
Murilo dos Santos, Sami Youssef, & Zev Unger from Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland won 2nd Prize in the High School Eastern Division for their video titled, “The King’s Court,” about how President Trump’s actions test the rule of law and public trust in American democratic institutions. As 2nd Prize winners, the team will share $1,500 in prize money.
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. 2026 marked the 22nd year of the competition and in this semiquincentennial year celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we asked students in grades 6-12 to create a short (5:00-6:00 minute) video documentary on either a historical or contemporary topic that related to the competition theme, “America’s 250th Anniversary”
Exploring the American Story through the Declaration of Independence.
C-SPAN is funded by America’s cable, satellite television and streaming companies, who also support StudentCam. In Silver Spring, C-SPAN is available locally through Comcast.
Press:
- Press Release: Washington, D.C. Area Students Win Prizes in C-SPAN’s National Documentary Competition (Google Doc)
- Article: Montgomery County, D.C. Students Win National Honors in C-SPAN Documentary Competition (The MoCo Show)
StudentCam 2026 2nd Prize: "The King's Court "
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Recent Posts
- 2026 2nd Prize High School Eastern Division – “The King’s Court” by Murilo dos Santos, Sami Youssef, & Zev Unger
- 2026 2nd Prize High School Western Division – “Media’s Creation of Polarization” by Erica Razalan & Amy Carbajal
- 2026 2nd Prize Middle School Division – “Operation Ajax: Defending Democracy by Undermining the Will of the People” by Vis Amirshahi
- 2026 2nd Prize High School Central Division – “Government Compact: The Law or Threat to Universities” by Tripp Somerville
- 2026 2nd Prize High School Eastern Division – “Consent of the Governed: The Impact of Unchecked Tariffs” by Lucas Jaramillo, Averie Rutishauser, & Lucia Lassiter-Sanabria