Photo Contest

John Thomas
Best in Show
Photography, Art, and Mountains, Spring 2018
Man and Nature
This was my favorite shot from the entire study abroad. I feel it encapsulates the feeling of adventure, of discovery, and also the vast scale between man and nature. I felt all these emotions strongly during the study abroad and believe that many of the students across the world participating in a study abroad also felt the same. The background may appear close behind the person, but a wide valley separates the two. The stark canyon that winds its way up the mountain is a glacial trough, carved by centuries of ice.
Delaney Loosle
Runner Up
Photography, Art, and Mountains, Spring 2018
The Real Santa
The real Santa Claus lives in Iceland and I had the pleasure of meeting him on Diamond Beach. Every time I see his face I am right back on that beach taking in a view so unlike any other I had ever witnessed before. Even though we could not communicate in words, we communicated with knowing smiles and nods. I am honored that he allowed me to take his portrait.
Jessica Hudson
Runner Up
Korea Field School, Spring/Summer 2018
Gyeongbokgung Palace
Of the Five Grand Palaces located in Seoul, Gyeonbokgung is known as the largest, most beautiful palace, and was home to the Kings of the Joseon dynasty. It is now a tourist site that encourages visitors to wear traditional Korean hanbok by allowing those wearing the traditional wear free entrance into the palace. This picture was taken inside Gyeongbokgung palace of two young girls wearing hanbok shortly before they started taking pictures of each other in their beautiful dresses.
Audra Colson
Runner Up
Photography, Art, and Mountains, Spring 2018
Keyhole
Iceland is famous for their cold weather, glaciers, and volcanoes. On Diamond Beach, you can find all three of these commodities. Volcanic ash rolls along the bottom of the ocean before washing up on the shore of this black sand beach, but the beach gets its name from the nearby glacier fragments which are left by the morning tide. Blue, black, translucent, rough, and smooth ‘diamonds’ litter the landscape. Through the melting holes in one iceberg, I could see a fellow explorer looking down at his own camera.
Adam Case
Honorable Mention
Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies, Fall 2017
Street Angel
A woman plays the harp for the crowds entering the Old City of Jerusalem through Jaffa Gate.
DeeDee Smith
Honorable Mention
Photography, Art, and Mountains, Spring 2018
One
We use photography every day to highlight the memorable, glamourous, and important parts of our day that we consider Instagram worthy. While often overlooking the quiet, perhaps ordinary, moments that contribute to our daily routine. When we stop to see these moments for what they are, we catch a glimpse into the depths of humanity: An anxious mother, a multitasking businessman, and a tired university student. It is within the faces of these strangers that we see ourselves.
Hunter Tolbert
Honorable Mention
Parks of The World, Spring 2018
Untitled
After waking up to 3 inches of fresh snow on our tents we warmed up by the fire and talked ourselves into hiking down into the canyon on a foggy, cold, and wet day. As we got to the rim the clouds lifted and gave us this view of the afternoon thunderstorms rolling across the massive expanse that is the Grand Canyon.
Matthew James
Honorable Mention
Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies, Spring/Summer 2018
Biker Boys
An unusual aspect of the Old City I found myself captivated by is the sheer amount of little children that roam the city streets. The city, laced with biblical history, acts as a playground for both the Jewish and Palestinian kids that live within the walls.
Matthew James
Honorable Mention
Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies, Spring/Summer 2018
Western Wall
During the early spring months, the Western Wall attracts more than the devout Jews and curious tourists. Hundreds of feet above the ancient limestone walls flies an unusual guest: a massive flock of birds. On Friday nights, these birds add to the cacophony of sounds of Jewish chants that welcome the beginning of the Shabbat.
Kurt Jensen
Honorable Mention
Global Leadership and Eastern Religion (China), Spring 2018
Downtown Guangzhou
The dying light of a hot summer day illuminates the sky as the city of Guangzhou continues its work into the night. Guangzhou, a southern Chinese city of over 13 million inhabitants, is known for its fast-growing economy and high labor demands, attracting people from across Asia hoping to find sustainable work.
Jeffrey Knighton
Honorable Mention
China Individual Experience, Spring/Summer 2018
A Long Day in Longji
After a long day’s work, a girl and her horse journey home through the Longji Rice Terraces. The daily dedication of the Yao people in cultivating and maintaining these rice terraces is what has allowed them to thrive in the mountainous Longsheng (Dragon’s Backbone) County of Southern China.
Janice Lynguyen
Honorable Mention
Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam Global Health Internship, Summer 2018
Calm Amidst Chaos
Hoi An had two parts to the city, the tourist area (the most popular parts of the city) and the native area (where the local people lived). On the tourist streets of this old port city, shops line both sides of the road, bustling with vendors calling out to roaming tourists. As I was walking down this busy street, I saw a woman calmly biking her way through the crowd. Instantly, I knew she was from the older, native area of town. She maneuvered easily around the shops and people. Amidst the chaos of that morning, she brought a calm demeanor that taught me that you can always find peace within yourself.
Kailee Matsumura
Honorable Mention
BYU Nursing Czech Study Abroad, Summer 2018
Gas Chambers of Lidice
Lidice was a village in the Czech Republic that was completely destroyed during WWII. A man from this village assassinated Reinhard Heydrich, and in response, Hitler ordered the execution of all the men in the village over 15 years old, and the women were taken to concentration camps nearby and gassed to death.
Amy Burton
Honorable Mention
London Film Study Abroad, Spring of 2018
Poet for Hire
This photo was captured on Southbank where poets set up typewriters and seek commissions from passersby. Perhaps he really is better than Hemingway, as I imagine all people with his hat must be.
Best in Show
Brinnan Schill
Tsev neeg (family)
“Family” is a central part of Hmong culture. This baby’s mother was adopted when she was a newborn. Her husband recently passed away; my host family and others supported their favorite “sister” in raising her four children.
Thailand and Myanmar Anthropology Field School/Development Internship, spr-sum 2017
Runner Up
Ellie Vance
A Visit to the Matryoshka Doll Factory in Semyonov, Russia
This is where the first Russian nesting dolls were made, and this factory has been around for years. It was an incredible experience to see the amount of work and detail that goes into just one beautiful doll.
Nizhny Novgorod, Russia Study Abroad, spr-sum 2017

