After carefully sifting through almost 100 submissions, the judges have selected the winners of the 2015 study abroad photo contest. This year’s entries showcased a variety of destinations and experiences as documented by Case Western Reserve University students.
Abbey Fox was the photographer of the Overall Winner in the contest. While studying abroad in Spain for the semester, Fox traveled to Chefchauoen, Morocco, where she took the colorful winning shot, titled “Chefchauoen.”
Fox said: “These bags of natural paint pigments were scattered around the city of Chefchauoen. I chose this picture because I think the vibrancy of the pigments perfectly represents the vibrant and lively culture of Morocco.”
Fox also won the CWRU in Motion category, which asked students to send in their best photo wearing CWRU gear in front of a site of historical or cultural significance. Fox submitted another photo of the “Blue City” of Chefchauoen, Morocco for the category.
“Everywhere you turn the buildings and streets are painted a mesmerizing blue, unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” she said. “Representing CWRU from across the world in my Spartan blue.”
The winner of the Cultural Selfie category is Andrea Lau. New this year, this category asked students to send in their best selfie with something of cultural significance in the background. Lau’s photo, was titled “Wadi Rum at 70 MPH.”
While studying abroad in Jordan over spring break, Lau set out into the desert. “This photo was taken as I rode in the back of an open-air caravan through the Wadi Rum desert,” she said. “I am wearing a keffiyeh, the traditional headdress of the Bedouin tribe, which is one of Jordan’s oldest cultural identities. Behind me are the awe-inspiring natural rock formations that give Wadi Rum its fame, whose name means ‘Valley of the Moon’ and is the biggest valley in Jordan.”
Belle Perez’s winning photo, “Ocean Exams” won The World Is Your Classroom category. While studying abroad last summer on the Caribbean island of Bonaire, Perez took her education far outside the traditional lecture hall.
“In Bonaire, where the entire island and surrounding waters are a national park, the ocean is your classroom,” she said. “In this picture, we’re being tested underwater to see if we can ID live fish that we find while scuba diving. Look at that huge balloonfish!”
Chloe Gellert won the General Category, which allows students to show off something cultural and unique that might not fit into other categories. While studying abroad for the semester in Seoul, South Korea, Gellert visited Japan, where she took the winning photo, titled “At the Golden Temple.”
“While my trip to Japan was short, my companion and I managed to wrangle together a day visiting the temples in Osaka, after renting kimonos for the day and paying to have our hair styled and renting a purse and sandals as well,” she said. “I chose this photo because…it’s a beautiful photo…and it also captures a lot of my experiences abroad. I am immersed in another place.”
The winner of the Facebook’s Most Likes category is Marianne Bonanno. After a close competition with the Overall Winner, Bonanno’s photo emerged victorious with almost 800 likes. Taken at the Keukenhoff Gardens in the Netherlands, Marianne’s photo, titled “Tulpenmanie (“Tulip Mania”), captivated the Facebook crowd.
“The title of the photograph originates from the time period in the 16th century called ‘Tulpenmanie’ during which the tulip first gained popularity in the Netherlands,” Bonanno said. “The tulip especially became popular among the upper class during that time, and competition grew among growers over who had the most beautiful tulip…I am surrounded by many vibrant colors of the tulip, which reminds me of that time period during which growers competed to have the best color of tulip.”
While only a handful could be chosen for prizes, the university community is encouraged to view all of the remarkable 2015 submissions on the Office of Education Abroad Facebook page.