Jersey City Middle Schoolers' Gun Control Documentary Wins National Prize

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Simran Marwaha and Gwenyth Friedman, students at Frank R. Conwell Middle School No. 4 in Jersey City, recently won honorable mention in C-SPAN’s national 2023 StudentCam competition and will receive $250 for their documentary, "Control Your Guns, Control Our Futures."

C-SPAN, in cooperation with its cable television partners, asked middle and high school students to respond to the theme: "If you were a newly elected member of Congress, which issue would be your first priority and why?"

Nearly 3,000 students participated, and C-SPAN received over 1,500 entries from 40 states, Washington, D.C. and Abu Dhabi.

More than 300 students from across the country won a total of $100,000. C-SPAN awarded one grand prize, 4 first prizes, 16 second prizes, 32 third prizes and 97 honorable mention prizes. The winning videos receive cash awards of $5,000, $3,000, $1,500, $750 and $250, respectively.

The most popular topics addressed were:

Health Care (16%)
Environment (14%)
Education (12%)
Economy (10%)
Gun Violence and Firearm Policy (8%)

Now in its 19th year, this project-based learning experience gives students the opportunity to explore multiple perspectives on topics important to them and consider solutions.

"For the first time in the history of the competition, we asked students to envision themselves in a position of power, as newly elected members of Congress," said Craig McAndrew, director of C-SPAN Education Relations. "As each participant considered which issue would be their first priority and why, they creatively wove detailed research with expert interviews and proposed actions to address their concerns.

"Capitalizing on the platform of short film, these passionate young people masterfully showcased the fruits of active learning, and we are excited to share their work with the country."

C-SPAN is funded by America’s cable television companies, who also support StudentCam. In Jersey City, C-SPAN is available locally through Comcast.

"Comcast is proud to continue the long tradition of partnering with C-SPAN to get middle and high school students interested and engaged in the political process through StudentCam," said Stephanie L. Kosta, regional vice president of government affairs for Comcast’s Freedom Region. "A huge congratulations to these winning students on the hard work and creativity it took to produce this award-winning documentary."

High school students competed on a regional level, with the United States divided into three regions: West, Central and East. Middle school students were judged on a national basis. The grand prize winner was selected nationally among all regions and grade levels.

The 150 winning videos can be viewed at www.studentcam.org and may be used in a broadcast with attribution to C-SPAN.

The annual StudentCam 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.