Danielle Tong, Rochelle Williams and Isabella Maes, students at Franklin High School in Elk Grove, will receive $750 as third-prize winners for the documentary, “Climate Change and its Effect on Human Life.”

Jackson T. Collins, Emily Cho and Saajun Atwal, students at Franklin High School, are third-prize winners and will receive $750 for the documentary, “California: A Climate Crisis.”

Natalie Camerino, Isabella Verdugo and Simone Woods, students at Franklin High School, are honorable mention winners and will receive $250 for the documentary, “We Need to Act Now,” about climate change.

Tovya Michael, Seneka Millawabandara and Isabella Lack, students at Inderkum High School in Sacramento, are third-prize winners and will receive $750 for the documentary, “Mental Health: Crisis of the American People.”

Dhanisha Ratilal, Rachel Tokarski and Jennifer Hong, students at Inderkum High School, are honorable mention winners and will receive $250 for the documentary, “Healthcare: A Call for Change.”

Mariya Thomas and Lauren Wiegand, students at Folsom High School, are honorable mention winners and will receive $250 for the documentary, “Lifting the Veil on the Pandemic,” about lack of government transparency on the pandemic.

The competition, now in its 17th year, invited all middle and high school students to enter by producing a short documentary. C-SPAN, in cooperation with cable television partners, asked students to join the national conversation on the challenges our country is facing with the theme: “Explore the issue you most want the president and new Congress to address in 2021.”

Despite the unique challenges brought about by COVID-19 this year, more than 2,300 students across the country participated in the contest. C-SPAN received over 1,200 entries from 43 states and Washington, D.C. The most popular topics addressed were: