BU Captures the World
Global Programs announces annual spring photo contest winners
In the slideshow above, view photos taken by BU students, faculty, staff, and alumni in their explorations around the world.
A tranquil river scene, a stark image capturing rural life among Burmese fishermen, and a spectacular aerial taken from a hot air balloon are the top winners of BU Global Programs’ third annual photo contest, which challenged BU photographers to submit work capturing the many ways the University community engages with the world.
More than 800 photos were submitted by 311 faculty, staff, students, and alumni, representing 72 countries. A panel of 11 judges picked 15 top photos (first, second, and third place and 12 finalists) based on criteria of global engagement, composition, and diversity.
Willis Wang, vice president and associate provost for global programs, was one of the judges, and he says that his office was impressed by the powerful statements the images conveyed.
“Ansel Adams once said, ‘You don’t take a photograph—you make it,’ and our students, faculty, and staff prove how true a statement that is,” he says. “When they travel, our community members become fully engaged with the society, culture, and people surrounding them, and their photos allow the rest of us to share in their rich experiences.”
First prize went to Menas Yang (CAS’15) for his photograph titled Guilin Twilight, taken in Guilin, China. The photo shows two elderly fishermen sitting in a boat on the banks of the Lijiang River. Nominated as a World Heritage site, the Lijiang River and its surrounding lands were first inhabited more than 7,000 years ago, and today the region is known for its caves and cultural relics. Yang received a GoPro camera bundle as the first prize winner. Another of Yang’s photos was chosen as a finalist: Mahjong Lesson, a captivating picture of three young children giggling as they learn the game.
Second prize was awarded to Alexander Driessen (CAS’15) for his black-and-white shot of Myanmar’s famous floating gardens of Inle Lake; he won a digital picture frame. Third prize went to Jared Woollacott (GRS’15) for an aerial image of Turkey’s central Cappadocia region taken from a hot air balloon. He received a travel preparedness kit.
Gail Davis, Global Programs senior communication manager, notes that Asia was by far the most popular region depicted by the contest’s finalists. “We were also surprised that so many of our favorite photos were submitted by students as opposed to faculty, who came away with two top prizes last year, and through the anonymous voting by our team, that CAS students took all three top places,” she says.
Global Programs comprises Study Abroad, the Center for English Language & Orientation Programs, the International Students & Scholars Office, and Global Support.
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