2026 3rd Prize High School Central Division – “Fixing Our Aging Government” by Daphne Wassel

Daphne Wassel from Kirkwood High School in Missouri won 3rd Prize in the High School Central Division of the 2026 C-SPAN StudentCam documentary competition for their video titled, “Fixing Our Aging Government,” about our aging politicians in the US, primarily in the federal government, how that is a problem, and how we can fix that problem.   As a 3rd Prize winner, Daphne collects $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 Kirkwood, C-SPAN is available locally through Spectrum.

Press:

• Press Release: St. Louis Area Students Win Prizes in C-SPAN’s National Documentary Competition  (Google Doc)
• Article: Kirkwood High School students honored in C-SPAN documentary contest (STL Today)
• Article: Kirkwood High School Students Win Prizes in C-SPAN’s National Documentary Competition (Kirkwood School District)