Rehan Mathew Koshy from Walter Payton College Preparatory High School in Chicago, Illinois won 3rd Prize in the High School Central Division of the 2026 C-SPAN StudentCam documentary competition for his video titled, “Life, Liberty, and the Zip Code,” about how the values stated in the Declaration of Independence connect to the major contemporary issue of health disparities impacting America, especially his hometown of Chicago. As a 3rd Prize winner, he 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 Chicago, C-SPAN is available locally through Comcast.
Press:
- Press Release: Chicago Student Wins Prizes in C-SPAN’s National Documentary Competition (Google Doc)
StudentCam 2026 3rd Prize: "Life, Liberty, and the Zip Code"
Congratulatory Messages and Recognition
