GSS & C-FARE 2026 Policy Communications Competition

In today’s policy and professional landscape, graduate students increasingly pursue careers that require not only rigorous economic analysis, but also the ability to communicate complex findings clearly and effectively to policymakers, industry leaders, and the public. Strong policy communication involves translating technical research into accessible, evidence-based insights that inform understanding of real-world issues.

To support the development of these skills, the Graduate Student Section (GSS) and the Council on Food, Agricultural & Resource Economics (C-FARE) are pleased to host the 6th Annual Policy Communications Competition. This competition provides graduate students with the opportunity to develop and showcase both written and verbal policy communication skills, with an emphasis on clarity, objectivity, and policy relevance.

Participants will submit a policy brief based on their own research or field of interest. Submissions should focus on analyzing the impacts of a policy or policy-relevant issue and clearly communicating insights to a policymaking audience.

2026 Competition Theme

The 2026 Policy Communications Competition is designed to both reflect student research interests and align with key federal policy priorities. Participants are asked to choose a policy brief topic that aligns within one or more of the following seven USDA Mission Areas. While submissions need not explicitly state which mission area the policy brief aligns with, we suggest students be prepared to explain which mission area their policy brief aligns with when prompted.

USDA Mission Areas:

1. Farm Production and Conservation
2. Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services
3. Food Safety
4. Market and Regulatory Programs
5. Natural Resources and Environment
6. Rural Development
7. Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs

Submission Guidelines

Policy briefs should:

1. Address a timely and policy relevant issue at the local, state, national, or international level
2. Be grounded in economic reasoning and empirical or conceptual analysis

Clearly articulate:

1. The policy or policy relevant issue being examined
2. The mechanisms through which the policy affects economic or social outcomes
3. The observed or expected impacts of the policy, supported by evidence
4. Be written for a non-technical audience, such as policymakers, agency staff, or stakeholders
5. Maintain an objective and analytical tone, avoiding normative or prescriptive recommendations

Each application should include:

1. A cover page containing (Page 1) the participant's name and contact information
2. The student's policy brief (Page 2-3).

Registration Information & Deadline

Applications should be submitted via the Qualtrics link below.

Qualtrics Link: https://colostate.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bdP2gJmJFCthHzE

Applications must be submitted electronically no later than midnight CT on May 29, 2026.

Participant Eligibility

Graduate students must be a member of the GSS with a graduation date of Summer 2026 or later. They should be conducting research in agricultural economics, resource economics, regional development, or a related field.

Competition Information

The competition will consist of two rounds. Participants must submit a typed policy brief in the first round, not to exceed two content pages (double spaced, 12-point font, references, figures, and graphics). This document should summarize the background and current status of the issue, key facts (i.e., benefits and costs of government programs or project alternatives), findings, and conclusions. The participant's job is not to convince the policymaker to take a particular position or vote a certain way but rather to evaluate, gather, and present the necessary information to make an informed decision on the issue. Participants are welcome to seek out a faculty mentor to provide feedback on their policy brief, but the development of ideas must be the participants own work.

Example policy briefs are linked in the resources section below. Additional clarifying questions may be emailed to Rebecca Wasserman-Olin (Rebecca.Wasserman-Olin@colostate.edu) or Margaret Lippsmeyer (mlippsme@ksu.edu).

The second round of the competition will consist of an oral presentation by select finalists. Within the presentation, which is not to exceed 10 minutes in length, the student should detail the specifics of the policy issue and identify additional key facts and findings surrounding the topic. An effective presentation will complement the written policy brief and should be easily accessible for policymakers.

Q & A Opportunity

C-FARE representatives will hold a Q&A session via Microsoft Teams for participants to ask any clarifying questions on April 23rd at 12:00 pm CDT (link). A recording from the Q&A session will be made available the following day.

Preliminary Timeline

Friday, May 29, 2026:               Registration and policy brief due

Friday, June 26, 2026:              Finalists announced

Sunday, July 26, 2026:              Finalists present at the AAEA Annual Meeting in Kansas City, MO

Criteria for Selecting Finalists

• The participant clearly defines the problem and discusses the feasibility of the policy ideas.
• The participant provides background and supporting research on the topic, including areas of government failures or unintended consequences, and addresses the proper target audience.
• The participant integrates knowledge and research from various sources and provides a clear, concise summary of the issue.
• The participant uses formal but non-technical language that is easily accessible to policymakers, and their brief is free of grammatical mistakes.
• The policy brief uses appropriate formatting (proper headings, length no more than two pages, proper citation, ordered appearance, etc.).

Finalists at AAEA
Selected finalists will make a 10-minute presentation at the 2026 AAEA Annual Meeting in Kansas City Missouri on Sunday, July 26, 2026. The judges will evaluate presentations using a grading rubric shared with selected finalists. The selection of the finalists will be based on the material submitted and the criteria listed below. Finalists will be notified by June 26, 2026.

Awards
The top three competitors will be recognized at the AAEA Awards Ceremony and may be invited to present their work at a future C-FARE webinar (more details to come). In addition, winners of Policy Communication will receive a certificate and a cash prize. Cash prizes are as follows:

First place:	$300
Second place:	$200
Third place:	$100

AI Policy
If you use AI for any part of the policy brief, you will need to cite or acknowledge it fully and properly. Please follow the MLA guide on when AI needs to be cited versus included in an acknowledgment (https://style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai-updated-revised/). Mainly, a citation must be included if AI was used to generate images or figures, you quote directly from content generated by AI, or you paraphrase content generated by AI.

Every submission will require an AI acknowledgment. Please follow the guidelines provided by Arizona State University (https://libguides.asu.edu/generativeai/acknowledgement) for properly acknowledging the use of AI. A reminder, any AI-generated content, including paraphrasing what AI wrote, should be cited. The acknowledgment statement will note any additional uses of AI, such as idea generation, conducting a literature review, providing feedback on writing, or suggesting edits for grammar or native English-language flow. If you did not use AI, include this as your acknowledgment statement: “No AI assistance was used in preparing this policy brief. All content was generated independently by the author.”

Using an AI tool without proper attribution violates the competition rules and may result in dismissal from the competition.

Additional Resources
USDA Mission Areas:

• https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/general-information/mission-areas

Resources on how to make a policy brief:

• https://idrc-crdi.ca/en/funding/resources-idrc-grantees/how-write-policy-brief
• https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/e325f4a236440853757892321dc84413-0320012024/original/D2S4-DevelopingPolicyBriefs.pdf

Policy brief examples selected by C-FARE:

• https://wustl.app.box.com/s/13z61ph98l99rw9mqx96cuts1x6r3npo
• https://wustl.app.box.com/s/gc7t4zkryzz8s4e8w50hv4l8rarl76rp
• https://leaf.leeds.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/86/2024/08/UoL_Policy_Brief_Local_Climate_Impacts_of_Forests_2024_FINAL.pdf
• https://desapublications.un.org/policy-briefs/un-desa-policy-brief-no-187-revealing-generational-economy-essential-system-risk