FAYETTEVILLE -- Brittany Coffee of Gentry, a junior agricultural communications major in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Science at the University of Arkansas, earned top honors in a national photography contest.
She was overall winner in the Center for Public Issues Education agricultural photography contest, as the first-place finisher in the Faces of Agriculture category with her photograph, "Wisdom."
The goal of the competition was to capture a moment, landscape, product or service representing agricultural systems and ecosystems in three categories -- Agriculture, Faces of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
"My inspiration was the man in the image," said Coffee. "He is my best friend's grandfather (Papa Reeves) and genuinely one of the greatest men I have ever known. I wanted a picture of him just being him. He is a cattle rancher in southeast Kansas, and he's standing in front of a pen of his heifers. To me, it shows passion and wisdom learned from long, hard days tending to the land and the cattle."
The contest was a natural fit for Coffee, who was raised on a small farm and started her own business, BC Photography, when she was 16.
Public Issues Education faculty and staff chose five finalists in each category based on artistic merit, composition and overall impact. Winners were determined by votes on Facebook.
"My initial reaction to winning was super surprise," said Coffee. "It would not have happened without my family and friends voting. I was overwhelmed they took the time to vote. It means the world to me."
About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture.
About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.
General News on 07/01/2015