Nineteen cinema  and JMC students will battle sleep deprivation in 24-hour film and news competitions hosted by the National Religious Broadcasters for a cash prize.

The National Religious Broadcasters, an association of Christians in various fields of media, including film and radio, will host their convention in Nashville, Tennessee.

At this convention, the 24-hour film competition and the 24-hour news competition will challenge the participating students.

Four cinema students and three journalism and mass communication students will travel to Nashville to compete and attend the convention. Additionally, 12 cinema students will compete in an online competition.

Christopher Zydowicz, a member of the cinema faculty, said the students attending will not be the only ones competing in the competition.

“This year it’s a little different. We’re taking an on-site team and then they’re also holding an online competition for those who aren’t going,” Zydowicz said.

Twelve cinema majors will compete in a separate online 24-hour film contest at and around the Greenville area.

David Lurtey, a JMC faculty member, said Allyse Yorgey, Brooke Smith and C.J. Billiu are competing in the “24 Hour News Challenge.”

“Of course, it is appropriately named, because it is a “challenge,” Lurtey said. “First, they must come up with a concept, find knowledgeable people to interview and schedule a time to shoot. Then, they must edit it all together. All in 24 hours!”

The 24-hour competition will begin on Tuesday, Feb. 27.

After receiving parameters for their work, the students will begin production.

“They better write [the script] quick and know what they’re going to film, because they basically have about five, six hours then to get all of the filming done,” Zydowicz said.

After filming, students must edit the project before the morning of Feb. 28. After the film projects are finished, they  will be judged by Christian Vision, an international media organization.

Students can grow from the experience. Caleb Murphey, a senior cinema major, competed last year on the cinema team and will compete this year in Nashville.

“It helped me learn how to deal with time pressure better,” Murphey said.

He also said that he learned how to prioritize better and to be a better team player with other producers in a high-stress environment.

Zydowicz sees benefit to the competition itself.

“My goal[s] [are] for them to be competitive, for them to be Christlike and for them to win,” Zydowicz said.

Prize money is offered to the winning teams. The first-place team for the online film competition will receive $2,000 as a cash prize.

Last year, the on-site film competition had a prize of $5,000 for the winning team, and the news competition had a first prize of $1,000.

Lurtey said once the competition has finished, the students will rest before attending networking and learning session with Christian media organizations.