hey look, the hagia sofia
Did you go abroad during the 2009-10 academic year and take amazing photographs of your friends expanding their worldviews against the beautiful backdrop of a foreign skyline? Do your photos capture within a single frame what it means to be an American student studying abroad? Did you drink 2 bottles of red wine and then spend the night smashing your finger against the capture button on your digital camera trying to get one passable shot of the Hagia Sofia? Do you want to show the world how good you are at pointing and shooting? Presenting the Off-Campus Study and Exchange Photo Contest.
The OCSE office is accepting submissions to its photo contest until Nov. 1st so you should probably go here and figure out how to submit. The first place winner of each category will be awarded a $100 prize and the photo selected for the Best of Show will be awarded a $200 prize.
The OCSE website lists “representation of the study abroad experience, sensitivity toward the host culture and technical merit” as their selection criteria but I doubt I’m bursting any bubbles with the prediction that even a perfectly framed and focused picture of you wrapped in the Danish flag, chugging peppermint schnapps, smoking 4 cigarettes at once and still maintaining a look of complete homesickness and utter disdain for the people around you isn’t going to win any awards—despite its pretty accurate representation of the study abroad experience (mine anyway). Maybe stick to something a bit more lighthearted, like scones on the table of an outdoor cafe or baguettes sticking out of grocery bags or something like that.
Good luck photogs.
