Congratulations to Cristi Hegranes, founder and executive director of Global Press Institute (syndicated by Newstex), who was awarded the 2012 Grinnell Prize for Young Innovator for Social Justice.The annual award is given out by Grinnell College and honors three individuals under the age of 40 who have demonstrated leadership in their fields and have shown creativity, commitment, and exceptional accomplishment in affecting positive social change. This year's nominations for the prestigious award came from 45 countries. As the winner, Crisit Hegranes takes home a $100,000 award.Global Press Institute (GPI) was founded by Hegranes in 2006 when she was 25 years old and had been working as a foreign correspondent in Nepal. GPI is a social venture that uses journalism to educate, empower, and employ women in developing nations to create high-quality local news coverage that increases global awareness and social change. Since 2006, GPI has educated and employed more than 130 women in 25 countries around the world.Grinnell College released a video about Cristi Hegrane and GPI, which you can watch below.

In an email to readers, the Global Press Institute Board of Directors thanked everyone who helped turn the site into what it is today saying:

"With determined vision and endless perseverance, Cristi has never wavered from her core belief that journalism is a development tool that, when used responsibly, can be the key to fostering genuine social change. This is, of course, not the first time GPI's work has been recognized for its original journalism and social impact: GPI has won more than a dozen journalism awards and honors, including the Journalism Innovation Prize from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2010 and the prestigious Kurt Schork Prize for Excellence in International Reporting from the Reuters Foundation in 2011. Cristi personally received the Ida B. Wells Award for Bravery in Journalism in 2008 and a Jefferson Award for Public Service in 2011."

Image: Grinnell College