As the nation commemorates its 250th anniversary, Carson French, a student at Booker T. Washington Magnet High School in Montgomery, Alabama, has earned national recognition as a 2026 honorable mention prize winner in C-SPAN’s annual StudentCam documentary competition.
French will receive $250 for the documentary, “When Equality Ends at the Prison Gates.”
C-SPAN also recognized Amy Hinton, who served as an adviser and mentor throughout the StudentCam competition and helped guide the nationally recognized achievement.
In recognition of the United States’ semiquincentennial, C-SPAN—in cooperation with its cable and satellite television partners—challenged middle and high school students across the country to examine the enduring power and relevance of the Declaration of Independence by exploring either its influence on a key moment from America’s 250-year history or how the values in the founding document affect a contemporary issue affecting them or their communities.
Through the project-based learning experience, students engaged in in-depth research, critical analysis and original storytelling to explore issues of personal and national importance. C-SPAN received more than 1,800 documentary submissions from nearly 4,000 students representing 38 states and Washington, D.C., underscoring the competition’s national reach and civic impact.
Among the most frequently addressed topics were:
- Themes of equality, 16 percent
- Rights and freedoms, 13 percent
- Immigration and deportation, 10 percent
- Economy and tariffs, 9 percent
- Health, 8 percent
By earning recognition in the highly competitive national program, French joins a distinguished group of civically engaged young filmmakers whose work contributes to a deeper public understanding of America’s founding principles and their continued relevance today, according to a C-SPAN press release.
“As we recognize America’s 250th anniversary, this year’s StudentCam participants masterfully documented important political as well as societal issues and key moments from our nation’s history through compelling videos that highlight the values and enduring legacy of the Declaration of Independence,” Craig McAndrew, C-SPAN’s director of education relations, said. “Each of their prize-winning videos is sure to spark meaningful reflections among viewers across the country and inspire future generations of filmmakers. On behalf of everyone at C-SPAN, congratulations to the exceptionally gifted young people who triumphed in the 22nd annual competition!”
C-SPAN is funded by America’s cable, satellite and streaming television companies as a commercial-free public service. In Montgomery, C-SPAN is available through Spectrum, its local partner in StudentCam.
“Each year, C-SPAN’s StudentCam competition demonstrates that the next generation is not only studying history—they’re engaging with it and applying it to the world around them,” Adam Falk, senior vice president of state government affairs for Spectrum, said. “We commend the creativity of this year’s winners, who examined the enduring power and relevance of the Declaration of Independence at a pivotal moment as our nation celebrates its 250th anniversary.”
In addition to the grand-prize and first-prize winners, C-SPAN is awarding 16 second prizes, 32 third prizes and 97 honorable mention prizes. Those winning videos will receive cash awards of $1,500, $750 and $250, respectively. The StudentCam competition has awarded more than $1.7 million in prizes since 2004.
High school students competed at the regional level, with the United States divided into the East, Central and West regions. Middle school students were judged on a national basis. Judges selected the grand-prize winner nationally from all regions and grade levels.
The 150 winning videos can be viewed at studentcam.org.
The annual StudentCam competition is funded by the C-SPAN Education Foundation. A panel of educators and C-SPAN representatives evaluated videos based on thoughtful examination of the competition’s theme, quality of expression, inclusion of varying sides of the documentary’s topic and effective incorporation of C-SPAN programming.
