Three Palos Verdes Peninsula High School students have been recognized for their writing skills as part of a national program that spotlights the best student writers across the country.

Seniors Steven Breitenstein, Vedika Kumar and Anne Moody were named 2011 Achievement Award Winners in Writing.

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) program acknowledged 520 students across the U.S.

According to the program’s website, winners are judged by a team of English teachers on a sample of their best writing, which is drafted and revised over time, in addition to an impromptu essay on a subject set by the Achievement Awards Advisory Committee and responded to by all candidates for the award in that year.

“We believe that these students have demonstrated not only superior ability but also notable versatility in writing,” according to an NCTE statement.