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Lincoln Financial Group(R)/National Forensic League National Speech Tournament Announces 22 Scholarship Winners

PHILADELPHIA, July 16 PRNewswire — More than 3,200 students from across the nation competed in the week-long Lincoln Financial Group(R)/National Forensic League National Speech Tournament from June 16-20 in Las Vegas. These students qualified for the national tournament after a rigorous season of competition amongst students from across the U.S.

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National Champions

A $5,000 Scholarship was awarded to the National Champion in each of the following events:

— Student Congress Senate — Kevin Eaton from Duncanville High School; Duncanville, TX — Student Congress House — Nathan Blevins from Gilmour Academy; Cleveland, OH — Ted Turner Public Forum Debate — Caleb Frye and Meredith Potter from Pinecrest HS; Southern Pines, NC — Policy Debate — Evan Defilippis and James Hamraie from Colleyville Heritage HS; Colleyville, TX — US Extemporaneous Speaking — Rebecca Goldstein from Newton South HS; Newton Centre, MA — International Extemporaneous Speaking — Akshar Rambachan from Eastview HS; Apple Valley, MN — Original Oratory — Hoang Nugyen from Plano Senior HS; Plano, TX — Humorous Interpretation — Alex Wozencraft from Mannford HS; Mannford, OK — Dramatic Interpretation — Stephen Elrod from Bellarmine College Prep; San Jose, CA — Duo Interpretation — Greta Besser and Adam Bouchareb from Lakeville North HS; Lakeville, MN — Lincoln-Douglas Debate — Todd Liipfert from Houston Jesuit HS; Houston, TX

Lincoln-Douglas Debate Runners-Up

Lincoln Financial Group also awarded scholarship prizes to the runners-up in the Lincoln-Douglas Debates competition. Recipients include:

— 2nd Place - $2000 Scholarship — Joan Gass from Hockaday School; Dallas, TX — 3rd Place - $1000 Scholarship — Corey Metzman from Montgomery Bell Academy; Nashville, TN — 4th Place - $500 Scholarship — Arjun Chandran from Cary Academy; Cary, NC

In addition, five Student Participants of the Year were randomly chosen and awarded $1,000 individual scholarships. One National Forensic League participant won a Donovan McNabb autographed Philadelphia Eagle's football jersey and a trip for four to Lincoln Financial Field(R) in Philadelphia to attend a Philadelphia Eagles football game.

"Being able to communicate effectively is a key to success in any career endeavor," noted Garry Spence, a Vice President of Lincoln Financial Group who attended the event. "Lincoln Financial Group supports the National Forensic League because it encourages these students, this group of future leaders, to develop communications skills they will carry with them their entire lives."

These stellar orators were treated to a piece of history during the competition. Abraham Lincoln, portrayed by Richard "Fritz" Klein, one of the foremost Lincoln actors of today, spoke prior to the final round of the Lincoln-Douglas Debate. The Lincoln-Douglas Debates take their name from the senatorial campaign debates of 1858, when respected orator and U.S. Senator Stephen Douglas (D-Ill.) went head-to-head with Republican challenger Abraham Lincoln during a series of seven debates on the subject of slavery and states' sovereignty.

The Lincoln Financial Group(R)/National Forensic League National Speech Tournament is an annual competition organized and run by the National Forensic League and sponsored by Lincoln Financial Group. The National Forensic League is a non-partisan, not-for-profit educational honorary society based in Ripon, Wis. Alumni include Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, Supreme Court Justice Steven Breyer, Attorney General Janet Reno, Senators Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and William Frist (R-Tenn.), television journalist Jane Pauley, media executive Ted Turner, C-SPAN president Brian Lamb, and entertainment personalities Oprah Winfrey, Kelsey Grammer, James Dean, Bette Midler, and Shelley Long.

Lincoln Financial Group is the national sponsor of the National Forensic League's national tournament and the Lincoln Financial Group(R) Refreshers at many of the NFL district tournaments across the country. Lincoln Financial Group has been a sponsor of the National Forensic League since 1994.

About Lincoln Financial Group

Lincoln Financial Group is the marketing name for Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE: LNC) and its affiliates. With headquarters in Philadelphia, the companies of Lincoln Financial Group had assets under management of $225 billion as of March 31, 2008. Through its affiliated companies, Lincoln Financial Group offers: annuities; life, group life and disability insurance; 401(k) and 403(b) plans; savings plans; mutual funds; managed accounts; institutional investments; and comprehensive financial planning and advisory services. Affiliates also include: Delaware Investments, the marketing name for Delaware Management Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries; and Lincoln UK. For more information, including a copy of our most recent SEC reports containing our balance sheets, please visit www.LincolnFinancial.com.

SOURCE Lincoln Financial Group

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