Rayna Wright from East Hamilton High School in Ooltewah, Tennessee won 3rd Prize in the High School Central Division of the 2026 C-SPAN StudentCam documentary competition for her video titled, “A Long Way to Prosperity,” about economic opportunity, affordable housing and homelessness. As a 3rd Prize winner, Rayna receives $750 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 Ooltewah, C-SPAN is available locally through Comcast.
Press:
- Press Release: Ooltewah Student Wins Prize in C-SPAN’s National Documentary Competition (Google Doc)
- Article: East Hamilton student wins C-SPAN award for homeless documentary (Local 3 News)
- Article: East Hamilton Student Earns Award for Short Film (News 12)
StudentCam 2026 3rd Prize: "A Long Way to Prosperity"
Congratulatory Messages and Recognition
University of Tennessee Chattanooga Sociology Professor Dr. Darrell Walsh
Senator Marsha Blackburn
Hamilton County Commission Chairman Pro-Tempore Lee Helton
