2025-2026 College Award Winners

Harper Award for Exceptional Performance in a Course

Recognizing achievement in an undergraduate course beyond general education, departments are invited annually to nominate students for the Harper Award for Course Excellence. The Harper Award is designed to decorate the deeply engaged, stellar student, independent of the grade the student receives in the course, or their grade point average.

LGBTQ+ Community Engagement Award

The LGBTQ+ Community Engagement Award is a student prize sponsored by UChicago Alumni Pride and the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality. The award is given annually to honor exceptional contributions that advance and support the interests of the LGBTQ+ community and is open to current UChicago undergraduate or graduate students in good academic standing. The awardee receives a prize of $500 and the honor of the opportunity to speak publicly about the significance of their work and introduce the invited distinguished speaker at the coming year’s OUTstanding Speaker Series lecture.

  • Alina Randhawa

Albert A. Dahlberg Prize

Awarded by the Department of Anthropology for the most distinguished Bachelor’s paper in the areas of Archaeology or Physical Anthropology

  • Yunyi Xing

Brian J. Baldea MVP Award

Presented to a baseball player who, by vote of his teammates, has made the greatest contribution to the team through leadership, commitment and skill.

  • Erik Rindner

Bridge Builder Award

Recognizes students who have worked to establish or support connections between student groups or individuals. The areas of collaboration can include collaborative events, exploration of diverse cultures, education about issues that have challenged the campus, or other multicultural offerings.

  • Elsa Batalden

Campus Life and Leadership Award

Presented to graduating students who have demonstrated leadership in a single co-curricular endeavor and subsequently improved the quality of life on campus.

  • Hunter Bershtein
  • Gasser Elwasefi
  • Jessica Ledesma
  • Eva Lim
  • Nicole Wong
  • Annie Yang

College Outstanding New Leader Award

Awarded to first- and second- year students for exemplary contributions to student life while showing further promise as student leaders.

  • Alex Jung

David Blair McLaughlin Prize

Presented for essays written by students in the graduating class demonstrating special skill and sense of form in the writing of English prose.

  • Lucy Cygal
  • Anna Riccardi

David L. Fulton Prizes for Orchestral Excellence

Awarded to one or more outstanding student string-instrument players in the University Symphony Orchestra who have consistently demonstrated the highest level of musical accomplishment on their instruments, as well as extraordinary commitment to the Orchestra.

  • Miriam Friedman
  • Cellestine Harig
  • Clarice Kim
  • Michael Lee

David W. Grainger Senior Scholarship

Presented to a third year Physics student who shows particular interest and aptitude in the laboratory as well as outstanding proficiency in formal course work.

  • Xiaoyu Chen

Dunn Research Fellowship in English

The Dunn Research Fellowship in English is awarded to undergraduate students conducting faculty-guided research in the field.

  • Lee Gutman
  • Melia Moore
  • Tyler Sookralli

Earl R. Franklin Research Fellowship in Psychology

Supports student summer research projects in Psychology.

  • Becky Guo
  • Anthony Procaccio
  • Jun Shin

Edith Ballwebber Prize

Presented to female athletes who have demonstrated outstanding athletic performance, team leadership, initiative, and improvement and who have contributed significantly to the Women's Athletic Association.

  • Alexis Clark
  • Peyton McGuire
  • Alex Milisavljevic
  • Jamie Nguyen

Edward M. ("Ted") Haydon Medal

Awarded to a male track and field athlete who has contributed significantly to the sport through performance, leadership, and overall contribution.

  • Simon Dixon

Ellis Bonoff Kohs Award for Orchestral Excellence

Awarded to one or more outstanding student musicians in the University Symphony Orchestra who have consistently demonstrated the highest level of musical accomplishment on woodwind, brass, or percussion instruments, as well as extraordinary commitment to the Orchestra.

  • Juliet Oliver

Elsie F. Filippi Memorial Prize in Poetry

Presented to a student in the College who demonstrates distinction in poetic composition or in the study of poetry.

  • Noam Levinsky

Frances E. Knock Prize for Outstanding Academic Achievement in Biological Chemistry

Recognizes outstanding academic achievement in biological chemistry.

  • Prithi Srinivasan

Frances E. Knock Prize for Outstanding Academic Achievement in Chemistry

Recognizes outstanding academic achievement in chemistry.

  • David Wang

Francis X. Kinahan Memorial Prize

Awarded to the graduating senior who has made the most significant contributions to University Theater.

  • Emily Curran

Gertrude Dudley Medal

Awarded to a senior female athlete who has contributed significantly in both leadership and performance to the women's athletic program.

