Go Global photo contest
Share photos from your time abroad for a chance to win 1 of 3 prizes!
Enter the 2023-24 Go Global photo contest
Submit your photos and a blurb about your experience by Fri., Sept. 1, 2023
Contest details
The annual Go Global Photo Contest gives students an opportunity to reflect on and share their experience abroad with other UBC students. Tell about your favourite moments from your time abroad and include a short description about why you chose those photo(s) for a chance to win one of three prizes.
We will feature all submissions on Go Global online and print materials.
Do:
- Choose powerful imagery that transports the viewer to a specific place and sets a mood
- Select images that show a different point of view
- Show settings that a student might never see unless on a Go Global program
Don't:
- Submit photos with people whom you did not get permission from
- Use images with anyone under the age of 18
- As a good rule of thumb: “if you wouldn’t want someone to use or take your picture, don’t take theirs or submit it”
By submitting your photos and statements to the Go Global Photo Contest, you authorize Go Global and UBC to use the photos and/or statements on UBC and international student websites, and for other materials produced for promotional and informational purposes. You certify that you have the right to distribute these photos. Where possible, you will be credited for your submissions.
- Contest opens: Aug. 14
- Contest closes: Sept. 1
- Review period: Sept. 6 to 15
- Top 10 photos posted on Go Global’s Instagram page for public voting: Sept. 18 to 29
- Winners announced during the week of October 9
All UBC students who participated in a Go Global program during the following terms: Term 1 (Sept.-Dec. 2022), Term 2 (Jan.-April 2023), Summer (May-Aug. 2023)
2 ways to enter
If you are on Instagram:
- Post your photo(s) on your Instagram account and tag us @goglobalubc
- Use the hashtag #goglobalphotocontest2023
- With each photo, include:
- Program (Exchange, Global Seminars, Summer Abroad, etc.)
- Location (university + city + country)
- Short caption (100 words max) to help judges know what you were reflecting on – in other words, why this photo was powerful for you
If you don’t have an Instagram account:
- Submit your photo(s) here
- With each photo, include:
- First name, last name and student number
- Program (Exchange, Global Seminars, Summer Abroad, Research Abroad, etc.)
- Location (university + city + country)
- Short caption (100 words max) as a way to help judges know what you were reflecting on – in other words, why this photo was powerful for you
*Photos must be at least 1920 x 850 pixels
1st place$200 gift card and a |
2nd place$125 gift card and a |
3rd place$75 gift card and a |
First place
Magdalen Hamilton, Exchange to Cape Town in 2022
"Looking out over Cape Town from Lion's Head. The Lion's Head trail that winds up the mountains surrounding Cape Town is one of the most accessible and popular hikes in the city. This photo was taken during my first time hiking it, and my breath was taken away by the panoramic view of the city below that overlooks each and every corner of Cape Town. Cape Town is a city of stark dichotomies, with incredible wealth coexisting alongside extreme poverty. To see from an aerial view this entanglement of different neighborhoods- and lived experiences- really made me think about the complexity of South Africa. It is one of the most naturally beautiful countries in the world with a long and troubled history that remains difficult to articulate and neatly categorize. Moments like this make me grateful for the opportunity with Go Global to gain a deeper understanding of these realities."
Second place
Heidi Collie, Global Seminars in Israel in 2022
"Through Herod’s Eyes: Masada’s view of the most coveted land on Earth"
Third place
Olivia Yin, Exchange Student from University of Melbourne in 2022
"This semester, I am studying on exchange at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. I took this photo at the Richmond Night Market when I visited with some friends on the weekend of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Coming from an Australian-Chinese background, this night market was very special to me; seeing all the food vendors and eating the delicious Asian-fusion food made me feel nostalgic of my own home and the local Queen Victoria night market in my city. There's a saying that good food in good company in one of life's greatest pleasures, and this couldn't be more true seeing how joyous everyone looked on the night!"
First place
Katie Lee, Global Seminars in Iceland 2019
"A large focus of the seminar was to learn about the importance of sustainability and the various unique geological sites of Iceland. Travelling around the island was a truly humbling experience that made me appreciate how small humans are compared to the powerful geological formations of the earth. Yet, humans are the largest destructive force disrupting Earth’s ecosystems and climate today. Being able to visit Iceland solidified in my mind the importance of preserving natural resources and ecological areas so that future generations can experience the same beautiful landscapes that we saw during our trip in 2019."
Second place
Michael Suey, Exchange to Stockholm in 2019
"The first thing this reminds me of is how surreal exchange was. I’ve always dreamt of travelling to Africa, and while on exchange I had the opportunity to travel to the Moroccan sand dunes and live out that dream. The second thing it reminds me of is that the most amazing moments can come at the most unexpected times. They were short camels for the sunset ride but decided to walk alongside them anyways. As the sun set, the camels crossed over a hill and I was lucky enough to capture what is my favorite photo I’ve ever shot."
Third place
"The Light" by Jensen Tung, Exchange to Singapore in 2018
"For the first 20 years of my life, I never traveled outside the Pacific Time Zone. I was clueless about the world outside Vancouver. That all changed when I went on exchange. Studying in Singapore and traveling around Southeast Asia felt like exiting my cave for the very first time. The sights, the sounds, and the emotions that I experienced were all new to me. Exchange opened my eyes to the beauty of the world and was a breath of fresh air."