The Manufacturers Resource Center announces the award recipients for the “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” Lehigh Valley student video contest awards. More than 1,000 people attended the event, held Tuesday at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks Bethlehem. The event was broadcast live on WFMZ.

The WSCM program, created by the Manufacturers Resource Center and teaming partners eMediaWorks, Sahl Communications and EmpowerStar Marketing, received 225,477 votes over a three-day voting period.

The video with the most votes received the “Viewers Choice Award.” The videos were also reviewed by a panel of judges for awards in ten other categories, including Outstanding Brand Placement and Outstanding Creativity.

Preceding the main program, culinary arts programs from Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School, Carbon Career & Technical Institute, Career Institute of Technology, and Lehigh Career & Technical Institute hosted a dessert reception and Cupcake Competition, judged by Carlo’s Bakery, Lehigh University and Factory. Water and candy was provided by Nestlé Waters and Just Born Quality Confections.

The WSCM contest, presented by MRC, partners students from 30 schools in Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties with 30 local manufacturers. Each student team will script, shoot, edit and promote a short video that documents their experience, highlighting what is “cool” about manufacturing.

The winning videos in the region will be considered to represent the Lehigh Valley at the third-annual statewide competition in April.

“This was a great contest and the hard work of the students, teachers and manufacturers is really evident,” said Rich Hobbs, president and CEO at MRC. “Being able to broadcast the awards event live means the results of that hard work have reached so much deeper into the community to raise awareness about manufacturing career opportunities.”

This year’s awards are:

1. Outstanding Overall Program: Northeast Middle School – Nestlé Waters North America

2. Outstanding Editing: Northampton Area Middle School – Innovative

3. Outstanding Creativity: Nitschmann Middle School – B. Braun Medical Inc.

4. Outstanding Cool: Lower Macungie Middle School – Smooth-On Inc.

5. Outstanding Team Spirit: Bangor Area Middle School – Equipto

6. Outstanding Educational Value: Broughal Middle School – IQE Inc.

7. Outstanding Videography: Eyer Middle School – Allen Organ Company

8. Viewers Choice: Springhouse Middle School – Sharp Packaging Solutions

9. Outstanding Outreach Plan: Wilson Area Intermediate School – Crayola

10. Outstanding Career Pathway: Penn-Kidder Campus – Technical Process & Engineering Inc.

11. Outstanding Brand Placement: Saucon Valley Middle School – Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc.

12. Sweet Manufacturing Cupcake Award Winner: Career Institute of Technology (CIT)

Other local schools and businesses that competed were: Lawrence B. Morris School in Jim Thorpe with KME, Northern Lehigh Middle School with Lutron Electronics Inc., Lehighton Area Middle School with Hydra-Tech, Northwestern Lehigh with JSB Windkits LLC and Palmerton Area Middle School with Ampal Inc.

Developed by Manufacturers Resource Center, WSCM program is a video based educational tool that increases awareness of career paths and technology in manufacturing. MRC developed this innovative career awareness program that at its core is “peer marketing” (kids telling kids what’s so cool about manufacturing jobs). The contest is showcased on the What’s So Cool Website, and shared nationally through the Manufacturing Institute and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership platforms. The Lehigh Valley contest is expanding across the commonwealth and the country. Inside Pennsylvania there will be 16 regions conducting contests this year.

This contest gives students the opportunity to connect with local manufacturers, document their experiences and present them in an educational and “cool” way. The contest was created to generate excitement that draws students toward manufacturing career paths, and CTE and STEM education.

For over 30 years, the Manufacturers Resource Center has helped small and midsized manufacturers become more competitive, adopt lean and agile processes, strategically grow their companies and invest more effectively in their existing human capital.

MRC is a nonprofit organization partially funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s NIST-MEP program, as well as the State of Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development.

The MRC is dedicated to creating jobs and economic opportunity in eastern Pennsylvania’s Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton, and Schuylkill counties.