Students from Chester have won a political video competition at the ‘Oscars of Westminster.’
The pupils from Christleton High School won the Political Studies Association (PSA) Student Short Video competition at the PSA Annual Awards Ceremony in Westminster on November 29.
Now in its 15th year the PSA Awards pays tribute to those that have made an outstanding contribution to the study and conduct of politics in the past year.
This year’s student short video competition asked students to explore the question: “Do you have to be Superman/Superwoman to be US President?”
Groups were invited to submit short videos on this subject, examining what attributes are necessary to be a political leader and advantages and disadvantages of presidential systems.
Shortlisted groups were invited to discuss the ideas raised in their video at an event hosted by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Rt Hon. John Bercow MP, on US election day, November 8 2016.
Jurors included the Cultural Attaché at the US Embassy, New York Times international news editor Anneliese Reinemeyer, international editor Sewell Chan, Professor Angelia Wilson, of the University of Manchester, and founding director of YouGov, Joe Twyman.
The winning video, created by James Robinson, Nathan Houlbrook, Cameron Bradley and Graeme Mochrie, involved rap music, scenes from Chester, inspiration from childhood cartoons and an interview with Chester MP Chris Matheson.
The team of students were taught by Jacob RoseThe competition is sponsored by political polling organisation, YouGov, who will also welcome the students for a week’s work experience during their school holidays as part of their prize.
Presenting the award on the night YouGov founder Joe Twyman said: “YouGov is always happy to support the next generation of political scientist, journalists and perhaps even elected representatives. The winning team from Christleton High School demonstrated that they had worked hard to understand the issues while at the same time coming up with great ideas and showing creativity. We look forward to welcoming them to our office next year.”
CEO of the PSA Helena Durkovic said “The competition is a great way for students to develop new skills, explore their creativity and get in touch with contemporary political issues. The added training that winning teams get from YouGov - at the heart of political polling and public opinion monitoring - makes this initiative ever more worthwhile.”
The competition is run annually and open to post-16 students across the UK.
2017 applications will open in the summer at www.psa.ac.uk/psa-communities/specialist-groups/schools .
Other winners at the PSA Awards included Mayor of London Sadiq Khan (Politician of the Year), Grayson Perry (Contribution to the Arts and Culture) and Ruth Davidson MP (Best Use of Social Media).
