International Eye Photo Contest

Overview

Student observing the Lower Túnel Glacier in Argentina


The 2025 International Eye Photo Contest is now open! Please review contest details below and the tabs above. The deadline to submit photos is Wednesday, February 5, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.

The International Eye Photo Contest takes you beyond the average tourist perspective. It celebrates and encourages the creative eye of Princeton undergraduates as they capture the day-to-day realities and beauty of other countries. 

The contest is a great opportunity for undergraduate students to submit photos that tell a story about their time abroad and share their experience with fellow returnees and the greater campus community.
 

Eligibility:

All Princeton undergraduates who have studied, worked, volunteered, or done research abroad in the past year (whether summer or semester) are eligible and may submit a total of four (4) photos. 

NEW for 2025! In celebration of the 15th annual International Eye Photo Contest, Princeton faculty and staff are invited to submit up to three (3) photos photos in a special category, “Travel Chronicles: Faculty and Staff's Memorable Moments.” Please visit the categories tab for more details! 

 

Submitting Photos:

Princeton undergraduates should use the entry form below. A Princeton netid and password is required to access the form.

 Contest Entry Form

Princeton faculty and staff who are submitting photos should use the following Google entry form. A Princeton netid and password is required to access the form.

Faculty and Staff Contest Entry Form

Categories

Cityscape of Busan, South Korea

Photo Categories: 

  • Abstraction: No rules. Submit photos that capture your study abroad experience in a creative and abstract way.
  • Architecture/Cityscape: Share photos that depict any aspect of city life from your time abroad – from street vendors to skylines.
  • Landscape/Nature: The world is a beautiful place. Submit photos of plants, animals, landscapes, or any other natural wonders from your international experience.
  • People: Interacting with new people is one of the most rewarding things about being abroad. Submitted photos can be portraits or candid shots of local people in your host country.

Special Categories:

  • PIIRS Global Seminar: Share photos that highlight your PIIRS global seminar experience. Sponsored and judged by the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies.
  • Tigers Abroad: Share your favorite photos of you or your classmates that capture the essence of your #PrincetonAbroad experience (bonus points for wearing Princeton gear!) Photos must include a Princeton student(s) to be considered. Sponsored and judged by the Office of International Programs.
  • Learning Across Borders (New for 2025!): Showcasing photos that capture how international experiences enhance academic/professional/research endeavors. Photo subjects to consider include academic activities or excursions, international internship or volunteer sites and fieldwork. Whether an impactful course, an accomplishment during an international internship or a breakthrough in independent research, show us what made that moment special for you.  

Faculty and Staff Special Category

  • Travel Chronicles: Faculty and Staff's Memorable Moments: In celebration of the 15th annual international Eye Photo Contest, Princeton faculty and staff are invited to submit up to three photos that capture impactful moments and memories traveling abroad. We are looking for photos that capture the profound learning experiences that occur across borders, highlighting how travel broadens your horizons, enriches your understanding of the world and fosters personal growth. Photo subjects to consider include personal travel, business travel, study and/or working abroad, volunteering, research and teaching. Judged by Emily Taylor, photo editor, Office of Communications. 

Prizes & Awards

Surfers in Germany

Prizes: 

  • Best in Show
  • Best in Category
  • Honorable Mention (multiple awards)

Photos will be judged based on artistic expression, creativity and originality, quality of image, and international content.

The prize winners, as well as a wider selection of photo submissions, will be exhibited on campus and on the OIP and PIIRS websites, and may also be used--with appropriate attribution and permission--in the published materials of Princeton's offices and programs/departments that sponsor international activities.

Sponsors: 

The International Eye Photo Contest is sponsored by the Office of International Programs in collaboration with Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies.

Awards Reception and Exhibition: 

Winners will be announced at a reception in late-March and the exhibition will be on display in the Louis A. Simpson International Building through the end of the year.

Judging

Student taking a photo of city skyline in Greece

About the Judge

Jeff Whetstone

Director and Professor of Visual Arts, Lewis Center for the Arts

Jeff Whetstone joined the Princeton faculty as Professor of Photography in 2015 and was appointed Director of the Visual Arts Program in 2021. Over the course of his academic career, Whetstone has been the recipient of numerous prizes including a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2007. His work has been exhibited internationally and has received reviews in ArtForum, Art in America, Frieze, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and the Los Angeles Times. Whetstone earned his M.F.A. from the Yale School of Photography in 2001, where he was the recipient of the George Sakier Prize for Photography. His work is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Nasher Museum, Nelson Atkins Museum, Cleveland Art Museum, Yale Art Gallery, New York Public Library, and many others.