Like many 12-year-olds, Lindsey Byman enjoys animals and sports such as skiing and volleyball. But, the stock market?

“I do like math,’’ said the sixth-grader at Proctor Elementary School in Topsfield. “And I like to take risks.’’

She also likes to write.

A perfect combination for the InvestWrite competition, sponsored by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association Foundation. The contest challenges students to consider an investing scenario and make recommendations that incorporate short- and long-term goals.

Byman was among 20,000 students nationwide who this year participated in the contest, which involves math, social studies, English, and research. She placed first in the middle school division for Massachusetts, earning the InvestWrite Genius title.

“I was interested because the whole idea was different for school, not just multiplication and division,’’ she said. “It was a new topic.’’

The Stock Market Game was introduced to the Proctor School by veteran teacher Jan Morris. Students worked in groups, then individually wrote essays.

For her essay, Byman created and wrote about Super Stock Scrutiny, a new app that could serve as a long-term investment tool. The app features topics in different color tabs, such as glossary, ticker lookup, cold hard facts, stock talk, top 10, your portfolio, and bookmarks.

Byman wrote in her essay that for her student group, “Super Stock Scrutiny would have helped us because we needed advice and did not know where to turn. The app would have given us the resources we lacked.

“Experienced or new to the stock market, this app is like having your personal financial advisor in your pocket,’’ she wrote.

InvestWrite winning essays are chosen by a jury of thousands of teachers and industry professionals. They evaluate students’ understanding of long-term investing, diversification, capital markets, and factors that drive investments, as well as their expression of investment ideas in the essay.

Byman, the youngest of four children, said her mother, Lori, a librarian at Amesbury Elementary School, and father, Jim, an accountant practicing in Topsfield, are “very proud.’’

Friends, she added, are equally impressed: “They are calling me a genius now.’’

As for her take on the award, Byman said, “I hope it helps me continue my academic career and encourages me to write more and probably enter more contests. You can win, you never know.’’

WENDY KILLEEN

Wendy Killeen can be reached at wdkilleen@gmail.com.