Various local middle school students were recognized at the Third Annual Manufacturing Video Contest.

A private awards ceremony was held Tuesday to commemorate the students who participated in the "What's So Cool About Manufacturing" Video Conference.Middle school students from 25 school districts in Carbon, Schuylkill, Lehigh, Northampton and Bucks counties, along with representatives from the involved manufacturing companies, parents, sponsors and supporters gathered to celebrate the students' notable efforts and final presentations.This year's Lehigh Valley contest included 30 teams from 25 school districts across the five counties.Awards were presented to student teams involved in the educational contest.Locally, Palmerton Area School District partnered with Blue Ridge Pressure Casting for the Outstanding Educational Value Award; Northern Lehigh School District partnered with Atlas Machining & Welding for the Outstanding Videography Award; and Tamaqua Area School District partnered with Highwood USA for the Outstanding Marketing Plan Award.Presented by Pennsylvania's Dream It. Do It. (DIDI PA), the "What's So Cool About Manufacturing?" Video Contest gave students the opportunity to connect directly 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 to consider manufacturing career paths.The videos are available for viewing at dreamitdoitpa.com. See facebook.com/dreamitdoitpa for more information.