9th graders Veda Shankar & Emilia Pace from Long Beach Polytechnic High School in California won 3rd Prize in the High School Western Division of the 2026 C-SPAN StudentCam documentary competition for their video titled, “Mind The Gap,” about racial inequality in the wealth gap. As 3rd Prize winners, they will split $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 Long Beach, C-SPAN is available locally through Spectrum.
Press:
- Press Release: Los Angeles Area Students Win Prizes in C-SPAN’s National Documentary Competition (Google Doc)
StudentCam 2026 3rd Prize: "Mind The Gap"
Congratulatory Messages and Recognition
California State University, Long Beach Public Policy and Administration Department Chair and Professor Adam Butz
