The Center for Jewish–Bulgarian Cooperation "Alef" launches the 13th edition of the International Student Literary and Film Contest "Whoever Saves One Human Life Saves the Whole Universe." The theme for this year’s creative challenge is "In the Leading Role: Humanity."
To participate, students are invited to use their imagination to recreate the dark years of the Holocaust, to tell the stories of the persecuted Jewish population awaiting deportation to the death camps, and to highlight the compassion and courage of Bulgarians whose actions led to the unprecedented rescue of Bulgarian Jews.
Through the means of literature or cinema, participants should return to the time of World War II, reflect on the fears, anxieties, and hopes of the people, and draw parallels with our present — a world where wars are still being fought, human life is increasingly devalued, and virtues such as humanism and empathy are becoming scarce.
The contest encourages research, discovery, and critical thinking among young people. The jury will evaluate imagination and creativity, but special preference will be given to works grounded in historical accuracy that present new or little-known personalities or events from the Holocaust.
Submission
The competition begins on November 1, 2025, and will be held in two categories — literary short story and video story. Eligible participants are students aged 15 to 19 from Bulgaria, Europe, and Israel. Entries must be sent by e-mail to [email protected]. Participants should include their full name, schoolname, grade, a short bio, full address, phone number, and e-mail. Each contestant may submit only one creative work.
The deadline for submissions is March 1, 2026. Winners will be announced during a special awards ceremony in Burgas, Bulgaria, in June 2026.
Two subcategories
The literary works (short stories) will be evaluated by an international jury and divided into two subcategories — one for Bulgarian participants and one for international participants. The stories must be written in the author’s native language, created specifically for this contest, unpublished, and not previously submitted elsewhere. The maximum length is 4 typed pages, Times New Roman font, size 12.
Participants who prepare a video story (5–10 minutes) must submit it either in Bulgarian or in their native language with English subtitles. The video may include elements such as: personal memories, interviews on the topic, documentation of a true story, footage from historical sites related to the Holocaust, flash mobs, artistic reenactments, dramatizations, etc.
Announcement of nominations
The jury will nominate the 30 best participants from Bulgaria and abroad. The nominations will be announced on the organizers’ website — www.alef-bg.org — by April 1, 2026. All nominated authors will be invited free of charge to attend the International Youth Literary and Film Festival "Friendship – Meaning and Salvation," organized by the Center Alef in Burgas, Bulgaria, in June 2026.
The festival program will include creative writing workshops, film classes, screenings, exhibitions, literary readings, and meetings with renowned writers and filmmakers. The awards ceremony announcing the contest winners will also take place during the festival.
This year again, the organizers have provided monetary prizes and certificates for the best works, as well as opportunities for participation in international youth forums abroad dedicated to preserving historical memory. Bulgarian authors who win first, second, or third place will also have the chance to receive annual state scholarships.
The long-standing initiative of "Alef" has become a prestigious international forum for youth creativity. So far, more than 2,200 young people from Bulgaria, Austria, Poland, Germany, Israel, Slovakia, Ukraine, Latvia, Hungary, Spain, France, Italy, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, and Romania have taken part. The contest not only offers a platform for artistic expression but also fosters civic awareness and human values. The organizers hope that today — when the lessons of the past are more needed than ever — the competition will attract new young supporters of the ideals of peace and humanity.
Regulation XIII International Literary and Film Student Competition
