Photo Contest
The 2025 International Photo Contest has concluded. The 10th annual International Photo Contest will be held in November 2026. More information to come.
Check out past winners below.
2025 Photo Contest Winners
Winner of the Putting the ‘Study’ in Study Abroad Category
Through the Branches of History - Marta Alpresa Balaguer - China: Beijing (Spring 2025)
“At the Summer Palace, I found myself looking up through the branches of an old tree. I felt the overlap between what I was learning in the classrooms and what I was learning simply by being present. Through those branches, the past seemed so close you could almost touch it.”
Winner of the Essence of the Host City Category
The Corner - Tully Jones-Wilkins - Ecuador: Cuenca (Spring 2025)
“This corner was on my walk to school every day; I always noticed the beautiful light here on clear mornings so I started carrying my camera. That morning, I saw the old man crossing and it was perfect!”
Winner of The Natural World Category
River in La Serena - Leah Johnson - Chile: Valparaiso (Spring 2025)
“After an evening walk through the nearby Diaguitas town, we soaked in the beauty of this river.”
2024 Photo Contest Winners:
Winner of the Putting the ‘Study’ in Study Abroad Category
Caryatid B of Eleusis - Eliana Essman - Greece: Athens & Lesbos (Fall 2023)
“During our visit to the ancient site of Eleusis, we explored the Archaeological Museum and took in all the amazing artifacts, including this caryatid found in the Sanctuary of Demeter.”
Winner of the Essence of the Host City Category
Reef Float - Delia Moran - Australia: Biology (Spring 2024)
“Crystal waters on Heron Island in the Great Barrier Reef.”
Winner of The Natural World Category
Sand Dunes - Jade M Ferguson - Spain: Granada (Spring 2024)
“In Morocco, the sand dunes happen to be one of the most peaceful places to sit and think. Sometimes I still picture myself with calm winds in my face, footprints of both camel and human and the sweet bitterness of sand crawling into spaces you might not expect. “
2023 Photo Contest Winners:
Winner of the Putting the ‘Study’ in Study Abroad Category
Sinhuengsa Temple - Htoo Ray Wah - South Korea: Seoul (Fall 2022)
“Finding inner peace surrounded by the magnificent scenery of Mount Seorak at Sinheungsa.”
Winner of the Essence of the Host City Category
Train Hour - Sophia Whyte - Australia Regional Area Study (Spring 2023)
“Watching the sunset and the trains as our time in Sydney was coming to a close. Sydney, New South Wales.”
Winner of The Natural World Category
Towangseong Falls Observatory - Htoo Ray Wah - South Korea: Seoul (Fall 2022)
“Taking on 850-900 steep steps was worth it to witness these stunning frozen waterfalls in the distance. “
2022 Photo Contest Winners:
Winner of the Putting the ‘Study’ in Study Abroad Category
untitled (on film) - Lucia Sheridan - Germany: Munich (Full Year 2021-2022)
“The well-known staircase inside the Alte Pinakothek museum, the supplemented art history “classroom” for the Munich program students.”
Winner of the Essence of Host City Category
Table, Chairs, and Jacket. - Nick Biesterfeld - Spain: Granada (Spring 2022)
Winner of The Natural World Category
Spring Snowshoeing - Arlen Slaymaker - Germany: Munich (Full Year 2021-2022)
“As Jack and I descended from the Brünnsteinspitze, the path funneled us through this beautiful valley towards the beginning of the steep descent.”
2020 Photo Contest Winners:
Winner of the Putting the ‘Study’ in Study Abroad Category
Sunsets in Santiago de Compostela - Milica Stanisic - Seville, Spain (Spring 2020)
“A serene moment right before the storm.”
Winner of the Essence of the Host City Category
The Ghats - Margot Chirayath - India (Fall 2019)
“The Ghats are an integral part of Varanasi. This is where the residents and tourists interact with the holy river, either through various rituals, bathing or releasing a loved ones ashes. The unique thing about the ghats is that regardless of the happenings, it is always peaceful.”
Winner of The Natural World Category
Aoraki / Mt. Cook - Adam Karp - New Zealand (Spring 2020)
“This photo was taken from a helicopter on the last day of our program before we were told that the program would be cancelled due to covid. We went up to a glacier behind Aoraki/Mt. Cook and saw some incredible views both on the way and once we got there.”
