2026 3rd Prize High School Central Division – “The Pursuit ” by Paytn Gibson, Carter Holmes, & Ty Miller

Paytn Gibson, Carter Holmes, & Ty Miller from Memphis East T-STEM Academy in Tennessee won 3rd Prize in the High School Central Division of the 2026 C-SPAN StudentCam documentary competition for their video titled, “The Pursuit,” about immigration reform. As 3rd Prize winners, the team will share $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 Memphis, C-SPAN is available locally through Comcast.

Press:

• Press Release: Memphis Students Win Prize in C-SPAN’s National Documentary Competition (Google Doc)
  
  
• Article: Memphis high schoolers win prize in C-SPAN documentary competition (Action News 5)