ENTER THE 2015 SGS STUDENT PHOTO CONTEST

Yu Zhu (MA ’15, CEAS) took “Red Wine” in Pingyao, Shanxin Province, China, an ancient town that dates back 2000 years. It won first place in our Altered Images...

Our photo contest presents an opportunity to show the world through a unique lens – that of our students. Enter your favorite photos (or several). What makes a photograph a winner? Technical quality, clarity and composition are all important, but so too is a flair for the unexpected and the ability to capture a picture-perfect moment.

Who can enter?

Any graduate or undergraduate student affiliated with any of the following SGS programs:

  • Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies
  • Center for African Studies
  • Center for East Asian Studies
  • Center for Latin American Studies
  • Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies
  • Center for South Asia
  • The Europe Center
  • Ford Dorsey Program in International Policy Studies
  • France-Stanford Center for Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Global Studies Internship Program
  • Hamid and Christina Moghadam Program in Iranian Studies
  • Program in International Relations
  • Mediterranean Studies Forum
  • Taube Center for Jewish Studies
  • WSD HANDA Center for Human Rights and International Justice

Contestants should identify their photographs with one of the world regions listed below, and with one of the following five categories: 1. The Natural World; 2. People; 3. Altered Images; 4. Travel.  Submitted photographs must have been taken by the entrant within the three years prior to the submission date.  Please do not send photos that had been entered in a prior year.

World regions:

  • Africa
  • Antarctica
  • East Asia
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • Middle East
  • North America
  • Oceania/Australia
  • Russia & Central Asia
  • South Asia
  • Southeast Asia

Categories:

  • The Natural World—Animals, plants and landscapes; geological or climatological features; scientific processes and endeavors.
  • People—Individuals from all walks of life.
  • Altered Images—Photographs manipulated for artistic purposes by applying digital and/or traditional special effects (i.e. colorizing, toning, collage, photo composites, HDR, etc.).
  • Travel—Locales, peoples or activities in the United States and abroad that convey a sense of place.

Eight to ten finalists will be selected. From the finalists, category winners and a grand prize winner will be selected. Winning entries will be displayed in SGS and may be used in printed materials and/or online.

Cropped photos are eligible in all categories. Note: Digitally or otherwise enhanced or altered photos, should be entered in the Altered Images category. Minor adjustments, including spotting, dodging and burning, sharpening, contrast and slight color adjustment or the digital equivalents, are acceptable for all categories.

For a photo in which a person is recognizable, you should secure a model release from the subject wherever possible. If the individual is a minor, you will need parental or guardian consent.  Releases are generally not required from people who are identifiable in a photograph of a street or public place provided that the photograph is reasonably related to the subject matter and the identifiable people are not the focus of the photograph. A sample release is on page 4.

Prizes

Category winners will be awarded a $50 gift certificate. The judges’ choice winner will be awarded a $100 gift certificate.

How to enter

Submit one photograph per submission using the submission form. For each, include the following:

  1. Your full name, contact information, and degree major
  2. The SGS program you are affiliated with
  3. Catergory of entry
  4. Photo title
  5. Short description of your photo (what/who, your connection, when the photo was taken, etc.)
  6. The world area or your photograph relates to
  7. The city, state, or country where the photo was taken

Multiple photographs per category are permitted, but a new entry form will need to be completed for each submission.  High-quality scans of non-digital photographs are acceptable. Photographs must be in a .jpeg, .jpg or .gif format. Files submitted may not be larger than 2,048k (2Mb). Finalists will be asked to submit a high-resolution file or an original negative, print or slide.

By entering the contest, entrants grant Stanford University a royalty-free, world-wide, perpetual, non-exclusive license to display, distribute, reproduce, and create derivative works of the entries, in whole or in part, in any media now existing or subsequently developed, for any educational, promotional, publicity, exhibition, archival, scholarly, and all other standard purposes.  Any photograph reproduced will include a photographer credit as feasible.  Neither SGS nor Stanford University will be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such uses.

Entry deadline
Entries must be received by 5 pm on Monday, April 6, 2015.

Judging
Judging will take place in April, with results posted early in May, 2015.

Questions
Contact Jane Stahl, SGS Office Manager at (650) 736-0501 or jstahl2 [at] stanford.edu (jstahl2[at]stanford[dot]edu).