The Washington Media Scholars Foundation (WMSF) announced the winners of its 17th annual Media Scholars Case Competition at a prestigious awards luncheon held on June 11. The event, attended by media executives, university faculty, student finalists, alumni, WMSF staff, and volunteers, celebrated the talents of participating students and the Foundation’s longstanding commitment to developing the next generation of media and communications leaders.
The 2026 Media Plan Case Competition winners are Campbell Valline from Iowa State University and Tess Meggison from Drake University, taking home top prizes of $5,000 each. The second-place team, Michelle Ifediba and Juliette Diaz Rackohn from the University of California, Berkeley, received scholarships of $3,000 each. The annual Mia Guion Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Kimi Johnson from Iowa State University. The Excellence in Leadership award was presented to Brad Mont of Media Ad Ventures, Inc. The award was also presented to Katz Media Group in recognition of the organization’s outstanding contributions to the media industry and to WMSF.
Valline finished up her undergraduate political science degree in May and will continue at Iowa State in a political science master’s program with an emphasis in American politics and policy.
“The competition has opened up an entire world of advertising and comms and the intersection of politics – it opened a new sector I didn’t know existed,” Valline said. “It blew up my world. It was amazing.”
Johnson is a senior in marketing and public relations.
“I am so glad to have been honored the Mia Guion scholarship. It means a lot to be associated with the values and qualities that Mia embodied. This support will help me pursue my educational goals with greater focus and determination, and I will strive to make the most of every opportunity it provides,” Johnson said.
This year’s case competition challenged students to work with Responsibility.org on a timely, real-world brief: Campus Reset: Driving Alcohol 101+ Adoption Across South Carolina’s Public Higher Education System. Students developed comprehensive media plans with a $300,000 budget, grappling not just with reach and impressions, but with how media can shape behavior and responsibility in communities across America.
Throughout the week, finalists engaged in learning sessions, networking events, and real-world experiences led by industry leaders, visiting premier media agencies and political consulting firms across Washington, D.C.
“While the teams prepared independently, they were supported by the larger ISU and Iowa communication community,” said Jay Newell, Iowa State emeritus professor of advertising who stepped in to help coach Valline, Meggison, Johnson and her partner. “Campbell, Kimi, Nathan and Tess were able to follow the paths pioneered by Greenlee’s previous finalist teams, who were alumni on-call to provide guidance and inspiration. This year’s case focused on student alcohol education, with ISU’s substance abuse expert briefing our teams on legal and budgetary considerations. And as they have every year, ad agency ZLR Ignition in Des Moines stepped up to critique the dress rehearsal. Our teams were well-prepared for presenting their cases to a panel of professional political communicators.”
The multi-round Media Plan Case Competition requires students to prepare comprehensive media plans and present them to panels of industry expert judges. Since 2009, WMSF has supported more than 1,000 students from nearly 300 colleges and universities nationwide, awarding over $180,000 in scholarships each year.
“Our students continue to amaze me,” Newell said. “This case was one of the most complex ever faced by Media Scholars teams: it required a deep understanding of state-level politics, lobbying practice, and political communication that was micro-targeted to small groups of legislators and college administrators. Both of our teams presented well-crafted plans that were based on data and strategy.”
WMSF’s Media Fellows Scholarship program further extends the Foundation’s reach, providing needs-based financial support, mentorship, and career development resources to academically promising students with an interest in media, communications, public policy, and related fields. Many Media Fellows go on to earn competitive internships and full-time roles with leading media outlets, making a meaningful impact in their communities and industries.
“I’m pleased that an Iowa State student won the Mia Guion Memorial Scholarship,” said Newell. “While the scholarship is named for an ISU alumna who passed away a year after graduation, this is only the second time since 2019 that this national award has gone to a Cyclone. The judges look for the student who best represents Mia’s combination of career drive, communication skills, and thoughtfulness towards the needs of others. Kimi Johnson more than met the criteria.”