The New York Times – 16th Annual Summer Reading Contest

The New York Times – 16th Annual Summer Reading Contest

Students are invited to tell the NYT’s what they’re reading in The Times and why, this year in writing OR via a 90-second video.

Contest dates: June 6 to Aug. 15, 2025

Our Summer Reading Contest is our longest-running challenge — and our simplest.

All you have to do to participate is tell us what you’re reading, watching or listening to in The New York Times and why. Students can enter by submitting a short written response — or they can make a video up to 90 seconds long.

Don’t have a subscription? No problem! We’ll be providing dozens of free links to teen-friendly articles, essays, videos, podcasts and graphics every week from June through August.

Got questions? Everything you need is detailed below.

But if you’re a teacher who would like to have your students practice for this now, before the contest begins, note that the only rule around content is that a piece must have been published in 2025. Beyond that, we don’t care if your students pick something on sneakersstarlightSyria or Saturday Night LiveTikTok, the tropicsTrump or Timothée Chalamet.

The announcement is available as a one-page PDF to download!

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New Museum Teen Fellowship

New Museum Teen Fellowship

The NewMu Teen Fellowship is a paid, after-school program for New York City public high school students. The Fellowship spans two school years, allowing time for Fellows to develop their creativity, critical thinking, and self-expression. They work directly with professional artists, Museum staff, and community members and gain creative and professional development through mentorship, work experience, and leadership opportunities. The Fellowship amplifies youth voices and ideas by supporting large-scale projects, including a public display of their artwork and a Youth Summit.

The Fellowship meets weekly on Tuesdays, from 4 to 6pm, and will run from September 2025 through June 2027, excluding summer breaks and school recesses. Fellows are expected to commit to the full program, consisting of two school years.

Read more here and apply by May 18!

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No, You Don’t Get an A for Effort

No, You Don’t Get an A for Effort

I haven’t fan-girled over Adam Grant in a while, so I’m excited to share this one:

I’m seeing a growing number of students complain: “My grade doesn’t reflect the effort I put into the course.”

Public service announcement: High marks are for mastery, not for motivation.

Working hard doesn’t guarantee doing a good job, that you are a good person…. or college admission.

Read more here.

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Final Call for Inspiring Girls* Expeditions 2025 Applications!

Final Call for Inspiring Girls* Expeditions 2025 Applications!

🚨 DEADLINE TODAY!

Applications for Girls* on Ice Canada are due tonight at 11:59pm PST!

📅 Upcoming deadlines for the rest of our expeditions are:

        February 9th for Girls* in Icy Fjords and Girls* on Rock (in two days!)
        February 14th for Girls* on Ice Schweiz, Girls* on Ice Suisse, and Girls* on Ice Austria
        March 2nd for Girls* on Ice Alaska and Girls* on Water

Share this with teachers, parents, and students who might be interested! Appy here. 

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New Museum Teen Program Applications Open

New Museum Teen Program Applications Open

What is NewMu Teens?

A five-month, after-school program that invites young people ages 15–19 to interact with contemporary art and culture with a focus on the intersections of gender, race, class, and sexual orientation. The program is free and participants receive a stipend of $500 in support of their participation.

What can teens expect from the program?

NewMu Teens connect with peers, guest artists, and their own creativity through workshops, artmaking, and discussion. Together, NewMu Teens develop and produce a culminating creative project to share with their communities.

Where will NewMu Teens meet?  

While the Museum is closed to continue construction of our building expansion, NewMu Teens will meet in our temporary office spaces at 250 Bowery every Monday from 4–6pm, January 13 to May 26, 2025, excluding school recesses.

How do I apply? 

  • Fill out the online application.
  • Include contact information for one person who may provide a reference (a teacher, counselor, supervisor, or other person who can speak to your interest in this program).

Applications are DUE Sunday, November 17, 11:59pm.  Learn more here. 

