Our Summer Reading Contest continues to break previous records, with 397 entries in Week One and 406 in Week Two.
To enter from now to Aug. 26, all you have to do is answer the questions, “What interested you most in The Times this week? Why?”
This week, many of the students we honor below wrote about a scientific process or phenomenon they probably wouldn’t have ever even thought about but for a Times article, graphic or video.
Whether marveling at the mating rituals of fireflies, worrying about how much of California’s water it takes to grow the almonds we eat, mulling the future implications of lab-grown pig bones, or, like our winner, Claire McClannan, getting intrigued by a natural resource she previously found too boring to consider, these writers took us along as they learned.
Winner: Claire McClannan on “The World’s Disappearing Sand”
Sand. The most boring thing you never thought about. But as it turns out, our cities depend on it, and we’re running out.
I never thought I’d be intrigued by sand. Yet here I am, about to tell you why sand is interesting. Not interesting so much as problematic. Because you can’t just build cities upon any old run of the mill desert sand. It has to be from riverbeds, flood plains, or beaches. Which damages the environment. A whole bunch of animals have been killed and two dozen little islands in Indonesia have all but disappeared! The cherry on top of this gritty ice-cream sand-dae is that activists and government officials trying to fight against this destruction are being killed by sand gangs, which are things now, apparently.
Another thing that spells bad news is that sand is heavy. Therefore, it is real expensive to transport. Since more and more communities in America are banning sand mining, that means it needs to be transported even farther. Which brings up even more environmental problems with pollution.
I used to only think of sand as the thing that gets uncomfortably wedged in your swimsuit. But now I’m concerned about it. This issue affects anybody who wants to move into an apartment. Or work in an office. Or do literally anything that includes concrete, roads, or windows.
Runners-Up
Andrew on “Victims in Istanbul Airport Attack Reflect City’s International Character”
Maggie Benham on “In the life of Bill Cunningham”
Hannah Borst on “To Fall in Love With Anyone, Do This”
Erin Snyder on “As the Olympics Near, Brazil and Rio Let the Bad Times Roll”
Conner Taylor on “How to Talk to Fireflies”
Honorable Mentions
Nile B on “Your Contribution to the California Drought”
bengal11Lillian102899 on “Lab-Grown Bones Successfully Implanted in Pigs”
Braden on “Is This Heaven? No, It’s Cleveland”
Brooke BHSAP2016 on “After Orlando: A Love Story, Unresolved”
Suraj Chandran on “A Young Athlete’s World of Pain, and Where It Led”
Cade Covington on “How Golf Makes You Confront Your Mortality”
Gabby H on “Refugees Encounter a Foreign Word: Welcome”
Nahom Haddis on “Democrats End Sit-In After 25 Hours, Drawing Attention to Gun Control”
Alexander Madrigal on “Stop Bashing G.M.O. Foods, More Than 100 Nobel Laureates Say”
Sam Pasquill on “Pillow Talk With a Professional Cuddler”
CJ Stueck on “Father Killed in Turkey Attacks Was Trying to Save Son From ISIS”
Eden Swasey on “$7 for Corn Flakes? Cereal Gets Makeover at Kellogg’s Store in Times Square”
Lily Zhong on “Supreme Court Upholds Affirmative Action Program at University of Texas”
Any teenager anywhere in the world is invited to enter our Summer Reading Contest any week until Aug. 26. To find the right place to post, check the top of this announcement for a link.