Renezel Lagran and her Maui High School classmates won top honors Thursday for their video on women in technology at this year’s Olelo Youth Xchange student video competition. Students documented the struggles faced by a classmate who is the only female welder on the school’s robotics team, describing her as “scorching the stereotypes” associated with women breaking barriers in STEM fields.

The three-minute video, which was shot and edited over two months, featured interviews with female professionals on the importance of gender diversity in school, the workplace and beyond. The group won in the Expert category, for previous high school and college winners with professional experience.

“We were very interested that she was the only female welder on the robotics team. It’s important even on a small island to showcase women empowerment,” said Lagran, a senior. “We were very honored and amazed (to win). We just wanted to showcase her story. Men and woman can be equal.”

More than 800 educators, students and other guests attended the 14th annual awards ceremony at the Sheraton Waikiki. Of the 904 submissions, students from 89 public, charter and private schools statewide were selected as finalists. Students in elementary, intermediate and high school divisions vied for top awards in seven categories, including animation, news and mini documentary.

The students also competed in 11 categories sponsored by city and state agencies and other organizations, which focused on issues such as healthy living, traffic safety and voting. Winners in each category received Sony digital video cameras.

Judging was based on subject impact and technical production. While the Maui team focused on female empowerment, students also focused on other newsworthy topics such as Honolulu’s rail project and renewable energy.

Panelists included journalists, subject experts and filmmakers. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser is one of the competition’s sponsors.

Mid-Pacific Institute students won the Junior Expert award, a category for elementary and middle school levels, for their video featuring a 5-year-old diagnosed with cancer, whose wish was to be Spider-Man’s sidekick. Students and teachers worked for several months with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Hawaii to organize a day filled with fun Spider- Man-related activities for Soya, who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a form of childhood cancer that can develop in the adrenal glands, neck, chest or spinal cord.

The video features Soya running through a bouncy house and playing Spider-Man-themed games, as well as a surprise visit from someone dressed up as the iconic character.

Eighth-grader Karuna Niitani and her classmates shot and edited the video over a week. The 13-year-old said the story was unique and showcased how a good act can change someone’s life.

Paige Ho, also an eighth-grader, added, “We felt proud, and we feel accomplished that now all of the other people can see his (Soya’s) story.”

The competition, the largest and oldest of its kind in Hawaii, was established in 2003 to give local youth a voice to tell stories on issues that are important to them. All the videos will be uploaded to Olelo’s website this week. For more information, visit olelo.org/yxc.