Summer Reading Contest, Week 4: What Got Your Attention in The Times This Week?

Welcome to the fourth week of our 15th Annual Summer Reading Contest.

Every week for 10 weeks this summer we’re asking students “What got your attention in The New York Times this week? Why?” To participate in Week 4, choose something to read, watch or listen to in The Times and submit a response that answers those questions by 9 a.m. Eastern on July 5.

You can choose anything that was published in the print paper or on nytimes.com in 2024, including articles, photos, essays, videos, podcasts or graphics. We hope you’ll click around to find your own great pieces, but we also know that not everyone who participates has a Times subscription so, each week, you’ll find dozens of free links to interesting articles, features and multimedia below.

Students are invited to submit responses in the form of a 250-word comment OR a 90-second video. Please see the requirements for each type of response below and read the full rules and guidelines in our contest announcement before making your submissions.

Your responses will be read by New York Times journalists and staff, as well as educators from around the world. We’ll choose at least one favorite answer to feature on our site each week. Winners from Week 4 will be announced by July 17.

1. Choose a New York Times piece.

What did you read, watch or listen to in The Times this week? You can respond to anything that was published online at nytimes.com, including all the sports coverage in The Athletic, or in the print paper in 2024, but, if you don’t have a subscription, here are some stories you can access through this page for free:

This week you may have read front-page news articles like …

2. Whatever caught your eye, tell us about it in writing or video.

Once you’ve chosen a Times piece, tell us what it is and why it got your attention in the form of a written comment OR a video. We have a contest rubric, as well as a guide with dozens of examples that details four simple ways to make your response stand out.

Requirements for written responses

• Written responses must be no more than 1,500 characters, or about 250 words.

• Make sure to include the complete URL or headline of the Times piece you have chosen. For example, “The Joys and Challenges of Caring for Terrance the Octopus” or https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/11/us/tiktok-octopus-pet-oklahoma.html. Yes, this is included in the word count.

Requirements for video responses

• Use a phone to shoot your video vertically (so it looks like the videos you might see on TikTok or Instagram Reels).

• Your video must be 90 seconds or fewer.

• Please be sure to say or show the headline of the Times piece you are discussing.

• Your video MAY NOT use any images, video clips, music or sound effects, other than those that appear in the Times piece you are discussing or what you create yourself. We cannot publish your video if it uses any copyrighted images or sounds — including TikTok sounds.

• Make sure we can see and hear your video clearly. Pay attention to lighting and try to limit background noise as much as possible if it’s not an intentional part of your video.

• Please do not include anyone else in your video. For the most part, we recommend filming only yourself, inanimate objects, animals or your Times piece. You may film crowds of people in public places, but, to protect people’s privacy, try to avoid any close-ups.

3. Submit your response by July 5 at 9 a.m. Eastern.

Any 13- to 19-year-old anywhere in the world is invited to join us, if you are in middle or high school, or if you graduated from high school and haven’t yet started college. Please be sure to read our full rules and guidelines before submitting.

Students 13 to 19 in the United States and Britain — and ages 16 to 19 elsewhere in the world — may submit their own entries. Parents or guardians must submit entries on behalf of students ages 13 to 15 anywhere in the world besides the United States and Britain.

Those who are old enough to submit their own written responses should post them as a comment on this post. Here’s how:

Those who are having an adult submit on their behalf, or are submitting a video response, should use the submission form below. All entries submitted via the form require a parent or guardian’s contact information and permission.

All entries from the comments section and the form will be judged together.