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Climate, education policies and health care among top topics addressed

Bryant Johnston, Samuel Stay and Benjamin Schulz, students at Albert Lea High School, are 2025 third-prize winners in C-SPAN’s 21st annual StudentCam competition and will receive $750 for the video, “Energy in America.” C-SPAN also recognizes Jim Haney, an educator at the school, who served as an adviser in the StudentCam competition.

C-SPAN, in cooperation with its cable and satellite television partners, asked middle and high school students to address the theme — “Your Message to the President: What issue is most important to you or your community?”

Now in its 21st year, this project-based learning experience asked students to explore and analyze matters of personal, local or national importance, according to a press release. In response, C-SPAN received over 1,700 entries and nearly 3,500 students participated from 42 states and Washington, D.C. The most popular topics addressed were:

• Climate, environment and land use (11%)
• K–12 education policies and the cost of college (10%)
• Health care and mental health (10%)
• Gun violence, school safety and firearm policies (9%)
• Inflation, taxes, government spending and the economy (9%)

“Congratulations to all of the incredibly talented young students who won awards in this year’s competition! Through in-depth research and interviews with an array of topical and technical experts, you have crafted impactful short stories that capture issues of wide public interest and importance,” said C-SPAN’s Director of Education Relations Craig McAndrew. “Your documentaries set a very high bar for future StudentCam filmmakers, and you should be proud knowing your work will inspire your peers and foster thoughtful consideration from all audiences. We can’t wait to see what you do next!”

C-SPAN is funded by America’s cable and satellite television companies as a commercial free public service. In Albert Lea, C-SPAN is available through Spectrum, the local partner in StudentCam.

“As a long-time supporter of StudentCam, we are continually inspired by the curiosity and creativity students bring to C-SPAN’s annual competition,” said Adam Falk, senior vice president of state government affairs for Spectrum. “The program provides a unique opportunity for young people to showcase the critical thinking, problem solving and civic engagement skills essential for informed and active communities. We celebrate this year’s winners and look forward to watching them continue to follow their passion for storytelling through this medium.”

In addition to the grand-prize and first-prize winners, C-SPAN is awarding 16 second prizes, 32 third prizes and 97 honorable mention prizes. These winning videos will receive cash awards of $1,500, $750 and $250, respectively. The StudentCam competition has awarded over $1.6 million in prizes since 2004.

High school students competed on a regional level, with the United States divided into three regions: East, Central and West. Middle school students were judged on a national basis. The grand-prize winner was selected nationally among all regions and grade levels.

The 150 winning videos can be viewed at studentcam.org and may be used in a broadcast with attribution to C-SPAN.

The annual StudentCam competition is funded 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.