  • Mary Stuart Kerrigan

Heart of the Team Award

Presented by the Graduate Athletic Association to a senior who has provided life, spirit, and guidance, and demonstrated enthusiasm, perseverance and a positive attitude throughout her career.

  • Anna Chard

Howell Murray Alumni Association Award

After his death in 1958, a group of friends established the Howell Murray Medal to recognize and award the level of student leadership, dedication and ambition embodied in the spirit of Howell Murray.

  • Zarrin Ali
  • Inioluwa Aloba
  • Orion Douglas
  • Benjamin Fica
  • Elijah Jenkins
  • Timothy Lu
  • Shannon Meng
  • Neha Modak
  • Caitlin Mooney
  • Camden Pao
  • Anna Riccardi
  • Leena Saifeldawlla
  • Sophia Shen
  • Chichi Wang
  • Seri Welsh
  • Emily Xu

Humanitarian Award

Presented to students who have lived a life of honesty, integrity, and responsibility, with a demonstrated commitment to the welfare of the greater community.

  • Ruby Velez
  • Alexander von Kumberg

J. Kyle Anderson Award

Presented to the senior baseball player who best exemplifies character, leadership, integrity, and dedication to the team while distinguishing himself with accomplishments on the field.

  • John Butka

James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Center for Research on Wealth Inequality and Mobility Thesis Prize in Public Policy

The Stone Thesis Prize is awarded each May to exceptional undergraduate students in Public Policy at the University of Chicago who have produced exemplary research on topics of inequality. This award, which recognizes work that is original, of scholarly excellence, and significant to the field, aims to create early-stage pathways into the study of inequality.

  • Elayna Whiteman

Jane Morton and Henry C. Murphy Award

Presented to those students who have made unique contributions to improving university student life.

  • Michelle Du
  • Kevin Guo

Janel Mueller Undergraduate Thesis Prize in English and American Literature

Awarded to seniors who have written the best Bachelor's theses.

  • Jessica Zang

John Crerar Foundation Science Writing Prize for College Students

Acknowledges the ability of a University of Chicago College student to produce a paper on a scientific topic that is thorough in its arguments, but accessible to a broad readership.

  • Rina Iwata
  • Audrey Kaye
  • Jacqueline McVeigh
  • Marta Pantin

John Haeseler Lewis Prize

Awarded in recognition of the best graduating senior majoring in Physics.

  • Xiaoyu Chen
  • Benjamin Cohen

Joseph Stampf Medal

Awarded to the senior player who strives for excellence as a man and as a basketball player, who dedicates himself to his teammates, and whose commitment to high values and integrity is expressed in his relationship with his teammates and coaches.

  • Ben Chasin

Justin Palmer Prize

Awarded annually by the Department of Middle Eastern Studies to the undergraduate major who submits the best Senior honors paper.

  • Andrew Edmondson

Leonard Bloomfield Prize in Linguistics

Awarded to the graduating fourth-year linguistics majors with the highest GPA in linguistics courses.

  • Surya Chinnappa
  • Kenneth Cius
  • Sami Feinberg
  • Will Flowers
  • Mushkie Gurevich
  • Aliya Harris
  • Andrew Mark Welch
  • Aria Petrella
  • Sydney Sparr

Les River Fellowship for Young Novelists

Awarded to a writer of fiction to support the development of a novel towards publication.

  • Carrie Midkiff

Louis Sudler Prize in the Performing and Creative Arts

Awarded for academic achievement in performing and creative arts

  • Raquel Dawson
  • Gemma Lippman

Margaret C. Annan Undergraduate Award in Writing

Established in Ms. Annan's memory by her students, for third-year students in the College in recognition of excellent writing and for support of a writing project.

  • Hannah Mayerfield
  • Tyler Sookralli
  • Sophia Zeglis

Margaret McKenzie Prize in Germanic Studies

The McKenzie Prize in Germanic Studies is presented to a College student for outstanding work in Germanic Studies.

  • Aria Petrella

Marion R. & Adolph J. Lichtstern Prize

Awarded by the Department of Anthropology for the most distinguished Bachelor’s paper in the areas of Social, Cultural, and Linguistic Anthropology

  • Santiago Baca

Mary Jean Mulvaney Scholar Athlete Award

Awarded to the male and female senior athletes with the highest junior and senior grade point average.

  • Zach Meyer

Max Davidson Award

Presented to a member of each of the men's and women's tennis teams whose dedication to the team and to sports has excelled above all others.

  • Lauren Khou
  • Brooke Pedersen

Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program

Provides a cohort of current second-year students with faculty mentoring and research development during their junior and senior years, preparing them for planned doctoral studies in the humanities and qualitative social sciences.

