Recognizing Talent: Evidence from Exposure to Math Award Winners∗

We study how public recognition of academic talent affects schoolmates’ outcomes and university choices. Using unique data on national award winners from the Hellenic Mathematical Society linked to administrative records, we estimate the causal impact of exposure to a publicly recognized high-achiever within a student’s school or classroom. Identification relies on (i) across-cohort variation within schools, comparing cohorts with and without an award winner, and (ii) quasi-random classroom assignment, comparing classrooms with and without a randomly assigned math award winner within school-cohorts. We find that exposure to a male award winner improves male peers’ outcomes: performance rises by 4.5% of a standard deviation on standardized exams, and STEM and academic university enrollments increase by 3 and 1.4 percentage points, respectively. Effects are concentrated in mathematics, are stronger in smaller cohorts, and are amplified by same-class exposure, consistent with visibility and interaction. Within-school comparisons to cohorts with high-achieving non-winners suggest recognition amplifies effects beyond peer quality alone. Female peers show no overall gains, though math scores improve in a representative subsample.