Alara Kocoglu, Angela Yang, & Satvik Jain from Centennial High School in Ellicott City, Maryland won 3rd Prize in the High School Eastern Division of the 2026 C-SPAN StudentCam documentary competition for their video titled, “Removed: The Past, Present, and Future of Book Censorship in America.” As 3rd Prize winners, they receive $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 Ellicott City, C-SPAN is available locally through Comcast.
Press:
- Press Release: Ellicott City Students Win Prizes in C-SPAN’s National Documentary Competition (Google Doc)
StudentCam 2026 3rd Prize: "The Past, Present, and Future of Book Censorship in America"
Congratulatory Messages and Recognition
Maryland Governor Wes Moore
Senator Katie Fry Hester
Howard County Executive Calvin Ball
Charles County Public Library Deputy Director Lloyd Jansen
Senator Chris Van Hollen
Maryland Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth
