Last entry wins UK Anne Frank contest

Sometimes waiting until the last minute can pay off. That’s what 13-year-old Orli Vogt-Vincent of London did, and now she’s the winner of the national “Thirteen in 13” writing contest, sponsored by the Anne Frank Trust and judged by Prime Minister David Cameron, that drew more than 1,300 entries from around the UK.

“I entered on the last day. I was told mine was the last entry they got,” said Vogt-Vincent, a year 9 student at London’s Jewish Community Secondary School (JCoSS).

Her mother, who had seen a notice in the paper announcing the contest, had told Vogt-Vincent about it well in advance of the submission deadline. But the thoughtful teenager wanted to take her time in deciding what important change she would like to see in British society.

“I wanted to think about what I am really passionate about,” she said.

In her winning entry, Vogt-Vincent expressed a desire for an allowance for more individual creativity in the educational system.

‘As young individuals, we are represented by a few numbers that are supposed to show our intelligence – what about things outside of intelligence?’

“I can’t enjoy a subject anymore without the fear that I’m not going to achieve my target, that I’m not on track, that I’m not prepared for the countless assessments we’re bombarded with every month,” she wrote. “As young individuals, we are represented by a few numbers that are supposed to show our intelligence – what about things outside of intelligence? What about creativity and finding an identity? We have to try and find ourselves through numbers that sum up how clever we are. What about expressing ourselves? Where did that go?”

She wrote that she isn’t against tests and grades, but that they need to be counterbalanced by other values.

“School isn’t just about grades – it’s about independence and exploration. I say give creativity to young people while you still can, let them express themselves and be who they want to be before they grow up, and the world tries to make them something they’re not,” she concluded.

Contest winner Orli Vogt-Vincent got to visit 10 Downing Street. (photo credit: courtesy of Orli Vogt-Vincent)

Vogt-Vincent told The Times of Israel that she was shocked to discover when she arrived two years ago at JCoSS how many tests there are in high school. Fortunately, her Jewish studies classes provide more of the creative outlet she seeks.

“Since JCoSS is pluralistic, we get to do a lot of creative midrash,” she explained. “It’s more difficult to take this approach in the other subjects, but it would be good if they would take some inspiration from Jewish studies.”

Vogt-Vincent spoke to The Times of Israel as she visited Israel with her family in late July, arriving not long after being invited to 10 Downing Street, together with the 2^nd and 3^rd place winners. Unfortunately, the PM was called away at the last minute and did not meet with the teens. He did, however, respond to them in a letter published in The Times.

“But we got an amazing tour of the place, and we were taken out for a meal by the people from the Anne Frank Trust,” the first-place winner said. Vogt-Vincent and the other top finishers received certificates, and watches and books as prizes.

An avid reader from a young age, Vogt-Vincent read “The Diary of Anne Frank” a while back. “It was a huge inspiration,” she said of it. More recently, she started writing — and getting published. Her book reviews have appeared on a number of blogs and websites, as well as in The Guardian.

The young teenager, who quoted J.K. Rowling and Stephen Sondheim in her winning entry, wants to do “something with writing” when she grows up. “I’d like to be a children’s fiction writer, or maybe a critic,” she said. “And if those things don’t work out, perhaps I’ll start a publishing company.”