C-SPAN Contest Seeks Student Videos
Cable Public Affairs Network Wants to Know What’s on Young Minds
-- Multichannel News, 10/9/2007 2:01:00 PM
C-SPAN is calling for entries in its StudentCam video documentary competition that will award $50,000 in prizes.
The competition, at studentcam.org, includes 92 student awards and 11 teacher awards. Middle and high school students are asked to produce a documentary, up to 10 minutes long, exploring a current political topic using C-SPAN programming. StudentCam is sponsored by C-SPAN Classroom, a free membership service dedicated to support educators’ use of C-SPAN programming in their classes or for research.
Deadline for entries is 5 p.m. ET Monday, Dec. 31. Winners will be announced Friday, Feb. 15, 2008. The grand prize winner with the best overall entry will be awarded $5,000, with multiple cash prize awards of $250, $750, $1,000, and $3,000 to students in both middle and high school categories.
The grand prize winners this year were 12th-graders Zach Chastain and Bryan Cink and 11th grader Ryan Kelly, of Jupiter High School in Jupiter, Fla. The team shared a $3,000 cash award for their video “Jupiter or Bust: The El Sol Solution,” which explored the timely issue of immigration and its impact in their community.
Students also produced videos for the 2007 competition on Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the war in Iraq, climate change, intelligent design and affirmative action.
Videos (DVD or VHS) are judged by a panel of C-SPAN representatives and educators. Criteria for evaluation includes thoughtful examination of the contest theme, quality of expression, adherence to a 10-minute time limit, inclusion of multiple viewpoints and use of C-SPAN programming.
