26-03-2025
Sacramento, Elk Grove students win C-SPAN's StudentCam Competition
( — C-Span announced Sacramento and Elk Grove students as the winners in their 21st annual StudentCam Competition today.
Video Above: Local student joins Thirst Project
C-SPAN said this year they asked students to address the theme, 'Your Message to the President: What issue is most important to you or your community?'
The winners are:
Inderkum High School student in Sacramento, Tanaya Safi, received the third prize with $750 for the documentary, 'Are EVs Truly Green?'
Students, Kiah Safi, Mihir Ratilal and Mira Prasad, from Natomas Charter School in Sacramento, won the third-prize and will receive $750 for the documentary, 'Affordable Housing: The Key To Success.'
Franklin High School students in Elk Grove, Athena Chen, Valeria Buendia and Pia Manez are honorable mention prize winners and will receive $250 for the documentary, 'A Better Healthcare Calls for A Better America.'
Educators Neil Landers from Inderkum High School, Gabriel Lang from Natomas Charter School, and Brad Clark from Franklin High School were recognized and served as advisers in the StudentCam competition.
'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!'
The project-based learning experience is in its 21st year, and asked students to explore and analyze matters of personal, local or national importance, according to C-SPAN.
C-SPAN said they received over 1,700 entries and nearly 3,500 students participated with the most popular topics as:
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%)
C-SPAN said they also plan on awarding 16 second prizes, 32 third prizes and 97 honorable mention prizes.
The cash awards for the winning videos are $1,500, $750 and $250.
The winning videos can be seen on
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