2026 1st Prize High School Western Division – “Dreamers Deferred: The American Dream On Hold” by Tanaya Safi & Juhie Parikh

11th graders Tanaya Safi & Juhie Parikh from Inderkum High School in Sacramento, California won 1st Prize in the High School Western Division of the 2026 C-SPAN StudentCam documentary competition for their video titled, “Dreamers Deferred: The American Dream On Hold,” about DACA immigrants’ pursuit of happiness through American ideals. As 1st Prize winners, they will split $3,000 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 Sacramento, C-SPAN is available locally through Comcast.

Press:

• Press Release: Sacramento and Elk Grove Students Win Prizes in C-SPAN’s National Documentary Competition (Google Doc)