The theme of this year’s 30th Hana Greenfield Memorial Art Competition and 2nd Film Competition, organized by the Terezín Memorial in cooperation with the National Pedagogical Museum and J. A. Comenius Library and the Open Eye association, was the motto “You Are Not One of Us!” This year, contestants were invited to reflect on issues of discrimination against individuals and groups, both in the past and in the present. A total of 82 schools and the Petra Mačkov Children’s Home entered the contests. The art competition received 552 entries, while the film competition featured 23 short films.
The formal announcement of the results for both competitions, along with the presentation of awards to the winning participants, took place on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in the cinema auditorium of the Ghetto Museum. The ceremony was introduced by Mgr. Jan Špringl, Head of the Department of Education at the Terezín Memorial, who also served as the moderator for the entire event. The opening address was given by RNDr. Michaela Vidláková, a former Terezín Ghetto inmate and a member of the Terezín Initiative. The winners of the art competition received their awards from Mgr. Tomáš Výchopně, Deputy Director of the Terezín Memorial. Awards to the winning entries in the film competition, including special prizes donated by the National Pedagogical Museum and J. A. Comenius Library, were presented by PhDr. Klára Ehrlich, Ph.D., Director of the National Pedagogical Museum and J. A. Comenius Library, along with Mgr. Martin Šmok, from the Open Eye association. Additionally, the Erik Polák Award was presented by Olga Kolárová, representing the Terezín Initiative, and Dr. Martina Jankovská from the Eternal Hope (Věčná naděje) Endowment Fund. The films that placed first, second, and third, as well as the winner of the Erik Polák Award, in both competition categories were screened as part of the program.
The ceremony was attended by several distinguished guests, including Mgr. Bc. Tomáš Rieger, Councillor of the Ústí nad Labem Regional Authority; Mgr. Martin Jelínek, who represented the Museums and Galleries Department of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic; PaedDr. Michal Černý, Director of the Department of Pre-primary and Primary Education at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czch Republic; and René Tomášek, Mayor of Terezín, among others.
The engaging program featured musical performances by students from the Lovosice Elementary School of Arts, who presented works by Jaroslav Ježek. The performances included both vocal pieces and chamber music for transverse flutes.
The ceremony marked the opening of a short-term exhibition showcasing award-winning artworks, accompanied by screenings of select successful films. This exhibition is located in the foyer of the cinema auditorium at the Ghetto Museum and is open to visitors until the end of August this year.
Results from both competitions, along with photographs of the award-winning entries, can be viewed on the Terezín Memorial website under the Education section.
Sylvie Holubová, Jan Kaňa
