ACN-ACT Student Contest

The Agricultural Communicators Network (ACN) is offering this student contest to National ACT members to support attendance at the Agricultural Media Summit. AMS is the largest annual conference of agricultural communicators in the United States and provides opportunities for networking and professional development through workshops and speakers from industry professionals. You’ll be able to attend events alongside ag comm professionals as well as participate in the annual National ACT meetings and student workshops. AMS is a foundational opportunity for students preparing to launch their careers.

The 2025 submission window is closed. 2026 submissions will begin in early 2026. 

2024 Winners

First Place: Natasha Hightower

My name is Natasha Hightower, and I am a recent graduate of the University of Arkansas where I majored in agricultural education, communications, and technology with a concentration in communications and a minor in agriculture leadership. I am returning to the University of Arkansas in the fall where I will begin my journey as a graduate student studying agricultural and extension education. My hope is to one day work either in higher education as an instructor or as an extension agent in Arkansas.

During my undergraduate program, I needed to take a campaigns capstone course for my degree. When my advisor and I were discussing what project would be best for me to work on and gain valuable experience, she received an email about the ACN competition. She quickly forwarded me the email, encouraging me to take the opportunity. I would not only have the chance to gain valuable real-world experience, but I also had a unique opportunity for my class. I decided to work on the project alone to test my skills and challenge myself. This project taught me a lot about strategic marketing and the agricultural communications industry!

During my research for the Agriculture Communicators Network, I learned that several recent graduates, myself now included, wanted to find an organization that provided them with networking opportunities and a community of fellow agriculturalists. The secondary research compiled information stating that recent graduates, most of whom fall within Generation Z, value the opinions of those around them, but they also value having their opinions heard. My research also found that while social media platforms are essential to reaching the right audience, the content and message provided are just as important. Ensuring the message and voice of the organization are welcoming, supportive, and conversational creates an avenue for people to engage with the organization. Having a clean, minimalistic design aids in the retention of information from the posts.

Another key aspect of the secondary research that tied into my primary research I conducted was the need for mentors, training, and face-to-face interactions. Seventy-five percent of the participants stated that it is “very – extremely important for them to feel a sense of community and belonging within an organization.” This can be through in-person events, and research shows how individuals can also feel a sense of shared identity and connection through a common brand or group on social media.

All of my research led to my three primary creative assets for this plan: an Instagram reel competition to attract college students preparing for graduation as well as recent graduates, a podcast advertisement to build off a growing platform within the agricultural industry and engage with a broader audience, and a print/digital advertisement that can be used at a variety of events to provide basic information to form the initial attraction. These creative assets can build off the marketing strategies used by ACN to reach recent graduates and increase membership and retention.

Second Place: Alison Chaney and Kyndal King

After hearing about the ACN contest through National ACT, we decided to create a marketing plan to help fund our trip to Ag Media Summit.

This contest has been such a blessing in more ways than one. Not only are we now able to attend AMS, but we also have a better idea of what goes into making a marketing campaign. This contest has given us a hands-on opportunity to learn and compete against our peers.

The research we conducted was focused on a group of students who were in college, about to graduate college or recent graduates. To create impactful materials, we wanted to collect information that was as recent and accurate as possible. Another goal of ours was to present information in an easily understandable way. Our generation loves to interact with social campaigns and like many other generations wants to find useful information quickly. As we worked on this campaign, we kept just that in mind and looked for ways to make content that was interactable and accessible.

Focusing on the recruitment of recent college graduates, our marketing plan consisted of two newsletters, a brochure, two social media stories and three social media posts.

The first newsletter focused on the benefits that ACN provides new graduates while giving readers tips and tricks that can be utilized with their membership. The second newsletter focused on helping new graduates network and connect with industry professionals, as new graduates may feel intimidated in networking settings. In this marketing plan, the newsletters were sent out monthly.

The brochure provided basic information about ACN and was intended to be sent out to every university with an agricultural communications program. This marketing material was to be sent out at the beginning of May, so instructors of these programs could share that information with graduating students.

The two social media stories and three social media posts go hand-in-hand with each other. The two social media stories and two social media posts that go together cover the highlights of the two newsletters. The social media post that filled the gap between these two posts covered how ACN could help new graduates kick-start their careers.

We cannot thank ACN enough for their continued support of students. We hope that ideas from our campaign can be used to recruit our peers across the country so they too can experience the great things ACN can offer students and recent graduates.