Through the CURO Symposium, we offer opportunities for undergraduates and faculty mentors to receive recognition for their research and hard work.
Student awards
We love to see the hard work our students put into their research, and one of the ways we do that is by offering two student awards. These include the Best Paper Awards (through CURO) and the Libraries Undergraduate Research Awards (through the UGA Libraries). Any undergraduate presenting at the CURO Symposium may apply for one or both of these awards.
Best Paper Awards
The Best Paper Awards recognize excellence among papers written on work being presented at the CURO Symposium. The deadline to apply for Best Paper Awards is February 27, 2026.
Best papers are considered in the following categories:
- Life Sciences
- Public and International Affairs
- Arts, Humanities, and Media
- Physical and Environmental Sciences
- Social Sciences
- Business
- Technology, Engineering, and Math
- Public Service and Outreach
Award recipients will be presented with a certificate and a $100 award during the CURO Symposium’s Keynote Session.
Libraries’ Undergraduate Research Award
Since 2007, the UGA Libraries has sponsored the Undergraduate Research Awards, which provide cash prizes for excellence in research. This year, we want to celebrate the different kinds of research projects students participate in and, more importantly, understand what they learned from the process. All formats are encouraged. We mean it! Examples might include video games, music, art, works of fiction, websites, or traditional essays – just to name a few options. Submissions will be evaluated based on their creativity, clarity of expression, and research process reflection. Awards range from $250-$1,000.
All UGA undergraduates are eligible, and award recipients will be recognized at the CURO Symposium’s Keynote Session. The deadline to apply for the Libraries Undergraduate Research Award is February 27, 2026.
Faculty awards
The CURO Research Mentoring Award recognizes outstanding faculty who consistently engage undergraduates through CURO programming (such as courses, the symposium, summer fellows, and theses) and enhance the learning experience of undergraduate researchers at the University of Georgia.
CURO presents two mentoring awards each year. Recipients are recognized during the CURO Symposium’s Keynote Session. The deadline to nominate a faculty member for a CURO Research Mentoring Award is February 1, 2026.
2026 Symposium Timeline
- December 15: Application opens
- February 1: Nomination deadline for Faculty Research Mentoring Awards
- February 15: Application packet deadline for Faculty Research Mentoring Awards
- February 27 at 11:59 PM: Application deadline and Best Paper Award submission deadline
- March 9 at 11:59 PM: Faculty review deadline
- April 6: Recipients notified of Best Paper Awards and Faculty Research Mentoring Awards
- April 7 at 4 PM: Deadline for posters to be submitted to Tate Print & Copy.
- April 20-21: CURO Symposium
