Good morning! We just published our 2026-27 student contest calendar! This year we’re offering seven opportunities for teenagers to reflect and create — via writing, audio, video, visual art and more. — The Learning NetworkOur 2026-27 Student Contest Calendar
Since 2010, hundreds of thousands of teenagers around the globe have participated in our student contests. These challenges serve our core mission: to offer young people a variety of ways to learn about what’s happening in the world, connect it to their lives and raise their voices in response. They are also opportunities to help teens understand media by creating it themselves, practicing the skills and habits of mind that journalists use every day. At a time when generative A.I. can easily do the thinking for them, we hope that students will, instead, find these challenges engaging and meaningful enough that they will enjoy the creative process, experimenting with both what they want to say and how they want to say it. Visit our contest calendar to find more details, including our full policy on the use of artificial intelligence. Recent Times reporting about schools
This week’s Summer Reading Contest winners
From 1,244 submissions, we chose two essays, one by Chenyi Zhu and another by Christopher Leung. Ms. Zhu, 15, from Pleasanton, Calif., wrote about “Going to a National Park This Summer? Here’s What to Expect.” In a dialogue with the article, her piece begins: “Going to a National Park This Summer?” Yes! I’m very much looking forward to taking my brother to the same parks that I explored when I was his age! “Here’s What to Expect.” It’s a quiet place where you can get away from the crowds and — “Huge visitor numbers” What about the volunteers who teach the science and history of the land? Higher visitor flow, so surely they’re not gonna keep reduc— “sharply reduced staffing” How are they gonna handle reserva— “scrapped reservation systems” What’s next, higher prices for foreigners? “higher entry fees for nonresidents” Mr. Leung, 16, from Jericho, N.Y., responded to “Test Your Internet Brain. Can You Use ‘Choppelganger’ in a Sentence?” He begins with a paragraph brimming with internet slang: AP scores came out just over a week ago. Chat, is it safe to say I’m cooked? My academic aura is already falling off, and now college board is about to hit me with a generational debuff. When I finally clicked on the “check your scores” link, it turns out my scores weren’t just cooked, they were deep fried and served with a side of copium. My college chances are on life support, while my delusion stats are maxed out thanks to those who know. The article “Test Your Internet Brain. Can You Use ‘Choppelganger’ in a Sentence?” made me lock in. Another week, another chance to submit. Here’s where the teenagers you know can post their submissions by Aug. 7 at 9 a.m. Eastern. We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to LNfeedback@nytimes.com. More next week.
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