  • Aaliyyah Garcia
  • Faron Livinus
  • Smyrna Osae
  • Antonio Persi
  • Cayden Sewell

Nicholson B.A. Thesis Prize

Awarded for the best senior B.A. thesis in the area of British Studies, based on the use of primary materials in any concentration or discipline

  • Jacob Zuckerman

Norman H. Nachtrieb Award

Awarded each year to an outstanding student for excellence in undergraduate chemistry studies.

  • Melody Tang

Olga and Paul Menn Foundation Prize

Awarded for an original short story or novel extract by students in the graduating class.

  • Tori Harris
  • Daniel Sipes

Olga and Paul Menn Foundation Prize (Play)

The Olga and Paul Menn Foundation Prizes for an original play of one or more acts by a student in the graduating class.

  • Camille Cypher

Paul R. Cohen Memorial Prize

Awarded to the graduating seniors who have achieved the highest academic record in the field of mathematics.

  • Dael Amzalag
  • Jalen Chrysos
  • Jalen Chrysos
  • Pascal Descollonges
  • Jacob Stump
  • Jacob Stump
  • Peter Zhou

Performing Arts Collaborator Award

Recognizes the graduating student who has best demonstrated the spirit of collaboration between two or more arts groups on campus.

  • Shannon Meng

Performing Arts Leadership Award

Recognizes the graduating student who has best demonstrated arts leadership in a single performing art organization on campus.

  • Talya Borisy
  • Maggie Shi

Richard P. Taub Thesis Prize in Public Policy

Honoring Richard P. Taub, the founder of the undergraduate Public Policy program, the Taub Thesis Prize is awarded each May to three students majoring in PBPL whose BA theses reflect original and extensive research and exceptional writing.

  • Brianna Duty
  • Francisca Giuliani
  • Grace Greeno
  • Georgie Williams

Samuel T. Fleck Prize in Italian

Awarded annually to the best paper written by a student in Italian.

  • Giacomo Mevio

T. Kimball Brooker Prize for Undergraduate Book Collecting

The University of Chicago Library is pleased to sponsor the T. Kimball Brooker Prize for undergraduate book collecting. Mr. Brooker (PhD'96) established the Prize to foster a love of the book and to encourage book collecting among undergraduates. The Brooker Prize is awarded to a second-year and fourth-year student whose book collections have been shaped with the most care in order to foster the love of books and to encourage book collecting among undergraduates.

  • Yixin Chen
  • Zia Pao-Ziegler
  • Himanshu Sahore
  • Mazie Witter

The Joyce Z. and Jacob Greenberg Center for Jewish Studies Essay Prize

Recognizes the best undergraduate essay on a topic related to Jewish Studies written for a course.

  • Elias Widawsky

Theater and Performance Studies Exemplary Mentor Award

Recognizes the graduating seniors who have made outstanding contributions through mentorship to the university through their work with performing arts organizations.

  • Sami Feinberg
  • Ashley Kulp
  • Soraya Wilson

Theodore Lee Neff Prize for Excellence in the Study of French Literature and Culture

Awarded annually to the best BA Thesis written by a student in French.

  • Ernest Leong
  • Alexis Truta

University Theater/Theater and Performance Studies Technical Award

In support of the graduating student who has made the most significant design and technical contributions to the University Theater during their collegiate experience.

  • Sam Doepker

Unsung Hero Award

Recognizes students who have positively influenced a program or organization from behind the scenes with a positive attitude toward goals, a willingness to help in whatever capacity necessary, and a commitment to excellence in the completion of tasks and duties.

  • Lucas Dong
  • Jadyn Lewis-Jenkins
  • Annabel Olivo

Walter and Fay Selove Prize in Physics

Recognizes outstanding undergraduates in physics, astronomy, or astrophysics.

  • Asad Fayiz
  • Emilio Peláez Cisneros
  • Conrad Wichmann

Women's Athletic Association and Order of the C Most Valuable Player Awards

Presented to athletes who make significant contributions to their teams and best demonstrate skill, loyalty, and sportsmanship.

  • Sarena Biria
  • Cooper Costello
  • Katja Dunayevich
  • Ronald Garriques
  • Kate Gross
  • Jillie Hooey
  • Zach Meyer
  • Diya Mishra
  • Madeline Murphy
  • Shri Murugesan
  • Jamie Nguyen
  • Sanju Patel
  • Erik Rindner
  • Aryan Shrivastava
  • Alicia Soosai
  • Eddie Wu

Wrobel Trophy

Presented to the wrestler who has scored the most team points during the season.

  • Ronald Garriques