Student Achievements
The New York Times Summer Reading Contest is renowned for its intense competition, receiving over 1,000 entries from around the globe in a single week. With the instruction and support of our instructors, Aralia students have achieved outstanding results, bringing home:
🏆 1 Winner
🏅 1 Honorable Mention
We are incredibly proud to share this achievement and extend our warmest congratulations to our students. The Winner Prize earned by our student represents the highest weekly honor in the competition, awarded to just one student worldwide each week, with a global selection rate of only 0.1%. Additionally, another Aralia student received an Honorable Mention, an award given to fewer than 3% of participants worldwide.
About the New York Times Summer Reading Contest
Since 2010, the New York Times Summer Reading Contest has invited middle and high school students worldwide to engage critically with current events while practicing their writing and analysis skills. Over 80,000 students have participated in this global competition so far. Each summer, the contest invites students to select an article, video, podcast, photo, or interactive piece from The New York Times that captures their interest and respond with a short written piece or video. Every week, judges from the Times newsroom select their favorite responses, and the winning entries are published on the New York Times website.
The 2025 contest is currently open and will run through August 15.
Who Can Participate
- Open to middle and high school students aged 13-19 worldwide.
- Entries must be completed individually (no team or group submissions allowed).
How to Participate
Students select an article or piece of content from The New York Times that interests them and respond either through a short written piece or a video.
- A short written piece (up to 1,500 characters, including the headline or URL), or
- A video (up to 90 seconds, stating or displaying the headline of the content).
Your response should demonstrate:
- A personal connection to the chosen content.
- Critical thinking about the topic.
- Reference to specific details or quotes from the article.
- Your unique writing or presentation style.
Entry Requirements
For Written Entries:
- Maximum length: 1,500 characters (about 250 words).
- Include the full URL or headline of the NYT content (counts toward the character limit).
For Video Entries:
- Maximum length: 90 seconds.
- Clearly state or display the headline of the content.
- Ensure clear video and audio quality, good lighting, and minimal background noise.
- NYT suggests filming yourself, inanimate objects, animals, or the chosen article, avoiding close-ups of people in public to protect privacy.
Contest Timeline
The contest runs weekly until August 15, 2025. Each Friday starting in early June, the New York Times will post the prompt: “What got your attention in The Times this week?” You will have until the following Friday to submit your response. Students can enter every week or select specific weeks to participate, but only one submission per week is allowed
Official Contest Website
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/10/learning/our-16th-annual-summer-reading-contest.html
Join the Next Wave of Winners with Aralia
The NYC Summer Reading Contest is a favorite summer opportunity for many Aralia students, with numerous students winning awards in the competition each year. At Aralia, you will learn from instructors who have a minimum of eight years of teaching experience and backgrounds at top high schools and universities. With their guidance, you can sharpen your critical reading and writing skills and confidently prepare your entries for the contest.
