Community Celebrates Student Creativity at 51st Annual California Student Media Festival

“We never thought we’d be standing up here on this stage,” said the Elementary Curricular Grand Prize winners from Flora Vista Elementary School, “I’d never touched a video camera before this project. You just have to give it a try!”

The Flora Vista filmmakers joined more than 50 student winners, from grade levels kindergarten to 12th, in accepting awards in curricular and craft categories at the 51st Annual California Student Media Festival. The festival, presented in partnership with CUE, is the oldest student media festival in the nation, and this year received 245 submissions. For the second year, the ceremony celebrating student creativity was held in Zipper Concert Hall at the Colburn School in downtown Los Angeles. Longtime MC and former festival director Hall Davidson reminded students that this location was no accident: “The artists at the Broad, at MOCA, at the Music Center—they are your colleagues. You are creators of the highest caliber, too.”

Watch winning projects here.

1/8 On the red carpet with the family-paparazzi!

2/8 At the pre-ceremony reception, Granada Elementary Community Charter demonstrates “the sharkfin,” a technique explored in their winning project, “Being Mindful.”

3/8 Families, students, teachers, and the community at large crowd into Zipper Hall, abuzz with anticipation.

4/8 Winner of Best Set Production Design from Creative Connections Arts Academy preps for his moment on stage.

5/8 Students from Flora Vista Elementary School accept their award for best Elementary History Project, and Curricular Grand Prize Winner, “Take Learning to New Heights, Understand Your Rights.”

6/8 Student from Mark Keppel VAPA Magnet School accepts the “Best Elementary Fine Arts” award for his project, “Keppel’s Cartoon Dance #30.”

7/8 Students from Burbank High School accept their award for “Come Out and Play,” winner of the Eye-Catcher award.

8/8 Students from Rancho Minerva Middle School accepted awards for several projects, including the Secondary Curricular Grand Prize winner, Look Beyond the DisABILITY