VANCOUVER, CANADA—Sixteen students from across the U.S. and Canada share $10,000 in prizes, with Americans claiming the top spots in both the high school and post-secondary categories, in the annual student video contest held by the Fraser Institute, one of North America’s leading public policy think-tanks.

Students in Fairfax, Virginia; Pittsboro, North Carolina; and Greenville, South Carolina received awards for their entries. A complete list of the winners is below.

Students were asked to create a video answering the question “what is the appropriate role of government in the economy?” Sixty-two videos submitted by 133 university and high school students from across the U.S. and Canada were entered in the contest—more than triple the number of videos entered in last year’s contest.

“The creativity and adept analyses these students put into their videos is remarkable. It’s very encouraging to see young people engaged in such a critical debate about the role of government in the economy,” said Peter Cowley, Fraser Institute senior vice president of operations.

The winning entries were selected based on originality, clear expression of ideas, production values, quality of story, and understanding of the topic. A special Viewer’s Choice Award was also awarded in each category to the videos with the highest rating on YouTube. All videos can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/fraserinstitute.

Mark Meranta and Terra Strong from George Mason University in Virginia took first prize in the post-secondary category, as well as the Viewer’s Choice Award for post-secondary entries.

“Mark and Terra’s video was a clear standout. The witty script, high production values, and sharp examination of the topic won over not only the judges but also the viewers,” Cowley said.

Lance Knight of Peripatos Academy in Pittsboro, North Carolina won first prize in the high school category.

“Another fantastic entry showcasing a keen grasp of economics and video production—an outstanding effort,” Cowley said.

The contest was sponsored by The Lotte and John Hecht Memorial Foundation.

2009 Student Video Contest winners

Post-secondary category

1st place ($2,000)
My Friend Sarah
Created by Mark Meranta (George Mason University—Fairfax, V.A.)
and Terra Strong (George Mason University—Fairfax, V.A.)

2nd place ($1,500)
Letting Be
Created by Brendan Conway-Smith (University of Ottawa—Ottawa, O.N.)

3rd place ($750)
Laissez Faire
Created by Ty Mills (University of Calgary—Calgary, A.B.)
Kasper Woiceshyn (University of Toronto—Toronto, O.N.)
Robert Wensley (Bob Jones University—Greenville, S.C.)
Marc LeClair (Westmount Charter School—Calgary, A.B.)

Runner-up (received a handheld camcorder valued at $500)
Let it be
Created by Tori Finlayson (University of British Columbia—Vancouver, B.C.)

Viewer’s Choice Award ($750)
My Friend Sarah
Created by Mark Meranta (George Mason University—Fairfax, V.A.)
and Terra Strong (George Mason University—Fairfax, V.A.)

High school category

1st place ($1,500)
Government’s Practical & Moral Role
Created by Lance Knight (Peripatos Academy—Pittsboro, N.C.)

2nd place ($1,000)
Public Option, Post Office—Are You PO’d Yet?
Created by Travis Knight (Peripatos Academy—Pittsboro, N.C.)

3rd place ($750)
My Crazy Dad and the Role of the Government
Created by Jason Killion (Reynolds Secondary School—Victoria, B.C.)

Runner-up (received a handheld camcorder valued at $500)
Capitalist Rap
Created by Aiden Wilks (St. Mary's Senior High School—Calgary, A.B.)
Paula Turcotte (St. Mary's Senior High School—Calgary, A.B.)
Matthew Tiberio (St. Mary's Senior High School—Calgary, A.B.)                  

Viewer’s Choice Award ($750)
A Tale of Two Citrus—A Canadian Allegory
Created by Lucas McEachern (Westgate Collegiate & Vocational Institute—Thunder Bay, O.N.)
and Craig Draeger (Westgate Collegiate & Vocational Institute—Thunder Bay, O.N.)

View the winning videos at www.youtube.com/FraserInstitute.