International Eye Photo Contest

Overview

Woman walking by a house in Kenya

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.

Submitting Photos:

The 2023 International Eye Photo Contest is now closed. View the winners here. Stay tuned for details about the next contest!

Categories

Eldery woman standing with Indian mountains in the background

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. Sponsored and judged by the Office of International Programs staff.
  • Stay tuned for additional special categories! Details will be announced at a later time! 

Prizes & Awards

A boat in the ocean with a rainbow in the background

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

Woman walking down stairs with a mural in China

About the Judge

Katherine Bussard

Peter C. Bunnell Curator of Photography, Princeton University Art Museum

Katherine A. Bussard was appointed Peter C. Bunnell Curator of Photography at the Princeton University Art Museum in 2013. She holds a PhD from the City University of New York and had previously served as associate curator of photography at the Art Institute of Chicago. Her most recent exhibition, Life Magazine and the Power of Photography, an award-winning publication, draws on unprecedented access to the magazine’s picture and paper archives to shed new light on the collaborative process behind many now-iconic images and photo-essays.