Calling Novice Documentarians

C-SPAN is hosting a national documentary competition for middle and high school students.

The annual competition, called StudentCam 2008, encourages students to focus on a current political topic of interest in a 10-minute-or-less documentary.

Last year’s grand prizewinners were 11th and 10th graders from Jupiter, Fla., who documented immigration and its on effect on their community.

The documentaries, which have a deadline of Dec. 31, must contain footage from C-SPAN to qualify for the contest, which has $50,000 in prizes, including a $5,000 grand prize.

Students can obtain previously aired footage on the online archives page, or check the C-SPAN schedule online and sign up for C-SPAN alerts for future programs.

The competition is sponsored by C-SPAN Classroom, a teacher resource that provides free video on social studies-related topics like the U.S. Constitution, principles of government, and the judicial branch.

By Brian Freedman

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