Distinguished Professor Patrice Petro leads a historic cohort of four UCSB scholars recognized for career achievement, book publication and research excellence by the Society for Cinema and Media Studies.
Four faculty members from the Department of Film and Media Studies have been recognized by the Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS) for their 2026 awards cycle.
The awards, which honor outstanding scholarship, pedagogy and service in the field of media studies, will be presented at the society’s annual conference in Chicago on March 27.
Distinguished career achievement
Leading the cohort is Distinguished Professor Patrice Petro, who will receive the Distinguished Career Achievement Award. This honor recognizes scholars who have made significant, long-term contributions to the field.
Petro, who serves as the Presidential Chair in Media Studies, previously served two terms as president of SCMS. She is the author or editor of 14 books, including “Uncanny Histories in Film and Media Studies” and “Aftershocks of the New: Feminism and Film History.”
Top honors for books and essays
Professor and Department Chair Jennifer Holt was awarded the Katherine Singer Kovács Book Award for her monograph “Cloud Policy: A History of Regulating Pipelines, Platforms, and Data” (MIT Press, 2024). The award honors the most original and influential book in the field published during the past year. Holt’s research focuses on digital media policy, cloud infrastructures and media industries.
Assistant Teaching Professor Jordan Schonig received the Katherine Singer Kovács Essay Award. His winning article, “Laborious Aesthetics: Visible and Invisible Labor in the Spider-Verse Franchise,” was published in the journal Animation. Schonig is also the author of the 2021 book “The Shape of Motion: Cinema and the Aesthetics of Movement.”
Additionally, Associate Professor Naoki Yamamoto was recognized as a contributor to “Global Movie Magazine Networks,” which won the Best Edited Collection Award.
A historic showing
In a message to the department, Vice Chair of Film and Media Studies Lisa Parks noted the significance of having four faculty members recognized in a single year, stating the department is “over the moon” with excitement.
Securing four awards in a single year — including the Distinguished Career Award and the Kovács Book Award simultaneously — marks a stunning achievement for the department and highlights the university's impact on the field.
The celebration will feature a special event to honor Petro’s career achievement, moderated by Lucy Fischer, distinguished professor emerita at the University of Pittsburgh and former SCMS president.
(Photo: Distinguished Professor Patrice Petro)