New York Times Names Ardmore Teen Runner-Up In Editorial Contest

ARDMORE, PA — The New York Times recently announced the winners for its Eighth Annual Student Editorial Contest, and among the runners-up is an Ardmore teen.

Lower Merion High School student Charissa Howard, 16, was named a runner-up for her editorial titled "Why I Want to Be a Foreign Exchange Student 30 Minutes Away."

Howard is among 15 other runners-up in the contest, joining 10 winners and 26 honorable mention entries.

The Times said it got 11,202 entries this year

"If one were to drive an hour through my home state of Pennsylvania, they could very well pass by soaring skyscrapers, picturesque suburbias and sprawling farmlands all in the same trip — there is that much diversity when it comes to the communities," Howard wrote in part. "I live right outside of Philadelphia. Though not all of my friends live in the same town as me, most of them live on tree-lined streets like mine. But other high schoolers in urban or rural areas? I could count the ones that I’m friends with on one hand."

The contest is open to students ages 11 to 19 anywhere in the world attending middle or high school.

Entries are limited to 450 words and require at least two sources.

Winners were chosen based on a five-point rubric that examined the writers'viewpoint, evidence, analysis and persuasion, language, adherence to contest guidelines.

Read Howard's entry here.