2026 2nd Prize High School Eastern Division – “Endowed by Our Creator: Religious Liberty & the Founding of America” by Benjamin Lovelady

9th grader Benjamin Lovelady from Carrboro High School in North Carolina won 2nd Prize in the High School Western division for his documentary, “Endowed by Our Creator: Religious Liberty & the Founding of America.” As a 2nd Prize winner, Benjamin collects $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 Carrboro, C-SPAN is available locally through Spectrum.

Press:

• Press Release: Triangle Area Students Win Prizes in C-SPAN’s National Documentary Competition (Google Doc)