The 29^TH MGSA SYMPOSIUM

The Victor Papacosma Graduate Student Essay Prize for 2026

The MGSA is pleased to announce the results of the 2026 MGSA S. Victor Papacosma Graduate Essay Prize.

On behalf of the S. Victor Papacosma Graduate Essay Prize Committee, which has finally completed its deliberations, the committee has decided to award the 2026 prize to two candidates again this year. The co-recipients submitted the following works:

• 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 Charalambos 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.

Below is a summary of the qualities that informed the committee's decision.

• From Cocoon to Cosmos: Contemporary Cypriot Ecopoetics in Άλφα

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.

• Parisian Microcosms of Mediterranean Entanglement: Algerian Decolonization and the Making of a “New Philhellenism,” 1954–1974
  

The committee was equally impressed by “Parisian Microcosms of Mediterranean Entanglement” for its elegant prose and exciting contribution to transnational studies of the Greek junta. The essay places political agency within a transnational Mediterranean context and examines activism in relation to broader political and cultural discourses. Members were particularly impressed by its interdisciplinary approach, its literariness, and strong scholarly rigor. 

The prize comes with an award of $500. The MGSA will honor an award of $500 to each of the winners, and the Committee will award the prize and congratulate recipients at the Awards Ceremony at the MGSA Symposium, on Thursday, October 15th, at 7:30 p.m.