The Claremont Colleges Library has selected the winners of its 13th Annual Library Undergraduate Research Award (LURA). Students who demonstrate exemplary original research and scholarship, including remarkable skill and creativity in the use of library and information resources, receive recognition and cash prizes ranging from $500 to $1,500 for their work.
The Library received an outstanding number of 2026 student submissions from across each undergraduate institution of The Claremont Colleges (TCC). From this year’s 54 submissions, we are excited to announce the 2026 LURA winners:
Senior Award ($750)
Maggie Li Zhang, Pomona College
What is Philosophy for? Reading Wittgenstein After Cavell
Faculty Sponsor: Ellie Anderson, Pomona College
Junior Award ($500)
Emmy Knapp, Pitzer College
Equitable Disaster Relief in Western Alaska: Rebuilding the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta After Typhoon Halong
Faculty Sponsor: Fred Leichter, Harvey Mudd College
Sophomore Award ($500)
Jun Kwon, Pomona College
Power of Sogurup: How Disguised Intellectuals Mobilized Korea’s Labor Sector
Faculty Sponsor: Angelina Chin, Pomona College
First-Year Award ($500)
Utku Özgür, Pomona College
Revolution or Restoration? Historiographical Perspectives on the Glorious Revolution and the Evolution of English Constitutionalism
Faculty Sponsor: Joshua Earl Hodil, Pomona College
This year, there were no Group Project ($1,500) submissions.
Please note: All submissions were anonymized (e.g. name, college) and evaluated using the same set of criteria.
An awards ceremony to honor the winners will be held on Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. in the Library’s Founders Room. While friends, family and associated faculty of the winners are encouraged to attend, this is also a great opportunity for students across TCC to draw inspiration from the winners’ projects — especially as finals season approaches! Community members are also welcome to attend to gain some insight into the ongoing research taking place in the “City of Trees and PhDs.”
Please note that light refreshments will be available starting at 4 p.m. There will also be an opportunity to chat with the winners and Library staff after the ceremony to learn more about available Library services and resources.
Library staff is humbled and honored to support the research efforts of all TCC students and, through LURA, recognize their outstanding work. Since its start in 2014, LURA has generated the publication of 71 student research projects through TCC’s institutional repository Scholarship@Claremont, which have contributed to a wide array of academic fields. As a testament to the quality nature of these projects, these winning and honorable mention papers have been downloaded more than 63,300 times from readers around the world — from Seattle, Washington to Scarsdale, New York, and all the way to the likes of the United Kingdom, Brazil, Japan, South Africa and beyond.
Undergraduate students from across the consortium have the opportunity to apply for LURA every year. This means that students are likely already hard at work on 2027 submissions and discovering new things to add to the world.
Visit the LURA webpage for additional information. Questions about LURA, including the awards ceremony and application process, can be directed to libraryresearchaward@claremont.edu.