Four students from Durham Community School and one from Freeport High School have created videos that rank them among “Maine’s Top Ten Youth Visionaries,” named by a Freeport-based nonprofit whose mission it is to prepare students for the 21st-century workplace.

Three of the four Durham students – seventh-graders Maggie Riendeau, Hannah Giroux and Lindsey Galletta, worked together on one entry. Logan Holt, an eighth-grader, was the other winner from Durham Community School.

Freshman Ben Berry is Maine’s Top Ten Visionary from Freeport High School.

Of the 85 entrants, Meridian Stories announced 20 finalists in April. Judges who determined Maine’s Top Ten Visionaries included University of Maine at Augusta President Glenn Cummings; authors and journalists Mike Paterniti and Sara Corbett, State Rep. Sara Gideon, D-Freeport, and Dorothy Bush Koch, Barbara Bush Foundation honorary chairwoman. The winners will receive $100 checks from Maine’s first lady, Ann LePage, during a ceremony at the Blaine House on June 2.

Freeport resident Brett Pierce founded the nonprofit educational initiative, Meridian Stories, in 2011, as a response to the question, “How do you get youth to re-channel the massive, daily energy that is expended online toward deeper explorations of meaningful, curricular content?”

According to the organization, Meridian Stories provides opportunities for students to collaborate, create, problem-solve, and lead in the development and production of meaningful digital narratives. Its digital storytelling competitions are in the areas of science, math, language arts and history.

Pierce said that students created the videos on their own time.

“Durham was the only school to have two winning entries,” Pierce said. “They did really, really well.”

Contestants considered questions such as, “If you were to start your own nonprofit, what would the purpose be?” or, “If you had a million dollars to give to the governor, how you would want him to spend that money?” They developed the videos from there.

Students in Durham were asked to think about what life would be like in 2025.

Holt responded with “10 Years Down the Road: Head of Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Department.” He talked about how he would run a campaign for a position in the department.

Riendeau, Giroux and Galletta each made imaginary time capsules related to what they would like to do, and opened them in the videos. Riendeau wants to be a fashion designer, Giroux a photographer and Galletta a chef.

Berry produced a video entitled “Tabletop Farms.” In it, the freshman said that he has devised a plan to “change Maine farming for everyone.” Farming is a four-step process that brings food from the farm to the processor to the store to the table, Berry said. He proposed to eliminate the middle two steps.

Corbett, who is a contributor to the New York Times Magazine, praised the work of the 10 visionaries.

“The students produced sophisticated, well-researched, and lively digital content. Meridian’s storytelling challenge clearly had them engaged,” Corbett said in a press release submitted by Pierce.

At meridianstories.com, the entries are all posted on a graphically designed digital map of Maine, where users can click all around the state to see and hear what Maine youth are saying about their perceptions of their own futures.