Del Mar journalists compete at annual TCCJA conference

The Texas Community College Journalism Association hosted its an annual fall conference for students in journalism and other media professions on Oct. 8-9 in Stephenville, Texas. Community college students from across Texas gathered to compete in a real-time multimedia reporting contest based on mock news events.

The conference also offers students professional development workshops held by industry experts to help students prepare for their careers in journalism and media after graduation.

“I truly believe these competitions are essential experiences that could make someone a better journalist,” said Del Mar Digital Media major Tamara Martinez. “You get real life experiences from these events that really test your skills on another level.”

Student publications from across the state were then presented with awards honoring previous semester’s work.

TCCJA was hosted by Tarleton State University, where students had a chance to see the Stephenville-based campus along with their two days of live competition and workshops.

The first day of the convention included a pre-contest workshop on how to cover a volleyball game followed by a live sports competition as Tarleton State volleyball competed against Central Arkansas.

“The limited amount of time for submission makes the challenge a bit stressful,” Del Mar PR/Advertising major Alondra Alonzo said. “However, I believe this is what the contest is all about, helping students work on strict deadlines when working in the real world.”

Students also had an opportunity to network with students and advisors from seven colleges at the first-day mixer.

On the second day of the conference, students attended another round of pre-contest workshops to prepare them for the second live competition. The workshops concentrated on writing and covering press conferences, news photography, editorial art, and mobile journalism.

The second live competition featured a mock press conference on Tarleton University officials increasing the number of Flock cameras on the campus – a fake scenario created specifically for the competition. Students were then directed to create a multimedia package as they would for a breaking news story. Students were ranked on best written story, best headline, best news photo, best photo story, best visual or graphic and best video package.

“I had to work in conjunction with people I’ve never worked with before, under a time crunch that put me and all my technology to the test,” said Del Mar Digital Journalism major Victor Herrera.

Del Mar students brought home 17 Previously Published awards covering Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 work, and one live competition award at this year’s TCCJA conference.