Texas Tech's Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow chapter took home a series of awards this week at the Ag Media Summit in Albuquerque, including the chapter leadership award. The conference's annual 'Critique and Contest' is an opportunity for the students to submit their work from the last year in writing, publications, electronic media, public relations, photography and advertising.

The conference included a joint meeting of the American Agricultural Editors' Association, Livestock Publications Council, and the Association of Business Information & Media Companies Agri-Council, plus the annual meeting of the Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow. The get-together is one of the largest meetings in the United States of the ag industry's top writers, editors, photographers, publishers and ag communicator specialists.

Among the award recipients from Texas Tech were:

• Photography Division: Faith Jurek, third place scenic photo
• Publications Division: The Agriculturist; second place magazine; Kristen Odom Brown, editor; David Doerfert, adviser.
• Public Relations Division: Jessica Lopez, Katelyn Karney and Layton Norwood, first place public relations campaign
• Electronic Media Division: Kaitlin Spraberry, first place video; Krista Lucas, second place video; and Kaitlin Spraberry, excellence in electronic media

Separately, for the upcoming year Jurek was elected National Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow Secretary/Treasurer. In addition, Jurek represented Texas Tech as the winner of an American Agricultural Editors' Association scholarship, and was a finalist for the prestigious Forrest Bassford scholarship, which was awarded through the Livestock Publications Council.

Tech's Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow chapter is co-advised by Department of Agricultural Education and Communications Assistant Professors Courtney Meyers and Erica Irlbeck. The chapter hosted the National ACT Professional Development Conference in February.

Written by Norman Martin

Erica Irlbeck, Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Education & Communications, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2816 or erica.irlbeck@ttu.edu

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