The Modern Greek Studies Association announced two co-winners of the 2026 S. Victor Papacosma Graduate Essay Prize:
Ciara C. Barrick (University of Michigan) for "From Cocoon to Cosmos: Contemporary Cypriot Ecopoetics in Άλφα" & Dimitrios Machlouta (McGill University) for "Parisian Microcosms of Mediterranean Entanglement: Algerian Decolonization and the Making of a “New Philhellenism,” 1954–1974"
The review committee consisted of three reviewers, Yiorgos Anagnostou, George Fragopoulos, and Charalampos Minasidis, who met on October 2 to discuss the eleven submissions. The committee was particularly impressed by the exceptional quality of these two essays, especially their superb writing, intellectual sophistication, methodological rigor, and significant contributions to the field of Modern Greek Studies.
The committee regarded “From Cocoon to Cosmos: Contemporary Cypriot Ecopoetics in Άλφα” as an outstanding and innovative piece of scholarship that brings Modern Greek Studies into conversation with important epistemological debates. The essay's ecopoetic approach to contemporary Cypriot poetry is both original and vibrant, opening new avenues for research and laying the foundation for future scholarship in the field. The essay combines disciplinary breadth with sophisticated close reading, offering a nuanced analysis of contemporary Cypriot poetry while connecting local and global scales of inquiry.
Given to the Best Graduate Student Essay on a Greek subject, the S. Victor Papacosma Essay Prize is awarded on a biennial schedule to coincide with the Association's Symposium.
Congratulations Ciara! We're looking forward to celebrating with you at Chicago on Thursday!
