Several local students have won honorable mentions in a C-SPAN competition to produce documentary films.

Ruby Emberling, Maria Newton, Delany Wright, Tamar Hofer, Andrew Siddall, and Jassadi Moore, all juniors at Pioneer High School, received honorable mentions in C-SPAN’s national 2012 StudentCam competition. Ruby, Maria, and Delany will receive $250 for their documentary “Students' First Amendment Rights,” while Tamar, Andrew, and Jassadi will receive the same amount for their video “First Amendment Rights for Students.”

The local students are among 148 students from across the country who are sharing a total of $50,000 in prizes, including one grand prize winner, two first prize winners, eight second prize winners, 16 third prize winners, and 48 honorable mentions. The winning videos may be viewed at www.c-span.org/studentcam.

The national competition, now in its eighth year, invites middle school (grades 6-8) and high school students (grades 9-12) to produce a five- to eight-minute documentary, with this year's topic focusing on “The Constitution and You: Select any provision of the U.S. Constitution and create a video illustrating why it’s important to you.” With entries coming from students in 43 states, DC, and Puerto Rico, C-SPAN received a record 1,203 videos.

“C-SPAN’s StudentCam continues to be a snapshot of what young people consider important,” Joanne Wheeler, C-SPAN vice president of education relations, said in a press release. “In yet another record-breaking year for entries, students across the country continue to demonstrate just how much their voices count, especially when it comes to the foundation of our government, the Constitution.”

C-SPAN is a national cable TV channel that broadcasts government proceedings, primarily Congress.