2023 First Prize High School West – “A Perilous Purchase: CCP Ownership of U.S. Land” by Carson Collins

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. 2023 marked the 19th year of the competition and we invited middle and high school students to create a short documentary addressing the theme: “If you were a newly elected member of Congress, which issue would be your first priority and why?”

10th grade student Carson Collins from Austin, Texas won 1st Prize for his documentary, “A Perilous Purchase: CCP Ownership of U.S. Land.” As a 1st Prize winner, Carson will receive $3,000 in prize money.

C-SPAN is funded by America’s cable and satellite television companies, who also support StudentCam. In Austin, C-SPAN is available locally through Spectrum.

“At Spectrum, we understand the importance of investing in programs that make a meaningful impact in the communities we serve,” said Adam Falk, Senior Vice President of State Government Affairs for Charter Communications, which operates the Spectrum brand of connectivity services. “By encouraging young adults to explore important issues through video, C-SPAN’s StudentCam competition helps empower future generations to become active and informed citizens. We congratulate Carson for the exemplary production skills and the passion and creativity demonstrated through this year’s winning documentary.”

PRESS:

• Press Release: Austin Student Wins 1st Prize in C-SPAN Video Documentary Competition (Google Doc)
• Article: Austin student wins C-SPAN documentary competition (KXAN – NBC)
• Article: Austin teen takes home first prize in C-SPAN documentary contest (Austin American-Statesman)