Martin Luther College

Thalassa Prize

Thalassa

This award is given to recognize a Martin Luther College student or graduate who expresses clearly and beautifully, in image and word, a personal reflection on a WELS/CELC ministry experience overseas.

2026 Winner: Berenice

The winner of the 2026 Thalassa contest is Cuauhtemoc (Temo) Ramirez, a Spanish education major who spent a week in January 2026 near Cuernavaca, Mexico, visiting shelters for migrant worker families and sharing the Word of God, songs, and art activities with the mothers and children temporarily living there.

MLC’s Cultural Engagement Center awarded Temo $1000, half of which he designated to Costa Maya Ministries Cruz De Cristo in Mahahual, Mexico. This is the 20th annual Thalassa Prize awarded by MLC.

Berenice, small girl standing by curtain

Berenice

We had just arrived at the migrant shelter and were beginning to set up our arts-and-crafts for the children. The “homes” stood in rows, their front doors nothing more than hanging blankets. We called out in Spanish, inviting the children to join us for Bible stories and activities.

Berenice peeked out.

She stood quietly in the doorway, half hidden behind the blanket, observing us before deciding whether to step forward. In her hand, she held a banana. Her eyes were cautious, yet curious. The dimly lit space behind her contrasted with the light falling across her face as if she were standing between two worlds.

Berenice was one of many children living in this migrant community, a place marked by movement and uncertainty. Yet that week, she came faithfully to listen to stories and sing songs of a Savior who does not move, who does not abandon, who does not forget.

Her name comes from the Greek Bereníkē, “she who brings victory.”

Victory did not look like strength or triumph that day. It looked small. Quiet. But the victory she needs, the victory we all need, has already been Christ’s victory over sin and death.

My prayer is that when Berenice hears her name, she will one day know the greater victory it echoes, that Jesus has overcome the world, and that she belongs to Him.

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57)

Purposes of the MLC Thalassa Prize

  • To express gratitude to God for the opportunity to serve him in international venues.
  • To provide an opportunity for MLC students and graduates in WELS/CELC international ministry to share their stories.
  • To motivate and inspire current MLC students to consider serving overseas.
  • To bring glory to God through excellence in the arts of photography and creative writing.
  • To reaffirm through image and word the dignity of the entire human race and the desire of God to save all people.

Entrance Requirements

  • Open to all MLC undergraduates and graduates who have done WELS/CELC ministry or are doing WELS/CELC ministry outside the United States.
  • Each entry must include
    • A completed entry form.
    • A color digital photograph taken in a foreign mission field.
    • A personal reflection on ministry in that foreign mission field.
  • Entrants may submit as many entries as they wish.
  • Annual deadline for all submissions: April 30
  • Check out submission guidelines, photo and essay specifications, and judging criteria here.

Prize

  • The Thalassa Prize recipient will be announced in May or June.
  • The $1,000 prize will be divided equally between the winner ($500) and a WELS/CELC international mission of the winner’s choice ($500).
  • The winning submission may be published in MLC and WELS publications, posted online, and displayed on campus.