The Study Abroad office will announce the winners of its annual photo contest in the Campus Center Living Room on March 29.
LIZ MCCLELLAN Contributing Photographer A bike in Oxford, England. McClellan won last year's cross-cultural Study Abroad photography award for this photo.
“This is another activity that brings Study Abroad groups together and allows them a chance to come back and interact with each other,” said Rachel Brown, Study Abroad coordinator.
The Study Abroad Photo Contest is a yearly competition for any students who have participated in an ACU Study Abroad program. It functions as a chance for students to show off their photography skills and relive the experience while providing the Study Abroad Office with free promotional material.
The awards night will start at 8 p.m. and will include dessert refreshments, Brown said. Contest winners will be announced and receive prizes throughout the evening. In previous years, prizes have been gift cards to places such as Rosa’s Cafe, Peet’s Coffee and Box Office Video, although this year’s prizes have not yet been selected.
Page Prather, senior international studies major from Lamesa, said the event is a fun time to hang out with other people who have studied abroad.
“It gives students a chance to show off their pictures,” Prather said.
Pictures are judged in four different categories. The first is On Site, which must capture scenes from one of the ACU Study Abroad host cities: Montevideo, Leipzig or Oxford. The second is Cross-Cultural, which portrays experiences outside the host city. Landscape is the third and includes only scenery, excluding people as point-earners. The last is Just for Fun, which may include pretty much anything, according to a Study Abroad Office e-mail detailing contest rules and requirements.
Off-site judges will select first-, second- and third-place winners from each category, including a Best of Show category. The winning photos then will be displayed in the Study Abroad Office and also may be featured in ACU publications.
Students had the option to submit up to three photos for the four categories, with no more than one picture per category, according to the Study Abroad Office e-mail.
Prather said the contest allows students to share study abroad stories with those who have yet to experience international travel.
“This is an awesome way to share that excitement with other people who know how you feel and also gives students a chance to show off the fun places that they went to and the fun things that they have done,” Prather said.
