Matthew S. Wang of River Ridge HS, Mackenzie R. Joy of Sequoyah HS and Paula M. Ruiz of Woodstock HS join academically talented high school seniors from across the country in competing for 7,400 scholarships, worth more than $32 million, which will be awarded in the spring.

About 1.5 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2014 PSAT; the nationwide pool of 16,000 semifinalists, representing less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

For the next step of the competition, semifinalists submit an application, including their academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received, as well as an essay, a recommendation from a high school official and evidence they have earned grades that confirm their outstanding PSAT performance.