Applications now open for agricultural communications award

A competition to honour those who help spread the word about agriculture is now open for entries.  

The Fordyce Maxwell Award for Agricultural Communications is for all current and former SRUC students, recognising all forms of agriculture communications and communicators: written articles, social media content, podcasts, blogs, vlogs, public speaking events, and beyond. 

Now in its fourth year, the winner of the award will be announced at the Royal Highland Show.  

Craig Davidson, Senior SRUC Lecturer, said: “In times of changing public perception and a decrease in general agricultural literacy, we aim to encourage those who have their wellies on the ground to spread the word about the food journey. 

“The Fordyce Maxwell Award for Agricultural Communications seeks to recognise SRUC students and alumni who demonstrate exceptional strength and determination in their efforts, large or small, to publicly spread the word about agriculture in order to showcase and promote its value to local, national, and international audiences.”  

The award was created in 2023 to honour the memory of Fordyce Maxwell, the award-winning and highly respected journalist, broadcaster, and farmer, who passed away in October 2022.  

He was a great advocate for the farming industry, and he has a strong family connection to SRUC with his son Tom being the Chief Communications Officer. 

Previous winners of the award include podcaster Wallace Currie, Knowledge Exchange Manager at UK Agri-Tech Centre; Catriona Brown, Competitions Manager at RHASS; and Junior Auctioneer John McCulloch.  

Applicants must be a current or former SRUC student who is or has actively spread a positive message about agriculture through any form of communication. Any current student studying full-time, part-time, or through the micro-credentials courses is eligible to apply. 

A trophy and £200 cash prize will be available to the winner.  

Entries close at midday on Friday 1 May. To enter, visit https://www.sruc.ac.uk/FordyceMaxwellAward 

Posted by SRUC on 31/03/2026