
The Pulitzer Center congratulates the 2024 Local Letters for Global Change contest winners and finalists!
When you encounter a problem in the news, what do you do? The Local Letters for Global Change contest offers a framework for taking informed action, and lifts up the voices of young people who are envisioning a better world and the path to realize it.
We are honored to share 21 student letters that shine a light on and offer solutions to some of today's most challenging global issues. The winning entries published here were selected from among nearly 1,200 entries representing 39 countries, 26 U.S. states, and the District of Columbia.
Explore the letters below to learn more about students’ visions for a better world, and to take inspiration from their calls to action.
Contest Winners:
Issue 1: Climate and Environment
First Place
Vicente Moreyra, 11th grade, Colegio Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Peru
Letter on Indigenous-led conservation efforts
Finalists
Kalyani Mishra, 6th grade, Julius West Middle School, Maryland
Letter on soil salinity
Arwen Shah, 11th grade, Greenwood High ICSE, India
Letter on the environmental impacts of deep sea mining
Hannah Baysah, 8th grade, Old Donation School, Virginia
Letter on fast fashion and plastic pollution
Enzo Lustre, 8th grade, Philippine Science High School Main Campus, Philippines
Letter on the human impacts of plastic pollution
Issue 2: Global Health
First Place
Aydin M. Soner, 6th grade, Ubuntu Nation Builders Academy, South Carolina
Letter on racial equity in health care for pregnant people
Finalists
Geethika Premkumar, 10th grade, Morris County School of Technology, New Jersey
Letter on HPV vaccination
Maggie Alford, 11th grade, Hopkins School, Connecticut
Letter on prescription drug pricing
Keerthi Eraniyan, 10th grade, California High School, California
Letter on mental health care for veterans
Eshan Patel, 10th grade, Morris County School of Technology, New Jersey
Letter on language access in health care settings
Issue 3: Human Rights
First Place
Rania Mrinaalini Das, 11th grade, Hopkins School, Connecticut
Letter on police misconduct and accountability
Finalists
Minjae Kang, 9th grade, North London Collegiate School Jeju, South Korea
Letter on equitable health care for pregnant people with disabilities [Letter forthcoming]
Jasmine Melvin, 11th grade, International School of the Americas, Texas
Letter on racial equity in health care for pregnant people
Alex Rosenberg, 6th grade, The Children's School, Georgia
Letter on worker's rights
Jazmin Charles, 10th grade, Miami Norland Senior High, Florida
Letter on emigration from Haiti
Issue 4: Information and Artificial Intelligence
First Place
Katie Ma, 10th grade, The Hockaday School, Texas
Letter on AI-exacerbated disinformation
2nd Place
Aarya Karmarkar, 9th grade, Maggie Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies, Virginia
Letter on AI hallucinations in health care settings
3rd Place
Beatrice P., 7th grade, The Girls' School, Texas
Letter on AI hallucinations in health care settings
Issue 5: Peace and Conflict
1st Place
Aaron Lau, 12th grade, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Virginia
Letter on accountability for civilian casualties of U.S. airstrikes
2nd Place
Tochukwu Jr. Ogbuefi, 11th grade, La Lumiere School, Indiana
Letter on the crisis in Sudan
3rd Place
Katie Wang, 8th grade, Old Donation School, Virginia
Letter on military use of video games as a recruitment tool
Thank you to our semifinal and final round judges, who ensured all entries were reviewed by at least two readers: Elliott Adams, Hannah Berk, Kendra Grissom, Donnalie Jamnah, Jessica Mims, Fareed Mostoufi, Sushmita Jaya Mukherjee, Mark Schulte, and Morgan Varnado.