Eighth grader Diana Natsev and senior Michael Shtrom were recognized in The New York Times’ 7th Annual Student Podcast Contest. Every year since 2018, The New York Times has hosted a competition acknowledging brief teenage podcasts meant to educate or entertain. Out of 1,100 submissions, 11 winners, 12 runners-up, and 35 honorable mentions were chosen. Shtrom received an honorable mention, and Natsev was a runner-up.

   Shtrom, who received an honorable mention, centered his podcast, “American Dreamscape,” around the stories of immigrants.

   “I wanted others to know how these immigrants came to be, where they are, and the journeys that they went through to get there,” Shtrom said.

   Pinewood’s other winner Natsev focused on teenage mental health for her podcast episode called “A Way Out.”

   “I didn’t want to talk about something that didn’t matter,” Natsev said. “It was my first podcast, and I wanted to make it meaningful, so I decided to talk about mental health.”

   Shtrom said that the most involved aspect was crafting the artist’s statement.

   “You had to describe your journey, why you decided to do it, all of that background information about the podcast,” Shtrom said. “That was kind of difficult to write, but I feel like it was also a good reflective process.”

   Natsev said that, for her, editing was the most intensive aspect.

   When she received her runner-up award, Natsev said she was quite surprised. Shtrom was also surprised, as he unexpectedly found out the results when he looked himself up and saw that a New York Times article about the podcast contest came up.

   Natsev said that those interested in creating their own podcasts should not give up.

   “Don’t think of it as a super big, daunting project,” Natsev said. “Just go step by step, and ask your friends and family to give you some tips. Don’t be afraid to revise, and take feedback with an open mind. It’s really kind of fun when you take it slow.”

   Shtrom said that he focused mainly on the stories behind the podcast, rather than trying to achieve the highest quality audio.

   “It’s really that anyone can do it, and I think that’s the great part about podcasts,” Shtrom said. “It’s one of the easiest and simplest ways to get your message out there.”