The annual Kennedy Center Photo Contest invites compelling photographs from students who participated in BYU International Study Programs. Photos should capture the cultural essence of a global academic experience.

Requirements:

All entries must be photos taken while the participant was traveling or living abroad on a BYU International Study Program during fall 2018 or winter, spring, summer 2019.
Entries are limited to three (3) per person.
Images may not be digitally altered beyond standard optimization, such as cropping and color/contrast adjustments. Black and white photos are acceptable.
Submissions MUST be at least 4.0 MB, but 5.0 MB or larger image files are strongly encouraged. Submissions not meeting the size requirements will not be considered. Digital files are acceptable in JPG and TIFF formats.
Submissions should be labeled with the student’s last name as the file name. For example, if the student’s name was John Smith, and the student was submitting three images, they should be titled “smith1.jpg, smith2.jpg, smith3.jpg.”
Submit images by midnight on Tuesday, 1 October 2019 via e-mail to kcphotocontest@gmail.com with your name and BYU ID, the semester and ISP program in which you participated, where the photo was taken, and a title and description for the image. Please be careful to include all information.
A $1,000 cash prize will be awarded for “Best in Show” and other cash amounts will be awarded to the runners up and honorable mentions. Winners will be notified via e-mail, and all participants will be invited to an awards ceremony.
Winning photos will be displayed in the southwest hall gallery of the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies.
Submitted photos may also be used by the Kennedy Center for print, online, or other promotions.
The Kennedy Center reserves the right to refuse any entry.