Thirty-two area high school seniors competed in Santa Barbara recently for $28,000 in prizes as part of Bank of America's Student Achievement Awards.

Anusha Devareddy of Simi Valley High School received honorable mention in the science/math category.

The 60th annual achievement awards program is a rigorous halfday oral and written competition to recognize outstanding high school students.

The students compete in four general study areas: applied arts, fine arts, liberal arts or science and mathematics.

The Santa Barbara event was one of 10 competitions held across California.

In all, 320 students statewide vied for $280,000 in prize money. The 32 finalists were selected from more than 15,000 competitors statewide.