Compete

Civics and social science Art and design

C-SPAN StudentCam

C-SPAN StudentCam Documentary Competition

Make a short documentary on a national policy question, free, with a large cash prize pool.

Run by C-SPAN

Official website Reviews and tips

Key facts

Eligible grades
Grades 6 to 12. Grades 6 to 8 compete in the Middle School category and grades 9 to 12 in the High School category.
All students including home school, virtual, hybrid and in-person are eligible. Employees and officers of the National Cable Satellite Corporation and Trustees of the C-SPAN Education Foundation, and their immediate families, are not eligible.
Source, checked 2026-09-02
Official divisions
Middle school entries are judged nationally against all peers; high school entries are judged regionally within one of three regions.
Based on the organiser's own divisions.
Eligible ages
Not confirmed. This organiser may set eligibility by grade rather than age. We do not convert one into the other.
C-SPAN sets categories by grade, not age.
Individual or team
Individual or team · Individually, or in teams of exactly 2 or 3 members. If a documentary wins, the prize is split evenly among the students who produced it.
Where it runs
Online · United States
Entry cost
FreeNo entry fee is described in the rules.
Registration deadline
All entries for the 2027 competition must be successfully uploaded by Wednesday 20 January 2027, by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time at the end of that day. 133 days leftStudentCam has historically closed entries in the second half of January. Confirm the current cycle's theme and deadline on studentcam.org.
Competition dates
Entries close in January, winners are announced in the spring, and prize-winning documentaries air on C-SPAN during April. The 2027 theme is announced ahead of the school year.
Difficulty
Some preparation neededYou will want a few weeks of targeted practice. Most motivated students place respectably.
Prizes
Cash prizes totalling $100,000 each year to the top 150 student documentaries and over 50 teacher advisers. A Fan Favorite award of an additional $500 goes to the top prize-winning entry receiving the most votes in a week of public online voting. Up to 10 teams receive $100 each for sharing Behind the Scenes photos on social media.C-SPAN has historically distributed roughly $100,000 across about 150 student winners plus teacher prizes, with a grand prize in the thousands. The large number of winners makes the odds unusually favourable.

What C-SPAN StudentCam is

StudentCam asks middle and high school students to produce a short documentary of five to six minutes on an annual theme connected to national policy, incorporating C-SPAN footage and opposing viewpoints. It is free to enter, entirely remote, and distributes a substantial prize pool across many winners, which gives it unusually good odds compared to most national competitions.

How the competition works

A documentary between 5:00 and 6:00 minutes excluding end credits. Anything shorter than 5:00 or longer than 6:00 is disqualified in the first round of judging. End credits must begin after the 5:00 mark and may run past 6:00. Video clips of topically related C-SPAN programming must be included, and C-SPAN suggests using multiple clips for b-roll, background and both supporting and opposing viewpoints. Other media must be copyright-free or fair use and properly cited. Winning entries explore a variety of viewpoints rather than arguing one side.

Eligibility notes

Open to students in the United States. Teams of up to three, with a teacher advisor required.

Is C-SPAN StudentCam right for you?

Experience needed
None. Winning entries have been made on phones with free editing software.
Time commitment
A few weeks to a couple of months from autumn to January.
What you actually do
You research a policy issue, interview people who know about it, cut C-SPAN footage together with your own, and produce a five to six minute documentary that fairly represents more than one side.

A good fit if

  • You are interested in politics, journalism or film
  • You want a free competition with genuinely good odds
  • You can find one person locally who will let you interview them

Probably not for you if

  • Students unwilling to represent a view they disagree with, since including opposing viewpoints is a requirement

Compare this against competitions matched to you

Common mistakes

  • Making an advocacy piece. The rules require opposing viewpoints and one-sided entries are eliminated.
  • Forgetting the C-SPAN footage requirement, which is a hard rule and disqualifies otherwise strong entries.
  • Running over the time limit. Length rules are enforced.

How to register

  1. Read the current year's theme when it is announced in the autumn.
  2. Find a teacher advisor, which is required.
  3. Plan a documentary of five to six minutes that addresses the theme, uses C-SPAN footage, and includes opposing viewpoints. All three are requirements, not suggestions.
  4. Submit online before the January deadline.

Register on the official site

What skills you need

  • Video production and editing
  • Interviewing
  • Research on policy questions
  • Scriptwriting
  • Balanced argument

Recommended resources

Past problems and materials

Only materials the organiser or an authorised archive publishes openly are listed here.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need film equipment?

No. Winning StudentCam documentaries are regularly made with a phone and free editing software. Judges score the research and the argument at least as much as the production quality.

What are my odds?

Better than most national competitions. C-SPAN has historically named roughly 150 student winners each year across divisions and prize tiers, rather than a handful.

Reviews, tips and resources from other students

Posts are public. Do not share your full name, school, address or contact details.

Your rating
0 / 1200
Sort

Something out of date?

If a deadline, fee or eligibility rule on this page no longer matches the official site, flag it and it goes into the review queue.

You might also look at

StructureDivisions by grade or level
  • FormatTeam
  • WhereIn person
    • Check site
    Academic National History Day Original historical research presented as a paper, exhibit, documentary, performance or website.
    Check site