University of Rochester Department of English

It's almost time to 'tip our caps' to the Class of 2026! 🎓✨

Be sure you're up-to-date on all things Commencement here: https://www.rochester.edu/commencement/

University of Rochester

𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥: Our Class of 2026 Graduating Seniors Brunch is set for THIS WEDNESDAY from 9:30-11am in the 3rd floor lobby of Morey Hall!

Join us for breakfast treats, fresh fruit, coffee and more as we celebrate all your achievements! 👨‍🎓🥐🍩🍓🫐☕️

University of Rochester

🏆𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿'𝘀 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀!🏆

Thank you to all the University of Rochester students who submitted their work -- there was a tremendous amount of spectacular writing to choose from.

Below are the 2026 winners. Congratulations to all!

𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
🥇1st Place: Hayes Keith
🥈2nd Place: Kristen Caruso
🥉3rd Place: Claire Kross
🎖️Honorable Mentions: Rose Bunting, Aster Luke

𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗲𝘁𝗿𝘆
🥇1st Place: Athena Haq
🥈2nd Place: Zane Duzant
🥉3rd Place: Frank Brereton
🎖️Honorable Mentions: Alayna Leestma, Zoe Miles

𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗮
🥇1st Place: Zoe Miles

𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲: Thehara Ubayawardena

𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲
🥇1st Place: Zoe Miles
🥈2nd Place: Lee Block
🎖️Honorable Mention: Brianna Simon

𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗔𝗬: we're hosting our graduating seniors brunch to celebrate the Class of 2026!

All graduating English majors & minors are invited to join us for bagels, pastries, fruit, yogurt, coffee, juice and more from 9:30-11am in the 3rd floor lobby of Morey Hall. Stop by and chat with your classmates and professors for a little while or stay the whole time!

Congratulations to all our students who submitted films for the 20th annual Gollin Film Festival! 🎬✨

It was an incredible to honor the tireless creative work of our students on the big screen at Wegmans Auditorium this week. The range of work—from bold experimental pieces to rigorous, moving documentaries—is a testament to the vibrant creative culture we are building within the UR Film & Media Studies program at the University of Rochester.

A deep thank you to our esteemed judges, Stephen Schottenfeld and Evelyne Leblanc-Roberge, for their insight and dedication to evaluating such a diverse and competitive pool of talent, and to Pirooz Kalayeh, master of ceremonies.

Congratulations to the 20th Gollin Film Festival Award Winners! 🏆

🌟 Visionary Vanguard Award (1st Place): After Midnight (Co-produced) Fin Tran and Phong Ngyuyen
🌟 Auteur Excellence Award (2nd Place): 喂, 爸 (Hi, Dad), directed by David Xie
🌟 New Frontiers Award (3rd Place): The Interview (UFC produced)
✨ Critical & Visual Thought (Honorable Mentions):
Trim, directed by Manita Opoku
After You, directed by Wendy Wang & Gabby Yu

Join us 𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 for the 2026 Gollin Film Festival! 🎬🌟

We will be screening this year's student films, and handing out awards for the top entries. There will also be a catered reception to follow.

It all starts at 6 p.m. in Wegmans Hall Auditorium. It's free and open to all!

UR Film & Media Studies

⏳ 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚'𝙨 𝙧𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙪𝙩! ⏳

The deadline for submissions for the 2026 Creative Writing Awards is just hours away! Please send your entries to [email protected] by 𝟯 𝗽.𝗺. 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗔𝗬!

Cash prizes will be awarded for the top entries in poetry, short fiction, drama and humor writing. Full rules listed below.