the Paul Seideman Scholarship.
As a young Czech Jew, Paul managed to survive the Lodz Ghetto, several concentration and labour camps, including Auschwitz, and a death march, during World War II. He was liberated at Dachau, aged 17. After liberation, Paul emigrated to Australia and then New Zealand. Sadly, Paul's mother and father died in the Lodz Ghetto in 1941 and 1942, respectively.
To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau by the Soviet Army on 27 January 1945, and to encourage students in Aotearoa New Zealand to engage in Holocaust studies, Paul funded an annual Holocaust essay competition for secondary students, administered by the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand. This was established in 2014, as a 500-word essay on “The Holocaust and its lessons for New Zealand”, and inaugurally awarded on 27 January 2015 at the UN International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemoration at Parliament.
Originally for year 10 and 11 students, the Paul Seideman Holocaust Essay Competition grew into the Paul Seideman Annual Composition Prize, with students from Years 7 to 13 submitting entries in a variety of formats to answer the questions posed, awarded in three categories - Years 7-8, Years 9-10, and Years 11-13.
HCNZ is honoured to carry on Paul's legacy and continues to administer this competition, which annually engages hundreds of students across the nation in Holocaust education, and has now become the Paul Seideman Scholarship.
For more information on this or any other educational activities of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand please contact the Centre's Education Director, Kris Clancy at [email protected]
All entrants must be available for the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, and by entering this competition, students agree to the inclusion of their work and photos in HCNZ publications and online platforms.
