The Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT) chapter at The Ohio State University was presented with several national awards during the Ag Media Summit held in Indianapolis, July 26-30, 2014.
The chapter was presented with the National ACT Chapter of the Year for the 2013-2014 academic year. Ohio State also won the award in 2009, 2010 and 2012.
“It’s a great honor for the club to be recognized with this award after our members put in so much hard work to make it a successful year,” said Stacie Seger, OSU ACT club president. “We continue to raise the bar higher and think of new ways to promote the industry, give back to the community and challenge our members. We are so proud to bring this award home for another year.”
Ohio State was also recognized with the awards of Chapter of the Year, Leadership Activities; Chapter of the Year, Educational Activities; Chapter of the Year, Membership Recruiting and Retention Activities; Chapter of the Year, Social Activities.
In addition to the awards presented to the chapter, four members received honors in the annual ACT Critique & Contest. ACT members from around the country submitted writing, photography, and design pieces to the contest. Ohio State’s winning submissions include:
Writing Division
Long Feature Story: Caroline Weihl (Otsego, Ohio), first place; News Story: Caroline Weihl, second place;
Photography Division
Animal Photo: Caroline Weihl, first place; People Photo: Caroline Weihl, first place; Diana Stacy (Old Fort, Ohio), third place; Scenic Photo: Caroline Weihl, third place; Other Photo: Caroline Weihl, first place; Overall Excellence in Photography: Caroline Weihl;
Electronic Media Division
Long Video Production: Brent Stammen (Versailles, Ohio), second place
Design and Layout Division
Graphic Design: Diana Stacy, second place; Page Layout: Molly Wickham (Piketon, Ohio), fifth place
The Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow at Ohio State host several events throughout the academic year including the Earl McMunn Contemporary Issues in Agriculture Forum, Agricultural Communications CDE Bootcamp for Ohio FFA members and A Night for Young Professionals. They also host the Lindsay Hill Memorial 3on3 Basketball Tournament to raise money for the Lindsay Hill Scholarship Fund and partnered with the Buckeye Dairy Club for Outreach on the Oval, which promotes the agriculture industry to Ohio State students.
Many ACT students study agricultural communication or have an interest in sharing the agriculture industry. The agricultural communication major prepares students to plan, develop, and implement a communication campaign, using visual media, writing and editing. Students study crisis communication, graphic design, marketing, and journalism so they can spread the word about agriculture. To learn more about the agricultural communication major, visit acel.osu.edu or call 614-247-6358.