WALZ CONGRATULATES C-SPAN DOCUMENTARY CONTEST WINNERS
05/08/2007
Washington, D.C.-Today, Congressman Tim Walz offered his congratulations to Austin High School students Anthony Hernandez and Dustin Gillard on receiving First Prize in the C-SPAN StudentCam documentary competition.
"These two students offer a great example of the talent and innovation of our youth," Walz said. "All of Southern Minnesota can be proud of Anthony and Dustin. Their commitment to civic engagement and citizenship make them roll models for America's youth."
The two students won the prize for their documentary about the Iraq war, "Our Duty." The film features interviews with Senator John McCain and anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan. The documentary will air on C-SPAN, Wednesday, June 13 at 5:50 a.m. CST followed by a live interview at 7:30 a.m. CST.
Text of the C-SPAN's announcement follows.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jennifer Moire
202.626.8797
Meredith Rapp
202.626.4861
AUSTIN, MINN. STUDENTS WIN FIRST PRIZE FOR VIDEO ON IRAQ WAR IN "STUDENTCAM,"
C-SPAN'S NATIONAL VIDEO DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Video to air on C-SPAN Wednesday, June 13 at 6:50 a.m. ET
Winner to be interviewed live during "Washington Journal" at 8:30 a.m. ET
WASHINGTON (May 8, 2007) - C-SPAN announced today that Anthony Hernandez and Dustin Gillard, students at Austin High School in Austin, Minn., received First Prize in C-SPAN's "StudentCam," http://www.studentcam.org, for their video about the Iraq War. StudentCam is a video documentary contest that invites middle and high school students to produce a video exploring a current political topic using C-SPAN programming. The annual competition is sponsored by C-SPAN Classroom, http://www.c-spanclassroom.org, a free membership service dedicated to support educators' use of C-SPAN in their classes or for research. The winners were announced today during C-SPAN's live viewer call-in program, "Washington Journal."
The pair won for "Our Duty,"which addresses the Iraq war and includes interviews with activist Cindy Sheehan and presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). The students will share a cash award of $1,000 and their entry will air on C-SPAN, Wednesday, June 13 at 6:50 a.m. ET followed by a live interview at 8:30 a.m. ET. The documentary is available to download or stream from the competition's Web site, http://www.studentcam.org. Hernandez and Gilliard were StudentCam's grand prize winners in 2006 for their documentary exploring the debate over illegal immigration in Austin.
C-SPAN is available locally through Charter.
"The judges were once again impressed with the balance of views presented by Anthony and Dustin, the quality of production, and the planning and effort to obtain multiple viewpoints," said Joanne Wheeler, vice president of education relations at C-SPAN. "Our commitment to air the winning videos over four weeks and post them online gives our audience the opportunity to hear from today's young people and get their perspective on the major issues facing their communities and the nation."
The StudentCam competition names 45 total winners accompanied by $25,000 in cash awards, including a grand prize winner plus two, first prize winners; eight, second prize winners; 14, third prize winners; and 20 honorable mentions in middle and high school categories. The top 25 videos will air on C-SPAN, one each day, starting on Monday, May 14, 2007 at 6:50 a.m. ET, followed by a live phone interview with the winning students at 8:30 a.m. ET. Video of each interview is archived online at http://www.studentcam.org.
The grand prize winning video, "Jupiter or Bust: The El Sol Solution," focuses on illegal immigration and the local solution in Jupiter, Fla., airs on Friday, June 15, 2007 at 6:50 a.m. ET followed by a phone interview at 9 a.m. ET with one of the winners. A complete list of winners and schedule of "Washington Journal" air times and interviews is online at studentcam.org.
The videos were judged by a panel of C-SPAN representatives and evaluated based on the thoughtful examination of the contest theme, quality of expression, adherence to the 10-minute time limit, the balance of views presented and use of C-SPAN programming.
About C-SPAN Classroom
C-SPAN Classroom, http://www.c-spanclassroom.org, is a free membership service dedicated to support educators' use of C-SPAN programming in their classes or for research. Members may access free, downloadable C-SPAN video clips for use in the classroom, that are selected from signature programs and event coverage including the signature political program "Road to the White House."
C-SPAN Classroom has reached more than one million students since its inception in 1987.
About C-SPAN
C-SPAN, the political network of record, was created in 1979 by America's cable companies as a public service. C-SPAN is currently available in nearly 91 million households. For more information about C-SPAN, visit http://www.C-SPAN.org.