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Why Extracurriculars are Essential, Not Extra

Why Extracurriculars are Essential, Not Extra

Sharing a JHU CTY Online Event (that applies to everyone!). Your extracurriculars are very, very important when it comes to applying to college, not because you need a laundry list of interests and accomplishments, but because they show admissions officers what you care about, how you engage with your community, and what excites you intellectually and academically.

We place so much emphasis on what advanced learners learn in school, but what they learn outside of school is also important. Join CTY executive director Amy Lynne Shelton, PhD, as she talks about why learning outside of school is critical and how families can make the most of this time to help their advanced learners develop skills, explore new interests, and learn what they love.

More information and register here.

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Registration for the 2024-2025 Wharton Global High School Investment Competition is now open!

Registration for the 2024-2025 Wharton Global High School Investment Competition is now open!

Don’t miss your chance to compete in the Wharton Global High School Investment Competition.

Important details, dates, as well as helpful resources and tools can be found here: https://globalyouth.wharton.upenn.edu/investment-competition/

The competition is a free, English-based, experiential investment challenge for high school students and teachers that includes an online trading simulator. Participants compete with other students from around the world and learn about finance, teamwork, strategy building, analysis, communication, and the stock market.

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Making Caring Common’s Youth Advisory Board (YAB)

Making Caring Common’s Youth Advisory Board (YAB)

Apply for the 2024-25 Youth Advisory Board!

Making Caring Common’s Youth Advisory Board (YAB) is a diverse group of high school students from across the country who are committed to making schools more caring and respectful places through their everyday interactions. The YAB helps MCC devise solutions to pressing challenges and provides feedback on ideas.

Applications are due by May 15, 2024.

Read more here

Calling All Young Writers: Submit to the Adroit Prizes and the Summer Mentorship Program!

Calling All Young Writers: Submit to the Adroit Prizes and the Summer Mentorship Program!

For those looking to develop as a writer and work with a mentor…

Adroit is accepting applications from current high school students (including seniors!) for their online summer mentorship program through April 7th @ 11:59pm PT.

For guidance and answers to Frequently Asked Questions, please visit our Mentorship FAQ page.

For those with a polished piece of poetry or prose that’s ready for submission…the Adroit Prizes, awarded annually to two students of secondary or undergraduate status, are open for submissions.

The 2024 Adroit Prize for Poetry will be selected by Ocean Vuong; the 2024 Adroit Prize for Prose will be selected by Kaveh Akbar. The submission deadline for the 2024 Adroit Prizes is May 1st, 2024 @ 11:59pm PT.

If you would like to submit your work, please familiarize yourself with the submission guidelines.

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Elevating Your Extracurriculars for Summer 2024

Elevating Your Extracurriculars for Summer 2024

The strength of your curriculum (rigor), the grades you receive in academic courses (core academic GPA), and your extracurricular activities (ECs) are what matter most in the evaluation of a college application. 

College counselors can help students choose the right courses and connect them with the learning support they might need to achieve excellent grades, but advising on the extracurricular activities that will help students stand out is much more complicated!

It’s getting harder and harder to stand out extracurricularly; a lot has been done before, and it can be tough to come up with original ideas when the internet provides conflicting information. It is easy to pay to undertake research or get published; spend time on a college campus taking a course alongside peers; or travel the world serving communities you don’t have an intimate connection to but that are exciting to visit and experience. For some applicants, these ECs do the trick—really! 

However, if you are targeting selective schools, you’ll benefit from not taking the easy path when it comes to ECs. 

Your ECs will need to not only support a clear academic narrative and demonstrate your intellectual curiosity but also highlight what matters most to you and what you care about in your world. You will benefit from getting creative! 

We understand not everyone needs or wants full-blown college counseling, but we also want to make sure students really understand the role of extracurriculars in the college admissions process and spend their time wisely. If you are interested in a standalone extracurricular planning session to maximize the summer of 2024, reach out!

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