The 2015 College Aggies Online (CAO) Scholarship Competition is about to kick off. The individual competition begins September 28th. The Animal Ag Alliance has made some new changes and challenges for this year’s participants. A special thanks goes out to this year’s competition sponsors: United Soybean Board & National Pork Industry Foundation.

Students will be competing for more than $20,000 in cash and prizes. The top three clubs and individuals will each receive a scholarship and an opportunity to attend the Animal Ag Alliance’s annual Stakeholders Summit. Mini-scholarships and contests will be held throughout the program.

The individual competition will include nine weeks of posting on social media, networking with other students and mentors and completing assignments. Assignments comprise of webinars hosted by industry experts, writing blog posts, creating infographics, visiting local legislators, giving speeches and creating videos. The competition will take students out of their comfort zones and create confident agriculture communicators not only on social media but on their college campuses and local communities. Program Mentors will advise students on how to get started on social media and finding their niche, establishing a good following community, coming up with content and answering tough questions. Club challenges include hosting an agriculture day on campus, busting common meat myths, visiting their state capitols, hosting a canned food drive and many more.