Middle and high school students from across the Lehigh Valley and beyond visited local manufacturers, video cameras in hand, with one mission: to show just how cool manufacturing really is.

About 800 people came out to the ArtsQuest Center in Bethlehem on Feb. 23 to watch the winning student videos in the third annual Manufacturers Resource Center‘s (MRC) content, “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?”

Thirty different sets of schools and manufacturing companies participated in the event this year, up from 22 last year. The contest drew roughly 117,000 votes, a higher amount than last year.

The contest is intended to create awareness for a younger generation of what a career in manufacturing is like, as well as to encourage enrollment in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs at Lehigh Valley technical schools and combat negative stigmas about the industry.

“The judges had a very hard time because there were so many good videos this year,” said Jack Pfunder, President and CEO of MRC.

All the student videos can be found on the “Dream It, Do It, PA” website. The winning videos from the 2016 “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” contest can be seen below:

Viewers Choice: Northampton Area (Piramal Critical Care)

Outstanding Program: Bethlehem Broughal (Just Born Quality Confections)

Outstanding Videography: Northern Lehigh (Atlas Machining and Welding)

Outstanding Editing: Schuylkill Haven (Cardinal Systems)

Outstanding Creativity: Nazareth Area (Martin Guitar)

Outstanding Cool: East Penn (Smooth-On)

Outstanding Team Spirit: Parkland (ProtoCAM)

Outstanding Marketing Plan: Tamaqua Area (Highwood USA)

Outstanding Educational Value: BASD Nitschmann (American Millwork & Cabinetry) and Palmerton Area (Blue Ridge Pressure Castings)