By Allison Peck
North Platte, Neb. — North Platte High School emerged as the top program at the inaugural Nebraska State High School Video Championships, hosted Saturday, April 25, at North Platte High School, capturing the team championship and earning multiple individual and group honors in the statewide competition.
North Platte finished first in the team standings with 112 points, well ahead of runner-up Aurora High with 43. Bay High placed third with 34 points, followed by McCool Junction with 22 and Fairbury High School with 18.
The Bulldogs turned in a dominant performance across multiple categories, highlighted by a state championship in Best Narrative for “Doomsday: Zero Hour,” directed by Hudson Fosket. North Platte also swept the Best Comedy category, with Tucker Talbott’s “The Idiot” taking third, Carter Stewart and Parker Clang’s “The Keys” finishing runner-up, and Madi Hilderbrand’s “Terminal Velocity” claiming the state title.
North Platte students also earned top honors in technical and specialty awards. Hilderbrand won Best Cinematography for “The Cross Walk,” while Grant Wenburg earned Best Storytelling for “Aspara-Gone.”
The Bulldogs claimed the Best Hype Video state championship with “North Platte Wrestling,” produced by Madi Hilderbrand, Aubree Wagnon and Aarelyn Paul.
North Platte also had a strong showing in Commercials and PSAs, taking third place with “This is Our School,” created by Ashtyn Jones, Ashlyn Carlson and Molly Jorgensen, while Reagan Lampe and Hilderbrand captured a state title with “Revive Chiropractic.”
In documentary competition, Parker Clang and Carter Stewart earned runner-up honors with “Sustainable Beef.”
North Platte also placed runner-up in Best Animation with Wenburg’s “Aspara-Gone,” and added a third-place finish in Best Narrative with Hilderbrand’s “The Cross Walk.”
While North Platte dominated the overall standings, Aurora also had a strong day, led by Kendal Wineteer’s “Grief is Like Glitter,” which won Best Film and the Best Animation state title. Aurora’s Richard Tyler Naylor earned Most Creative Horror for “The Ones Among Us: Part 1.”
Other state champions included McCool Junction’s “Kerry’s Restaurant” in Best Documentary, Alliance’s “To Leave” in Best Short, and Callaway’s “Project VHS,” which won Best Horror.
The inaugural championships showcased student filmmakers from across Nebraska in narrative, documentary, animation, commercial, comedy and horror categories, while also spotlighting technical achievements in editing, cinematography, acting and production design.
For host school North Platte, the event ended with a fitting result — the first-ever Nebraska State High School Video Championships team trophy staying home.