Deadline for entries in the 35th annual Intermountain Jewish News Chanukah Coloring Contest is Monday, Nov. 15, 5 p.m.
Doris Sky poses with winners of the 1989 Chanukah Coloring Contest. Standing: Stacey Dinner. Seated: Shana Pitler, Scott Ginsberg (Bob Weinberg)
All entries need to be at the IJN office, 1177 Grant St., Suite 200, Denver, CO 80203 in order to be judged.
Since it is too late to depend on mail delivery by Nov. 15, entries should be hand delivered. The IJN is offering curbside pick-up: simply pull into the parking lot south of the building and call the office, 303-861-2234, and an IJN staff member will come to your car to receive the artwork.
Entries can also be submitted digitally. Whether they are created on a computer or scanned from hand-created original art, they can be uploaded online.
The IJN is proud to have sustained the Chanukah Coloring Contest for 35 years. It all started in 1986 when Miriam Goldberg and Doris Sky, then the editor-publisher and managing editor, respectively, needed an idea for a cover for the annual Chanukah edition. Sky suggested an art contest for the children of the community, and — boom — it was a hit. Children of all backgrounds entered from all areas of the community, including those from outside the metro area.
Goldberg and Sky had their Chanukah issue cover, and the children of the community got to express their thoughts about Chanukah in creative ways.
Goldberg and Sky decided to repeat the contest in subsequent years and it attracted more and more entries each year.
Doris Sky, who had delighted in the contest’s growth and popularity, passed away suddenly in June, 1990.
Her IJN colleagues renamed the contest in her memory.
Because of the contest’s growth, two age categories became three age categories: Kindergarten-1st grade, Grades 2-3 and grades 4-6.
The artwork of winners in all categories is published in the annual IJN Chanukah issue — this year, Nov., 26, along with their names and schools. The names of all children who enter the contest are also published.
A popular event has been the annual awards ceremony. The winning artwork has been displayed in various public venues including the State Capitol, Children’s Museum, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Kavod Senior Life and History Colrado.
The awards ceremony has been held in these locations, bringing together children from all corners of the community and various kinds of schools, along with their proud parents, grandparents and siblings.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has precluded the public display and awards ceremonies in 2020 and 2021.
As in 2020, the winning entries this year will be displayed virtually on the IJN website.
Information: 303-861-2234 or [email protected].
Copyright © 2021 by the Intermountain Jewish News
