CGIS Photo Contest Winners

Diego Garcia

Borobudur is a famous Buddhist temple in Central Java. The temple has several levels that all have different carvings depicting the story of Buddhism and the story of Buddha and how it developed through time. Each carving is extremely intricate and was done by hand. The temple is a masterpiece of Buddhist architecture and serves as a gathering center for Buddhist pilgrimages and for the people.

CGIS Photo Contest

Nearly every photo you see in CGIS promotional materials was taken by a UM student who has returned from a study abroad experience. This gives our materials a vibrancy and authenticity that helps convey our students' incredible personal and academic journeys. Each year, CGIS holds a contest in which students who participated in CGIS programs can submit photos and win prizes.

For the Fall 2016 CGIS Photo Contest, contest winners were our featured guests at the Global Photo Showcase on Monday, November 14, 2016, 6–8pm in the Michigan League.

CGIS judges photos on subject matter, quality, creativity, originality, and respect for local culture. We look for images that capture a meaningful and respectful relationship between the photographer and the subject. We encourage images of students in an academic and intercultural settings, images of students interacting with people from their host country, and images that present a unique, unusual insight about study abroad.
 We discourage images that demonstrate a lack of respect for individuals or local cultures, images that could be misinterpreted easily as cultural (mis)appropriation, and images of children and minors.

Avery Collins

One of our first excursions in Peru was to the neighboring village of Chichubamba, located in the Sacred Valley, a fifteen-minute walk from Urubamba, our host village. We learned about agro-tourism and beekeeping, eventually getting the opportunity to handle the bees. After calming them with a smoke pump, the beekeeper deposited handfuls of bees into our hands. They would remain in our hands for upwards of fifteen minutes.

Brigitte Smith

Ayesha in the midst of midday hustle and bustle on the streets of Old Town Ahmedabad. It was always an adventure trying to navigate the narrow and crowded streets among other pedestrians, bikers, mopeds, rickshaws, carts, and cars. The best advice is to keep calm, be attentive, and laugh about the many near collision experiences.

Kathryn Moynihan

Some street art featuring a street named for one of my favorite photographers, Jaques-Henri Lartigue, whose work revolved around capturing happy moments in life. So I captured a happy moment of my daily walk. This is one of my favorite photos from my time in Paris.

Lindsay McClintic

This photo was taken at an excavation site for Incan ruins in one of Lima’s many districts. Our group did various projects on site, including relocating a giant pile of rocks.

Mariah Laird

Street art is everywhere in London, and famous street artist Jimmy C continues the tradition. This portrait of Bowie on a wall in the Brixton area receives love from fans in honor of his memory and roots.

Molly Cocco

These beautifully decorated but slightly broken-down trucks were often seen carrying cargo down New Delhi’s overpopulated streets. The trucks usually are owned by individual families, and some of the hand-painted decorations have special significance to the family. According to some, the trucks are seen as “second wives” to the drivers, an explanation as to why they are so elegant and personalized. Many trucks also have written warnings to honk to let them know others are around and that they need to give way.

Olivia Herbert

Earlier on this day we had planted mangrove trees across the channel. All seventeen of us squeezed onto this tiny boat to cross the channel. It could barely hold us and we stalled several times. After planting the mangroves the driver took us to the other side of the channel and had us climb the hill. He anchored the boat and we ran to find the Indian Ocean on the other side. It was exhilarating and violent and loud and huge. Just one hundred feet away on the other side of the hill was our little boat, patiently waiting on still water.

Paula Laslou

A picture cannot do justice to the rich beauty that is Machu Picchu, being encased by such deep history and a breathtaking view. Our group was fortunate to experience it on a side trip during our service-learning program in Peru.

Ren Powers

One of the amazing things about Amsterdam is how it provides spaces for a diverse range of art. You have statues of national heroes on one end of the block, modern sculptures on the other, and local street art just around the corner.