Congratulations to the 2025/2026 Philosophy Department Prize Winners!

The Department of Philosophy is delighted to announce the winners of this year's Adams, Bechtel, Bowen, and Carrier Prizes. Congratulations to all of these deserving undergraduate and graduate students!

Adams Prize, undergraduate

Willa Kramer

The Art of Becoming: Loving Attention and the Aesthetics of Interdependent Self-Construction in “The Ballad of Sexual Dependency”

The Adams Prize was established in 1974 in memory of Professor George Plimpton Adams and is awarded to students submitting a thesis or dissertation on a subject designated by the Department of Philosophy, preferably in the field of history of philosophy.

Bechtel Prize, graduate

Isaijah Shadrach

How Much Must I Sacrifice to Fight Climate Change?

Bechtel Prize, undergraduate

Diana Ochoa-Chavez

The Case for Self-Forgiveness

The Bechtel Prize in Philosophy was established through the generosity of Edwin D. Bechtel and is awarded annually for the best graduate and undergraduate essay on a philosophical subject.

Bowen Prize, graduate

Yuan Tian

Epistemic Companionship

Bowen Prize, undergraduate

Katherine Cassese

Reasons to Love and Reasons to Cultivate Love

The Francis Bowen Prize, established in 1938 by a bequest from Miss Maria Bowen as a memorial to her father who held the Alford professorship of Natural Religion, Moral Philosophy, and Civil Polity from 1853 to 1889, is awarded annually for the best essay upon a subject in moral or political philosophy.

Carrier Prize, graduate

Yunhyae Kim

The Production of Democracy

Carrier Prize, undergraduate

Yael Goldstein

Beyond Shelter: A Philosophical Justification for a Right to Housing

The Carrier Prize was established in memory of Emily and Charles Carrier and is awarded to students submitting a thesis or dissertation on a subject in social, political, or moral philosophy.