We at The Post wanted to inspire a new generation of journalists to inform, entertain, to hold power to account and to stand up for New Yorkers in the future.

Out of those conversations the New York Post Scholars Contest was born, in partnership with Command Education, a national leader in education and college consulting.

The contest was open to high school students in grades 9-11, living in the Tri-State area. We were delighted by the response—hundreds of students submitted eye-catching and well-researched news stories, opinion pieces and feature articles on a variety of topics, ranging from gambling, cannabis stores, the middle east conflict, to the school therapy dog.

The team and I spent hours combing through each qualifying article, looking for entries that showed a depth of research, quotes from those involved that brought the writing to life, and took in both sides of an argument. The exercise really did give us an invaluable insight into the lives of schoolkids today.

We also evaluated writing styles and the intrinsic interest of the selected topics. We received many entries that were brilliant and brave and controversial—in the finest traditions of the New York Post.

In this special Scholars section, we’ve included the top three submissions and 18 honorable mentions. We’re proud to recognize all of the writers published in this section with an invitation to the New York Post for a special Scholars Masterclass. The top three honorees will also receive an immersive New York Post Discovery Day tailored to their interests, a college prep training session with our partner, Command Education and a grant for their school!

It is often seen as a bit of a cliché to say that it was very difficult to narrow down the winners in competitions of this type—but it really was!

I wanted to extend our appreciation to everyone who participated, because it is clear that an enormous amount of effort was put in by so many students who went above and beyond in fitting this into their extremely busy lives.

Congratulations to the 2nd annual class of New York Post Scholars!

— Keith Poole, Editor-in-Chief 

Liza Greenberg, Bronx High School of Science No Free Lunches: Many Bronx Science students are skipping midday meals for extra classes

Colby Cotrone, John Jay High School High Stakes for High Schoolers: Wanna bet teens need gambling education?

Sasha Leitner, Institute for Collaborative Education Delegates Confront Concerns: Model United Nations members ready themselves for national conference amidst controversy and conflict at the org

Avery Vukhac, Horace Mann School It Doesn’t Add: Up Girls need math, not ‘Girl Math’

Ryan Breen, Chaminade High School  Raising Men: With the launch of emotional intelligence initiative ‘Character Strong’, all-boys high school reframes masculinity

Kavya Bhat, Hunter College High School Stage Set for Success: The Creative Arts Team Cat Youth Theater program creates an inclusive—and empowering—environment that is a smash

Sarah Sun, Great Neck South High School Guiding Light: Great Neck’s beloved social studies teacher Joseph Ko puts students first

Isabella Fernandim, Sacred Heart Academy Shatter the Glass Ceiling: School program empowers young women in economics

Mia Shu, Jericho High School A Tech Too Far? School district’s internet policies spark debate among students about restricting access

Chloe Wong, CSI High School for International Studies ‘Candy’land: THC shops lure students near schools on Staten Island

Akash Perera, Monsignor Farrell High School Dress Rehearsal: How uniform codes prepare students for life beyond high school

Amritha Purohit, Saint Ann’s School The Beat Goes On: Tradition and change at St. Ann’s popular African dance program

Samantha Zoltan, The Ramaz School Unhappy Meals: The secret toxic ingredients in high school lunches

Eva Hannon, Townsend Harris High School Perfectly Matched: Queens high school badminton team wins their second championship title in three years

Colin Tremblay, Xavier High School With a Sense of Urgency: Holocaust course brings the past into the present

Ankita Saha and Cathleen Xi, Stuyvesant High School Counter Culture: Students and local food workers are bound by more than business

Brian Chan, Staten Island Academy Paw-sitive Change: A therapy dog brightens Staten Island Academy

Franka Etkin, Brooklyn Technical High School Team Players: Brooklyn Tech ought to tackle access to extracurriculars

Willa Lefkowicz and Farrah Park, Jericho High School Getting In: High schoolers consider college admissions after affirmative action ban

These three high schools will be awarded a grant for the most submissions to the Scholars Contest

Benjamin N. Cardozo High school

Townsend Harris High School

Diana C. Lobosco STEM Academy

“We are honored to support Keith Poole’s vision through the New York Post’s 2024 Scholars Contest. Congratulations to all the outstanding finalists who demonstrated their passions and skills through this opportunity.”

 — Christopher Rim, CEO of Command Education