C-SPAN is once again hosting a video documentary contest for students. The contest
is open to middle school and high school students. To enter the contest students
need to create a documentary video, 5-8 minutes in length, about “the most important issue the president should consider in 2013.” The deadline for entries is January 18, 2013. There is $50,000 in prizes available.

The documentary that students produce must include some C-SPAN footage. C-SPAN has provided a gallery of downloadable footage here. Students can work individually or in teams of up to three members. Students in grades 6-8 compete in the middle school category while students in grades 9-12 compete in the high school category.

If your students are going to work in teams to produce a video for the the C-SPAN StudentCam contest, they may want to try using WeVideo.com to collaboratively edit their videos online.

Applications for Education
Even if your students don’t enter the contest, the topic of the contest does make for great discussion topic in a social studies lesson. You could use the topic, “the most important issue the president should consider in 2013,” to host your small video contest in your school or school district.