Eight Greenwich High School students won publication in the Federal Reserve's Journal of Future Economists. Their podcast script on the economics of jazz clubs was one of 12 selected from 207 entries nationwide in the 31st Annual High School Fed Challenge.

The GHS Economics Club's Fed Challenge team wrote "Swinging Towards Shutdown: Why Jazz Clubs Are Losing the Market," analyzing why jazz venues are shrinking. The Federal Reserve Banks of New York, Dallas and Richmond announced the 12 co-winners on May 18.

The New York Fed published the journal on June 25. The competition's theme this year, Economics of Music, asked teams to explore how economic principles shape music production, distribution and artist income. Teams submitted their work as podcast scripts rather than traditional papers.

The GHS team spent months conducting original research and interviews under faculty advisor Ian Tiedemann. Juniors Alex Jackson, Jasper Wies and Youhan Liang worked alongside seniors Axel Persson, Boden Farmer, Gabriel Elezaj, Shaurya Singh and Sylvester "Sly" Pecora.

The group had competed in the Fed Challenge in 2025 but was not selected for publication. That setback shaped their approach this time around.

"What stands out is how much we grew from last year when we weren't published, and how that experience shaped how we planned and executed this time," Singh said, as reported by Greenwich Free Press.

Tiedemann said the competition pushes students to interview experts and connect their research to the local community. Jackson, a junior, said working with the team under Tiedemann's mentorship "made all the difference."

The High School Fed Challenge is open to students in grades 9 through 12 across the country. The next competition cycle opens for registration on Thursday, Sept. 10, with podcast scripts due March 15, 2027, and publication decisions expected by May 14, 2027.