Local U of Astudent earns national photography award Coffee takes first and third place in National Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow competition.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Brittany Coffee, of Gentry, received the first-place Excellence in Photography award during the recent National Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow Critique and Contest.

Her picture, "Wisdom" won in the "People" category. This is the second national award Coffee has earned for this picture. In June she was overall winner in the Center for Public Issues Education agricultural contest.

She also placed third in the "Food" and "Other" categories in the National Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow competition.

Coffee is a junior in the Department of Agricultural Education, Communications and Technology in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Science.

"The national critique and contest provides our agricultural communication students the opportunity to showcase their work as well as receive critical feedback from industry specialists," said assistant professor Jill Rucker. "Students use the feedback to improve their communication pieces, such as press releases, layout and design, photographs and news stories that will be used in their portfolios. Value-added opportunities like this make our agricultural communication students more desirable candidates for jobs and internships."

There were 380 entries from across the country. NACT sponsors six divisions with 30 categories, and the U of A was the only program to earn more than one award for excellence.

NACT is the leading collegiate organization in developing and strengthening agricultural communication students through professional growth opportunities and educational programs.