Students explore issues of national importance in the 2020 presidential campaign
WASHINGTON (March 11, 2020) – C-SPAN announced today that students in McKinney and Mansfield, Texas, are winners in C-SPAN’s national 2020 StudentCam competition.
The following students from Imagine International Academy of North Texas in McKinney have won prizes:
Micah Mathew, Tyler Rodriguez and Joel Zachariah will receive $1,500 as second prize winners for the documentary, “To Be a Citizen,” about the immigration system. The documentary will air on C-SPAN at 6:50 a.m. ET and throughout the day on April 2.
Mabrey Matz, Lilliana Dole and Isabella Dole will receive $250 as honorable mention winners for the documentary, “The Human Trafficking Epidemic.”
Abhi Dumpala and Evan Trejo will receive $250 as honorable mention winners for the documentary, “America’s Electoral System.”
Congratulations Mansfield ISD Students
The following students from Frontier High School in Mansfield have won prizes:
Michael Drake Jr. and Ja’Na’n Jordan will receive $1,500 as second prize winners for the documentary, “OUR Responsibility,” about climate change. The documentary will air on C-SPAN at 6:50 a.m. ET and throughout the day on April 6.
Theary Rhines and Jacob Alvizo will receive $250 as honorable mention winners for the documentary, “The Smoking Gun,” about gun control.
Each year since 2006, C-SPAN partners with local cable television providers in communities nationwide to invite middle and high school students to produce short documentaries about a subject of national importance. This year students addressed the theme, “What’s Your Vision in 2020? Explore the issue you most want presidential candidates to address during the campaign.”
In response, nearly 5,400 students from 44 states and Washington, D.C., participated. C-SPAN received over 2,500 submissions on a variety of topics. The most popular topics addressed were:
- Environment (18%) – Climate Change, Green New Deal, Pollution and Plastics
- Equality/Discrimination (15%) – Prison Rights, Affirmative Action, Veterans’ Rights, Human Rights
- Guns (13%) – Gun Control, Mass Shootings, Second Amendment, Gun Safety
- Health Care (12%) – Universal Health Care, Mental Health, Addictions, Vaping
- Immigration (9%) – Border Security, Undocumented Immigration, Separation of Families, DACA
“StudentCam provides a platform for young people to have their voices heard on the issues they are clearly passionate about,” said C-SPAN’s Director of Education Relations Craig McAndrew. “This year’s entries reflect remarkable research and production values and feature a wide range of interviews with elected officials and experts. The life skills students learn from this experience will carry them forward in their academic, personal and professional lives.”
C-SPAN is funded by America’s cable television companies, who also support StudentCam. In Mansfield and McKinney, C-SPAN is available locally through Spectrum.
“Spectrum is committed to strengthening the communities where we live and work through educational programs like StudentCam,” said Adam Falk, Senior Vice President, State Government Affairs for Charter Communications, Inc. “We are proud of this partnership with C-SPAN that encourages students to think critically about the issues that affect our country and local community. Congratulations to the winning students from Frontier High School and Imagine International Academy of North Texas on the creativity demonstrated in these excellent works.”
These winners are among the 330 students from across the country winning a total of $100,000. C-SPAN is awarding one grand prize, 4 first prizes, 16 second prizes, 32 third prize winners and 97 honorable mention prizes. The winning videos will receive cash awards of $5,000, $3,000, $1,500, $750 and $250, respectively. This year marks the 16th year of the StudentCam competition, which has awarded over $1,000,000 in prizes.
High school students competed on a regional level, with the United States divided into three regions: West, Central and East. Middle school students were judged on a national basis. The grand prize winner was selected nationally among all regions and grade levels.
The annual competition is sponsored by the C-SPAN Education Foundation. Videos were evaluated by a panel of educators and C-SPAN representatives based on the thoughtful examination of the competition’s theme, quality of expression, inclusion of varying sides of the documentary’s topic, and effective incorporation of C-SPAN programming.
