"It's a Trip" Photo Contest 2012

Click here to see the winning images from the 2012 contest!

Do you have some amazing photos from your experiences abroad?  Aren’t you just dying to share them? Well, it is time again for the Center for Global Education’s 7th Annual “STUDY ABROAD. It’s a Trip!” Photo Contest!  We want to see what you are doing, or have done, abroad! If you're eager to share your photos, have your own international experience documented on posters, brochures, bookmarks, the CGE website, and any CGE marketing projects, and have the opportunity to win a prize then send in your photos to the "STUDY ABROAD.  It's a Trip!" Photo Contest!

Rules 2012:

Categories and Eligibility:

• This is why I Studied Abroad (Study Abroad Students):  Photos taken during your time abroad that include landscapes, places of interest, cultural experiences, landmarks, self-portraits, etc. All past and present TU students who have participated in a TU study abroad program are eligible to enter photos in this category.
• Golden Hurricanes Abroad:  A photo showing off your TU School Spirit (ex. Wearing a TU Shirt, making the TU letters, etc.) The photo must be taken someplace outside of the United States. Study Abroad Students and TU Faculty and staff are eligible to enter photos in this category.
• Welcome to the USA! (International/Exchange Students):  Photos taken by international/exchange students while enrolled at TU. Photos could be taken in Tulsa, or anywhere in the USA.
• My Students Would Love This (TU Faculty and Staff): Photos taken by TU Faculty or staff while on international trips.

**Note: Students currently employed by the Center for Global Education are not eligible to enter the contest. **

Rules:

• Entries must be received no later than 5pm Friday, February 24th, 2012. Late entries will not be accepted.
• All entries must be original photographs taken by the entrant or featuring the entrant while participating in a study abroad program, international experience or exchange.
• Photos must be amateur work (no professional photos will be accepted).
• Photos may be color or black and white.
• A maximum of 6 photos may be submitted per entrant.
• The University of Tulsa retains the right not to consider or display photos that do not meet the submission rules and guidelines or that are deemed inappropriate.

 Submission Procedure:

• Please choose your 6 favorite photos from your international experience.
• Send your photos to tuglobaleducation@gmail.com by February 25th at 5pm! Photos must be in .jpg format (only .jpg will be accepted!)  In the body of the e-mail, include (for each photo submitted):
• Entrant’s Name and Student/Employee ID Number
• Category (This is why I Studied Abroad, Golden Hurricanes Abroad, Welcome to the USA! or My Students would Love This)
• Title and/or Description of the photo (50 words or less)
• Location of the photo
• Name of the Study Abroad program (if applicable)
• Photo files must be named in the following manner:
• LASTNAMEfirstnameCityCountry#photosubmitted(1-6).jpg. Example:         
  • CANEcaptainParisFrance1.jpg
  • CANEcaptainGranadaSpain2.jpg
  • CANEcaptainVeniceItaly3.jpg          

Judging/Prizes:

• Finalists will be selected by CGE staff according to the following criteria: quality of composition, creativity, technical quality, and overall impression.
• From March 26th-30th, finalist photos will be present on campus in a “traveling photo booth”, the TU community will then vote on their favorite photos, the photographs in each category that receive the most votes will be the winning photographs.  Photo Booth locations and times will be announced soon.
• Each category will have a photo album on the Center for Global Education Facebook page containing the 2012 CGE Photo Contest finalists. 
• On April 13th there will be a reception at the CGE House where the winners will be announced!
• Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in each of the four categories:

1st Prize: $100
2nd Prize: $50
3rd Prize: $25

 

Remember, the deadline is February 24th at 5pm!

**DISCLAIMER:  "STUDY ABROAD.  It's a Trip!" is The University of Tulsa's Center for Global Education annual Photo Contest.  Be aware that, if approved for entry into the contest, your photo may be included for use in promotional materials for TU's Center for Global Education and will be displayed to the public.  Your image may be included in TU Center for Global Education material.  All entries must be received by Friday, February 24th, 2012, 5:00pm, CST, to be considered for voting.  Entries must be submitted in digital form with .jpg format via e-mail to tuglobaleducation@gmail.com.  You can submit images taken with a digital camera or images taken with a film-based camera and scanned into a digital format.  All entries must be images belonging to the entrant and taken while on a TU recognized study abroad program or international students while enrolled at TU.  Entrants are allowed to enter SIX photos.

Click here to see winning images from the previous Photo Contests!

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Think about this while taking your photos:

Ethics and Photography in Developing Countries (from Unite for Sight):
http://www.uniteforsight.org/global-health-university/photography-ethics

Taking Photos in Other Countries and Cultures (from Pacific Lutheran University):

1)      REFLECT ON WHY YOU'RE TAKING A PHOTO: Is it because you want to remember something, show your family your hotel, create a record of a place or people, or because taking pictures just seems natural? Many people take photos when they travel because they need to feel busy or to put something between them and new surroundings. Take time to simply enjoy the experience and realize different types of photos require time and care to take.

2)      BE INTERACTIVE: Try to take more interactive photos compared to objective ones. Try to always ask permission when taking pictures of people. Getting peoples' names and stories as well as their photo can be a meaningful experience. It also will give more meaning to your photo when you bring it back and helps avoid the objectification of people that can commonly happen in photos of unfamiliar places, especially ones we think of as more "exotic".

3)      WHAT'S IN AND WHAT'S OUT?: Think about what you want to include in your pictures - and then look at what you might be leaving out. Are you ignoring part of a person's life or the story of a town because you don't think it is "picturesque enough"? Realize that no photo is going to capture the reality of any place you visit, so think about how you can strive to show many different aspects of a place or culture, not just the tourist spots or well-known parts of a culture that everyone takes photos of.

4)      CONSIDER AND RESPECT HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL ASPECTS AND LAWS: Most people know to ask permission to take photos in sacred or religious sites, but many countries also have laws against taking photos of government buildings and more. And even if there is no law against taking a photo, be respectful of the culture - a city, village, or landscape is not there for you to consumer through your camera, but is part of the lives of those in your host country.

5)      SHOW PEOPLE YOUR CAMERA AND PHOTOS: Digital cameras are great to interact with people you might take photos of. Kids especially like to see themselves on the camera screens. Letting people you meet play with your camera a little can be a hit too if you are spending a good amount of time with someone.

6)      PHOTO EXCHANGE: When possible, try to find a way to give a copy of the photo to the people you take pictures of. Getting their address and sending them a photo is sometimes and option or if you are meeting people through an organization or traveling with a company, think about sending them the photos to distribute. You could also bring photos of yourself or your family to give out to people when you take their photo or meet them.

7)      THINK ABOUT YOUR CAPTIONS: When you present a photo, be intentional about captions and how you choose to label and title a photo. When possible, give names and details and a greater context to the photo and be careful about what you are and are not comparing the people or place to. The photos should be part of a story you can share with people once you return home.