Student Cam 2022

Student Cam Contest

“StudentCam is C-SPAN's annual national video documentary competition that encourages students to think critically about issues that affect our communities and our nation.

For the 2021/2022 school year, we are asking students in grades 6-12 to create a short (5-6 minute) video documentary on a topic that relates to the competition theme, "How does the federal government impact your life?"

The submission deadline for all entries will be Thursday, January 20, 2022. With cash prizes totaling $100,000 each year, C-SPAN awards prizes to the top 150 student documentaries. If you are a teacher and listed as an adviser on one of the top 50 winning films, you will also receive a cash award. Since 2004, C-SPAN has awarded over $1.2 million dollars in cash prizes to students and teachers.



"How does the federal government impact your life?"

Explore a federal policy or program that has an impact on you or your community. Evaluate the effectiveness of this policy or program by researching multiple perspectives on it.




Click here for a printable Student Checklist (Google Doc)

The competition is open to all students in grades 6-12. Grades 6-8 compete in the Middle School category, and grades 9-12 compete in the High School category. For more information, visit our Prizes page.

Students may compete individually, or in teams of either 2 or 3 members.

Documentaries must include clips of supporting or opposing C-SPAN video that relate to the chosen topic.

Winning StudentCam documentaries will thoroughly explore a variety of viewpoints related to the chosen topic, including those that may oppose the filmmakers points of view. We recommend that you interview experts on your chosen subject.

Documentaries must be between 5-6 minutes in length. *End credits, if applicable, must begin after the 5-minute mark but are permitted to run longer than the allotted 6-minute time frame.

Entries must include either end credits or a works cited list. Students can use whichever format they currently use to cite their sources.
For the complete list of competition rules, click here.”