{"id":26,"date":"2026-09-17T18:35:30","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T18:35:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unicorn-castle.org\/conference\/?page_id=26"},"modified":"2026-09-21T22:11:52","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T22:11:52","slug":"2026-conference-judges-student-winners","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/unicorn-castle.org\/conference\/2026-conference-judges-student-winners\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Conference Student Winners & Judges"},"content":{"rendered":"

Congratulations!<\/strong><\/em><\/h1>\n

First Place (Tied)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Bambi Vornheder (Kent State University)
\nWomen in Medieval Literature and Geoffrey Chaucer\u2019s \u201cThe Wife of Bath\u201d<\/strong>
\nI am so honored to accept the role as co-winner of this competition. I love to write and write about other writing, so as much as this was an academic project—it was a passion project as well. I also love art, nature, and making people laugh. I hope my presentation earned a few giggles from you all, and if not I hope it was at least informative.<\/p>\n

Robin Webb (Kent State University)
\nWilliam and the Werewolf: An Exploration of Identity in Medieval Literature
\n<\/strong>I am a senior at Kent State University. I am an English major with a passion for creative writing and literature, both of which I channeled into my submission. Working on this project was both an interesting and challenging undertaking, as William and the Werewolf has many fascinating elements to explore, and I am honored that my work was chosen to share first prize. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the fellow first place winner Bambi Vornheder and to the other winners Paloma Romero and Michaela Rich, whose presentations were all a joy to watch!<\/p>\n

Second Place:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Paloma Romero-G\u00f3mez (Universidad de Cantabria)
\nHow Game of Thrones<\/em> changes the medieval concept of “The King’s Peace”<\/strong>
\nTo love the Middle Ages is to be captivated by an era of grand contradictions\u2014where towering stone cathedrals reached for the heavens while poets spun intimate tales of chivalry and courtly love. It is a world of vibrant illumination, profound philosophy, and legendary quests.<\/p>\n

Third Place:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Michaela Rich (Kent State University)
\nBeyond the Monster: Individuation and Female Agency through the Loathly Lady <\/strong>Motif<\/strong>
\nI’m happy to receive third place in the Unicorn Castle 2026 Student Conference. I just graduated with my B.A. in English from Kent State University, while holding a Minor in Creative Writing. I plan on gaining my M.A. in English at the University of Akron next spring. I’m a sucker for Arthurian Legend, love reading fantasy and romance novels, and am obsessed with 7Brew coffee.<\/p>\n

Thank you!<\/strong><\/h1>\n
\"\"

Dr. Lesley Coote (University of Hull, Emeritus<\/em>), Dr. Angela Weisl (Seton Hall University), Dr. Lauryn Mayer (Washington & Jefferson College)<\/p><\/div>\n

Conference Program<\/strong> (PDF)<\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Congratulations! First Place (Tied) Bambi Vornheder (Kent State University) Women in Medieval Literature and Geoffrey Chaucer\u2019s \u201cThe Wife of Bath\u201d I am so honored to accept the role as co-winner of this competition. I love to write and write about … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-26","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unicorn-castle.org\/conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unicorn-castle.org\/conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unicorn-castle.org\/conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unicorn-castle.org\/conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unicorn-castle.org\/conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/unicorn-castle.org\/conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29,"href":"https:\/\/unicorn-castle.org\/conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26\/revisions\/29"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unicorn-castle.org\/conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}