Drake University student Tess Meggison, alongside her teammate and longtime friend Campbell Valline of Iowa State University, won first place at the 17th annual Washington Media Scholars Foundation (WMSF) Media Plan Case Competition, each securing a $5,000 scholarship. 

Meggison and Valline were awarded top prize after presenting their data-driven campaign to a panel of top media and advertising executives during the prestigious WMSF awards luncheon in Washington, D.C., on June 11. 

This year’s national competition, hosted in partnership with Responsibility.org, tasked students with tackling a complex, real-world brief: “Campus Reset: Driving Alcohol 101+ Adoption Across South Carolina’s Public Higher Education System.” 

The students developed comprehensive media plans with a hypothetical $300,000 budget, grappling not just with reach and impressions, but with how media can shape behavior and responsibility in communities across America. 

Leading up to the final pitch, Meggison and Valline spent a week engaging 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.  

“The caliber of students that come through WMSF is something you don’t often see at this stage of a career,” said Mike Jones of Gray Media, WMSF presenting sponsor. “These aren’t students anymore, really. They’re colleagues.” 

To hear more about Meggison and Valline’s winning pitch and their experience in Washington, D.C., listen to their recent interview on the Scholar Sessions podcast.