A host of students were honoured yesterday for their filmmaking talent and environmental mindset as part of the fourth annual Earth Day Video Competition.

More than thirty students from six schools entered the contest, organised by the Bermuda National Trust, producing ten short films tackling issues such as littering, endangered species and renewable energy.

All ten of the films were screened last night at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute and are set to appear online today on the Bermuda National Trust website before being aired on CITV.

As part of the filmmaking process, the students were tasked with researching the environmental issues facing the Island, showcase what they feel are threats and present solutions to create a greener Bermuda.

The prize for best film in the Senior Category was True Reflections by Lulu Hedstrom of Greenwich Academy, which focused on the litter that can be found on the Island’s beaches. As part of the film, Lulu crafted a face using the litter to “spread the word”.

Brothers Miles and Macen Outerbridge of Somersfield Academy won the prize in the Lower Primary category with Brothers Doing Their Part, in which the boys talked about the things they do to protect the environment, such as planting trees and conserving electricity.

Meanwhile Northlands Primary Students Taijae Davis, Nanami Ingram, Aleylah Lema, Jeanella Marquez, Satasia Swann and Njeri Thomas won the Primary and Middle School Category with Endangered Species: What Can We Do, a partially animated film about the Island’s endangered species and the threats against them.

Other top award winners included We Have An Alternative by Tamari Landy and Ashley Stephens, and What’s Up With All This Plastic by Malsha Amarasinghe, Yarhi Bradshaw, Anjelina Chandrasekaran, Ahmaya Peets, A’vari Raynor-Hall, Andre Simons and Timaris Thomas.

Meanwhile Power It Up by Malik Joell, Tao Lambert, Matthew Amaral and Christian Roque won the Best Sustainable Message prize, and Ocean and Sunset by Hailey Hayward won Best Use of Emotion.

Life’s A Beach by Brianna Lopes, Julia Pimentel, Jada Rawlins and Conor Sinclair, The Trash Talkers by Caroline Amaral, Joseph Garcia, Catia Pimentel and Lauren Smith, and To Be or Not To Be by Aayuah Boyles, Erin Cardoso, Monique Cordeiro and Bryanna Furtado also took home prizes.

Education Minister Wayne Scott said that he was impressed by the creativity of the students, urging all of the competitors to continue to work hard to spread the word about environmental causes.

Tim Marshall of sponsor Marshall Diel & Myers Ltd also praised the student’s hard work, saying that all of the films were able to highlight both what makes Bermuda special and what we need to do to maintain it.

“Nothing gives greater satisfaction than giving back to your community in these simple ways and the rewards are great,” he said.