The University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications announced on March 27 that Marissa Lindemann is the 2024 George and Eva Grimes Memorial Competition winner. Lindemann is a sophomore broadcasting and journalism double major from Des Moines, Iowa.
The George and Eva Grimes Memorial Competition tests students' ability to use written or visual storytelling to make a compelling case for the benefits of international experience. All CoJMC undergraduate and graduate students accepted into a UNL international experience can enter the competition. Students submit a 1,000-word essay or a thirty- to sixty-second video demonstrating how funds will support their international experience.
Entries are judged by members of the CoJMC Scholarship and Student Success Committee. This year's judges were Assistant Professors of Practice Sharon Baldinelli and Shoun Hill, Lecturer Bill Doleman, Administrative Associate Tiffany Groteluschen, Marketing and Communications Coordinator Kaitlin Van Loon and Alumni Relations, Director of Advising Alisa Smith and Event Coordinator Zac Franzen.
The Grimes Memorial Competition provides the winner a $2,000 award to support the cost of international travel. Lindemann will use the award to support travel to Namibia during the summer of 2024. She will spend three weeks participating in a UNL Study Abroad course, Namibia: Wildlife Conservation, examining varied approaches to conservation in the country and their impact on endangered species.
Following the course, Lindemann will remain in Namibia for the summer to complete an internship with a Wildlife Conservation Organization. During her experience, Lindemann will use her journalism and broadcasting education to create real-world conservation stories about people working to make the world more sustainable and the wildlife that inspires them.
"Congratulations to Marissa for winning the Grimes Competition," said Shari Veil, Jane T. Olson Dean of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications. "We are proud of her accomplishments and look forward to seeing the stories she will tell during her travels."
Established in 1991 by Lee, George and David Grimes, the George and Eva Grimes Memorial Competition commemorates the legacy of their parents. Both hailing from Nebraska, George and Eva Grimes began their journey at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1914. Notably, they both held the position of editor-in-chief at the Daily Nebraskan, with Eva breaking ground as the first female editor in 1916, followed by George the subsequent year. After college and George's service in World War I, they spent their careers working in journalism before purchasing the Oxnard Press-Courier, which they owned until 1962.
An endowment managed by the University of Nebraska Foundation supports the competition.
