CONTEST DATES:
CONTEST OPENS: Thursday, September 5, 2024
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: All entries must be submitted by Saturday, March 1, 2025
PARTICIPANT ELIGIBILITY: The contest is open to all students who have studied abroad/away on St. Olaf study abroad/away programs for the following term dates:
- 2023-2024 Academic Year (i.e. fall 2023 AND spring 2024);
- 2024 calendar year (i.e., spring 2024 AND fall 2024);
- Spring 2024;
- Spring with Interim 2024;
- Summer 2024;
- Fall 2024; and
- Interim 2025
CONTEST PRIZE:
A $25.00 gift card (or Ole Dollars) will be awarded to the top winner(s)!
ENTRY INFORMATION:
NUMBER OF ENTRIES: You may submit up to five entries, each of which should be submitted using the submission form.
IMAGE SIZE: Entries must fit within the following guidelines: 5.0 MB with a maximum width of 1920 px and height of 1080 px (DiSCO can assist you with changing these requirements – Apple has a good online resource for how to do this, as well).
REQUIRED INFORMATION: Entries must include:
- Title for the submitted image -- feel free to get creative;
- A description of the photograph to provide context to the image and for judging purposes (i.e subject of image, anecdote about the image, relation of subject to the off-campus study program, etc.); and
- Location (please include this in the description)
PHOTO SUBJECT: We will be looking for photos which are representative of your study abroad/away experience. In general, photographs will be judged based on the following while being thoughtful and respectful of the host culture/community:
- Cross‑cultural content;
- Expression of one’s experience off-campus; and
- Artistic/technical quality (photos do not need to have been taken with any special equipment -- cell phone photos are accepted)
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: Photographs that display unethical content or images that are not sensitive to the host culture/community will not be selected or displayed on the website. We strongly recommend that students review the National Press Photographers Association’s Code of Ethics for recommended guidelines and additional information.
In general, students should consider the following about their submissions:
- Does the image respectfully represent, without distortion, the true culture, context, content, or meaning of the subject, host community, and/or host culture?
- Is the image sensitive to local culture, norms, customs, etc. – or does it seek to exoticize, distort, or make fun of the local culture, norms, customs, etc?
- Would the individual within the photograph be proud of the image?
- Did you seek permission from the appropriate individual when taking this photograph? This is especially critical if the image is of a child, an individual with a disability, religious symbols/iconography or individuals who are in the middle of actively practicing their faith (e.g. praying, meditating, etc.), government buildings, symbols, and/or employees. Due to their sensitive nature, we will not accept photographs that include identifying images of children without the expressed written consent of a parent or legal guardian.
- Could the image embarrass or expose the individual? If yes, please do not submit it. By submitting an image, it is firmly understood that you have understood and complied with the above ethical considerations.
By submitting an image, it is firmly understood that you have understood and complied with the above ethical considerations.
JUDGING CRITERIA: If interested, the rubric for judging can be found here.
PARTICIPANT RESPONSIBILITY/LIABILITY:
By submitting an entry, you give the Smith Center for Global Engagement at St. Olaf College and the College permission to display and share your entry and accompanying details. Your final submission also gives St. Olaf College and the Smith Center for Global Engagement the right to reproduce the entry, in part or in full, for use in college publications or in any other non‑commercial manner. All photographs will become part of the St. Olaf College Archives. The Smith Center for Global Engagement will be responsible for producing enlargements, mounting them, and setting up the exhibition displaying contest entries. The finished matted enlargements will become the property of the Smith Center for Global Engagement/St. Olaf College. Photographers/submitters will not receive a printed/mounted copy of their photo.