Texas State Earns Two of Top Three Spots in National PR Competition
By Debra Price
Assistant Professor of Practice and Public Relations Program Coordinator
Two student teams advance to final round of PRSSA Bateman Competition
Two teams of public relations students from Texas State University have earned spots as top-three finalists in the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) Bateman Case Study Competition. The national competition drew 46 entries representing 35 universities from across the country.
The Texas State University Advocats and StarCats will advance to the final judging round on May 7, where they will compete against Montclair State University for first-, second- and third-place honors. The Bateman Competition challenges students to design and implement strategic public relations campaigns for a national client. This year’s client was ACCESS Newswire, a press release distribution and communications platform.
“Having both teams advance as top-three finalists is an extraordinary achievement and a proud moment for our program,” said Assistant Professor Debra Price, faculty adviser for the university’s Bateman teams. “This recognition reflects the talent and dedication of the 12 students representing Texas State University. Throughout the competition, they have consistently raised the bar and delivered creative, well-executed campaigns for the client.”
This is the first time since 2005 that Texas State University has made it to the finals round in the Bateman Case Study Competition. According to Bateman competition officials, records show that it has also been two decades since two teams from the same university have taken two of the top three spots in the country. The University of South Carolina had two finalist teams in 2004. The competition has been held annually by PRSSA since 1973.
The AdvoCats team created the Future Forward campaign to motivate college communities and professionals in Central Texas to utilize ACCESS Newswire as a tool for career readiness and strategic communications. In February, they hosted “Ready, Set, Launch,” a large-scale career-readiness event held at the university in partnership with Texas State Career Services. The event featured interactive career-readiness booths, a panel featuring industry experts, and a keynote by Texas State President Kelly Damphousse. Event partners included the Better Business Bureau serving the Heart of Texas, the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce, PRSA Austin, the Texas State School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and the Texas State Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
The StarCats team created the Culture in Common campaign to amplify the importance of storytelling and increase adoption of the ACCESS Newswire platform among students, professors and communication departments in the Texas State University System. They hosted the Culture in Common storytelling competition, which invited students to share personal narratives reflecting the experiences and traditions that make their campus culture unique. A press release on the winners of the competition was distributed nationally through ACCESS Newswire and the Texas State University Newsroom.
The AdvoCats team is made up of public relations students Alyssia Dodson, Isabel Maldonado, Mia Ocañas, Shauné Smith, Kayla Vargas and Amelia White. Their professional adviser is Sandy Pantlik. The students on the StarCats team are Gabriela Garcia, Emilee Grosse, Ella Knudsen, Jenna Krause, Ceccibell Moreno and Hanna Prince. Their professional adviser is Dara Quackenbush. Debra Price is the faculty adviser for both student teams.
For more information on the public relations program at Texas State University, visit here.
For full results of the 2026 Bateman Case Study Competition, go to https://www.prsa.org/prssa/scholarships-awards/bateman-competition.