The National Merit Scholarship program on Sept. 9 announced the semifinalists for next year’s awards for high school seniors — including Wrangell’s Jackson Carney.

The more than 16,000 semifinalists will compete for some 6,700 scholarships worth nearly $24 million, which will be announced in the spring.

More than 1.2 million juniors in about 20,000 high schools nationwide entered the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2025 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screening of entrants, according to the Sept. 9 announcement.

“The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.”

To advance to the finalist stage and a chance at a scholarship, each semifinalist and an official from their high school “must submit a detailed application, in which they provide information about the semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment and honors and awards received.”