Sacramento Teens Make History with National StudentCam Win – Their Project Will Inspire You!

Move over Hollywood—Sacramento and Elk Grove students just stole the spotlight in C-SPAN’s prestigious StudentCam competition! These young filmmakers tackled one of America’s most pressing issues and walked away with top honors. Here’s how they did it.

The Winning Moment

Breaking Now News (BNN) has learned that two student teams from the Sacramento area triumphed in C-SPAN’s annual documentary contest, beating out over 2,500 entries nationwide:

• 1st Place ($5,000 prize) – A team from Elk Grove Charter School for their film "The Right to Mental Health: A Forgotten Crisis"
• 3rd Place ($1,500 prize) – Students from Sacramento High School for "Bridging the Digital Divide in Rural America"

Behind the Scenes: What Made Their Films Stand Out?

Judges praised the winning documentaries for their:

1. Deep research – Interviews with policymakers and affected families
2. Cinematic storytelling – Professional-grade editing and emotional impact
3. Actionable solutions – Not just problems, but real policy proposals

The StudentCam Competition: More Than Just a Contest

Now in its 20th year, C-SPAN’s competition challenges middle and high school students to create documentaries answering the prompt: "What’s the most urgent issue for the new Congress to address?" This year’s winners prove Gen Z has powerful insights about America’s future.

Local Educators React

“These students didn’t just make films—they became advocates,” said Dr. Maria Chen, Media Arts Director at Elk Grove Charter. “When teenagers articulate policy better than some lawmakers, we should all pay attention.”

Where You Can Watch

The winning films will:

• Air on C-SPAN throughout May
• Be featured on StudentCam.org
• Screen at the Sacramento International Film Festival next month

What Do You Think?

• Should student documentaries like these be required viewing for Congress?
• Is Gen Z better at identifying America’s real challenges than political leaders?
• Would you support funding cuts for arts education after seeing what students can achieve?
• Which is more impactful—student activism or traditional political campaigning?
• Do competitions like this give false hope about young people’s ability to create change?