MEET THE 2026-27 COLLEGE SCREENWRITING AWARD WINNERS
Lauryn Bedford
Award: Carol Mendelsohn College Drama Award
Pronouns: she/her
Project: Paper Boats
Logline: Rowan’s antsy for college but wary to leave her family behind during a hurricane. When the storm goes from bad to worse, Rowan must journey from Tremé to St. Bernard with her cousin Emmett, an ex-marine, to retrieve their stubborn grandmother.
Bio: Lauryn Bedford has three absolutes. She’s from Southern California, she has parents from Louisiana, and she intends on discovering what was in her mother’s home before it burned down. An anthropologist without the degree, Lauryn writes folklore about people who long for a home they can no longer place. She earned her MFA in Screenwriting from USC, where she received the Social Impact Award for her work and wrote Clucky’s, a 2026 Hollyshorts official selection.
Omid Iranikhah
Award: David & Lynn Angell College Comedy Award
Pronouns: he/him
Project: Persian Family Gathering
Logline: A neurotic Iranian-American man attempts to revive a cherished tradition by throwing a family gathering, only for it to devolve into utter chaos.
Bio: Omid Iranikhah is a writer-director drawn to stories where affection and conflict exist side by side. He grew up in an Iranian family, after all. Through Stray Cats Productions, co-founded with Mercedes Garcia, he has written and directed acclaimed shorts that screened at festivals including the Newport Beach Film Festival, the PBS Fine Cut Festival of Films, Berkshire International Film Festival, and more. He is currently developing Persian Family Gathering as his debut feature.
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