OSKALOOSA, Iowa – The video plays for just over three minutes, but behind it lies nearly 40 hours of student work. For two seniors in Oskaloosa High School’s video production program, that effort led to a nomination at the Upper Midwest Student Television Production Awards, placing their work alongside some of the region’s top student filmmakers.

Kylie Owens and Logan Lint did not set out simply to make a video. They set out to tell a story that mattered. Given a list of categories by instructor Kim Gile, the students chose to focus on food insecurity, a topic they believed deserved more attention among their peers.

“Basically, there were these categories that we could do,” Owens said. “And so we decided to do food insecurity. We made a script and then went out and made the video.”

The finished product, a three-minute, 23-second piece, combined interviews, b-roll footage and narrative structure to meet the competition’s criteria. More importantly, it brought attention to a real-world issue that often goes unnoticed by high school students.

“Their project was special because it had to deal with a real-world problem,” Gile said. “A lot of high school students don’t realize that other students are suffering.”

The video stood out among more than 300 submissions, earning one of the top nominations in its category. Although another student-produced video featuring the community’s lighted Christmas parade was submitted, the food insecurity project advanced.

For Owens, the nomination represented more than recognition. It opened doors.

“I think it’s a really good opportunity, especially since there’s scholarship opportunities while we’re there,” she said. “It’s a good way to make connections with the production world.”

The awards ceremony, held in Minneapolis, mirrored the format of professional productions. Students walked a red carpet, participated in interviews and connected with colleges and industry representatives.

“It’s very much like the Emmys,” Gile said. “There’s a red carpet, interviews, and recognition for students who have done extra work and done it very well.”

Owens said the red carpet interview experience was a highlight.

“It just kind of gave us the spotlight,” she said. “Even though we didn’t win, it was really cool.”

The competition itself offered perspective. Surrounded by college programs and specialized technical schools, the Oskaloosa students saw firsthand the level of production they were up against.

“There were colleges there majoring in production, and some schools were tech schools with higher-quality videos,” Owens said. “It gave us more ideas of what we could do.”

For Lint, the experience also revealed the depth of work required to produce a high-quality video. What might appear simple on screen required extensive time and effort behind the scenes.

“We spent around 20 hours editing and probably around 20 filming,” Lint said. “Some of the shots you see for five seconds took us 30 minutes to set up.”

That level of commitment reflects a broader trend within the program. According to Gile, consistent nominations in recent years point to sustained growth and dedication among students.

“It is a huge deal,” she said. “For us to keep getting nominated year after year shows the passion and drive our students have.”

Lint agreed, noting that the program’s progress is not accidental.

“We’re showing growth over time,” he said. “We’re getting more consistent and producing higher-quality videos than we have in the past.”

That growth is fueled by student ownership. Owens said she entered the year with a clear goal.

“I told him at the beginning of the year that I really wanted to make it to the Emmys and get nominated,” she said. “You get out what you put into it.”

Both seniors see that mindset as key to the program’s future. They hope the next group of students builds on their work by investing even more time and effort into their projects.

“I think if we have more people willing to put in the work, they could win,” Owens said.

As Owens prepares to attend Grand View University to study education, and Lint plans to enter the workforce while pursuing photography and voice acting, their nomination stands as both a milestone and a message. In a program competing with schools that often have more resources, Oskaloosa students continue to prove that effort, purpose, and storytelling can carry their work onto a much larger stage.