HUNTINGTON HIGH STUDENT WINS PRIZE IN C-SPAN’S VIDEO DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

Students create documentaries to address issues in the 2016 Presidential Race

WASHINGTON (March 9, 2016) – C-SPAN today announced that Charles Ehrman, a junior at Huntington High School in Huntington, N.Y., is an Honorable Mention winner in C-SPAN’s national 2016 StudentCam competition. Charles will receive $250 for his documentary,

The national competition, now in its 12^th year, invites middle school (grades 6-8) and high school students (grades 9-12) to produce a five-to-seven minute documentary on a national policy issue.

This year, students used video cameras to address the theme, “Road to the White House: what’s the issue YOU most want candidates to discuss during the 2016 presidential campaign?” In response, C-SPAN received a record 2,887 video submissions from almost 6,000 students in 45 states and Washington, DC.

“With the presidential campaign in the forefront of people’s minds, we wanted to hear from students across the country about the issues that matter to them,” said Craig McAndrew, C-SPAN’s Manager of Education Relations. “StudentCam provides these young people, many of whom are too young to vote, with a platform to express their opinions and have their voices heard.”

The most popular topic chosen by students was the economy. Nineteen percent of entries were about issues affecting the economy such as poverty, homelessness, and minimum wage, followed by equality (13 percent), and education (12 percent).

C-SPAN is funded by America’s cable television companies, which support StudentCam. In Huntington, C-SPAN is available locally through Cablevision.

“Cablevision congratulates Charles Ehrman on his winning documentary in C-SPAN’s 2016 StudentCam competition,” said Cablevision Vice President of Public Affairs Jennifer Ostrager. “It is important for students to make their voices heard on issues that matter to them, especially in the midst of a presidential election year.  Cablevision recognizes the importance of educational initiatives for young people and is pleased to once again partner with C-SPAN regarding this exciting competition.”

Charles Ehrman winning Video“GMO: The Ascending Era.”  See the 7 minute C-Span video below:

This winner is among 332 students from across the country winning a total of $100,000, including one Grand Prize winner, four First Prize winners, 16 Second Prize winners, 32 Third Prize winners and 97 Honorable Mentions.

 The 150 winning videos may be viewed at http://www.studentcam.org/winners16.htm .

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.