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And then there were five.

Virginia Tech senior Tim Leaton was named Thursday as one of the five winners of Film Your Issue, a nationwide competition that called for aspiring filmmakers to submit films less than a minute long and addressing social concerns.

Chosen as a semifinalist from an initial pool of 300 submissions from 18- to 26-year-olds, Leaton's film "Orphans in Africa" took the top spot in the competition's global issues category.

"I really didn't expect this, because I knew how competitive it is," said Leaton, 22. "I was ecstatic enough when I found out I was one of the 35 semifinalists."

His 60-second film consists of footage that Leaton captured while serving as a volunteer at the Canaan Children's Home in Uganda last year.

"It was great to spend time with people like that for two weeks," Leaton said of the children. "It leaves a big impression on you."

His submission was taken from a longer film he had previously created about his experience at the orphanage.

Film Your Issue, which was founded in 2003 by HeathCliff Rothman through a partnership with the American Democracy Project, gives young people the opportunity to express themselves and their concerns to a national audience.

The competition boasts a jury that includes actor George Clooney, the Dalai Lama, former television journalist Walter Cronkite, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama and NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams.

Their decision, combined with a public vote that was conducted on MSNBC.com, helped Leaton secure his spot among the finalists.

"One of the nicest things about the film was that it was one of the most popular films with the public and with the think tank," Rothman said of "Orphans in Africa."

"It transcended everybody's taste, and it hit me in many ways. As a filmmaking exercise, I thought it was talented, the technique, the scoring, just the flow of the film. Tim's personal story about going to Africa, shooting the film and meeting the children was also compelling."

As a winner of the competition, Leaton will present his film at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on June 21. "Orphans in Africa" will also be screened during the 2007 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, and the Maui Film Festival in Hawaii.

Leaton is also in the running for a paid internship at Walt Disney Company studios in Burbank, Calif. And, for the sheer materialism of it all, he is now the proud owner of a new Toshiba laptop computer and a Motorola RAZR V3 cellphone.

Although FYI is Leaton's greatest achievement in film to date, he is no stranger to winning.

He scored the top prize at Tech's Progeny Festival of Motion Pictures for his film "Fruitopia," which he created in professor Jerry Scheeler's film production class.

"Tim's one of those students, he just amazes you with the work he produces. He's always there, always attentive, always interested," Scheeler said. "I think those judges are pretty smart to award this to him, and I think it's going to be very good for him."

For now, Leaton is basking in the glow of his accomplishment from his home in Midlothian.

He's hoping to land the Disney internship, and plans to start work on a brief promotional piece for Tech's College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

After he graduates from Tech, Leaton will pursue a career in filmmaking, something which will probably be a bit easier thanks to his FYI credentials.

"I think that there's a good chance that this really will open up many doors for me," Leaton said. "It's looking like some really great people are involved in this who might be able to help me."