What the article doesn’t include are the gender breakdowns on the students who elected to compete for the honor. That’s where this issue gets interesting. What I’ve observed in other competitions is that girls are more motivated.
The movement launched 15 years ago to steer more girls into upper level math and science classes has paid off. I have yet to hear a coherent argument explaining why we can’t do the same for boys in reading and writing skills. There’s no evidence that girls would be harmed in the process.