2019 Photo Contest Winners:
Winner of the Putting the ‘Study’ in Study Abroad Category
Gone Birdin’ - Bryan Miller - Cuenca, Ecuador (Spring 2019)
“We took Biology classes at the Amaru Zoo. This picture was taken very early in the morning when 4 of us, along with a professor from the University of Azuay set up nets outside of the park to catch and record the native birds. This was the biggest bird we caught and it was not very happy to have been tricked. It figured out how to dig its claws into whoever was holding it and even drew some blood. We let it go soon after we caught it but not before tagging it!”
Winner of the Essence of the Host City Category
Life at the Plaza - Samantha Bowen - Seville, Spain (Spring 2019)
“La Plaza de España is located in a giant park and is always full of life. Everywhere you look there are people talking, children chasing bubbles, tourists rowing boats in the canal, horse drawn carriages clipping by, and vendors selling food and toys.”
Winner of The Natural World Category
Field Day - Ellie Draves - Beijing, China (Fall 2018)
“A woman on the street approached me and invited me to join her on an autumnal excursion. Agreeing to accompany my new friend, we set off to a farm on the outskirts of Beijing. The breath of fresh air was just what I needed amidst the swirling hustle and bustle of everyday life in Beijing.”
2018 Photo Contest Winners:
Winner of the Putting the ‘Study in Study Abroad Category
How Much Dim Sum Can One Eat - Kodai Kubota - Beijing, China (Spring 2018)
“My independent study on how many dumplings one can eat in a day. Results were …. regretful.”
Winner of the Essence of the Host City Category
Birds and Boats on the Ganges - Ella Bock - India (Fall 2017)
“This was taken in the early morning on the boat with my host family while we were feeding the birds on the Ganges in Varanasi.”
Winner of The Natural World Category
Lake of the Moon - Hannah Ring - India (Fall 2017)
“Chandratal Lake (translated; Lake of the Moon), located in Spiti Valley, lies at 14,100ft. in the Himalayas.”
2017 Photo Contest Winners:
Winner of the Putting the ‘Study’ in Study Abroad category
Me inside the Witch’s Eye, Thann - Jocelyn Mah - France: Strasbourg (Full Year 2016-2017)
“I had to do a village project in Alsace to learn more about the culture and history of a small village, Thann. I was intrigued by the miracle origin of Thann and I visited there in May 2017. I was standing inside the Witch’s Eye looking at the village.”
Persevering - Katja Nykaza - China: Beijing (Spring 2017)
“It was taken at a lush, small park on campus at Peking University. During the spring, an abundance of flowers bloom throughout campus and the city, drastically changing the otherwise monotone wash over the concrete jungle of Beijing. Despite the constant smog, pollution (evident in the photo’s hazy grey sky), and heavy presence of human life, these flowers blossom every spring, a symbol of nature persevering. In the background is a pagoda, a place of worship, making it a reminder of the omnipresence of humans in China. My walk to class every day went through this park, so every day I had the pleasure of being immersed in nature for a moment before being pushed back in the bustling city. In retrospect, this little oasis, especially the sweet smell of blossoms amidst the pungent odor from the smog, allowed myself to persevere through various hardships of studying abroad.”
Winner of the Essence of Host City Category
Fujiko - Nhi Ho - Japan: Mt. Fuji (Summer 2017)
2016 Photo Contest Winners:
Winner of the Putting the ‘Study’ in Study Abroad Category
The Blue City - Izzy Fikso - Spain: Alicante (Spring 2016)
“A photo I took on a weekend trip to Morocco. During my semester in Spain we learned about Spanish history. In many of our classes, we spent time focusing on the historical influence of African culture, specifically Moroccan, that exists in Spain. On a weekend trip to Morocco I visited multiple cities and locations and learned about the transculturation between the two countries. The man in the photo was a tour guide we had when we visited Chefchaouen, a city painted entirely blue in the north of Morocco.”
Winner of The Natural World Category
West Lake in the Morning - Ian Macdonald - China: Beijing (Spring 2016)
“One weekend I took the train to Hangzhou to visit a friend and we toured the 2,000 year old West Lake on a foggy morning.”
Winner of the Essence of Host City Category
El Castillo - Izzy Fikso - Spain: Alicante (Spring 2016)
“A photo I took on one of my first nights abroad. It is a photo from the top of perhaps one of the most famous sites in Alicante, the Castle of Santa Barbara. The Spanish flag and the castle itself speak to the rich historical sense of the country. My friend Sully is the girl in the photo looking over the city and enjoying the sunset. During my time abroad I watched many sunsets from the top of the castle surrounded by locals, tourists, and other students.”