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International Photography Competition & Exhibition

La Bellissima Venezia — Photographer Angshuman Kapil

For more than 20 years, the Office of International Affairs has hosted an annual International Photography Competition where Ohio State faculty, staff, students, visiting scholars and alumni are invited to submit photos taken outside of the United States. Photographers enter photos in three categories, which in the past have included People, Places, Politics, Animals, Signs and Transportation, among others. First, second and third prizes, as well as a number of honorable mentions, are awarded in each category, and one photograph is named "Best in Show." The winners are displayed in the annual International Photography Exhibition in the Ohio Union and online.

2023 International Photography Competition Rules

All The Ohio State University students, staff, faculty, visiting scholars and alumni are invited to submit photos to the 2023 International Photography Competition. The competition opens August 1, 2023 and submissions are accepted until October 6, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. EST. All photographs must be the original work of the entrant, of high quality and taken outside of the United States. Photographers are invited to submit one photo in each of three categories: People, Places and Arts & Culture.

A panel of judges chosen by the Office of International Affairs will select 40 photos based on artistic expression, creativity, originality, photo commentary and the quality of the image to be on display at our photo exhibition in the Ohio Union. A Best in Show winner will be selected and first, second and third place awards will be given in each of the three categories. There will also be People's Choice Awards for the photos that receive the highest votes via the Facebook voting phase.

1. All current students, faculty, staff, visiting scholars or alumni at The Ohio State University are eligible to participate, except for full-time staff within the Office of International Affairs.

2. The 2023 International Photography Competition has three phases:

3. Photographs must be:


4. Entrants may submit one photograph in each of the following categories (thus each photographer is limited to submitting three total photos):

5. By submitting a photo and reading and agreeing to the rules, entrants are agreeing to grant The Ohio State University and the Office of International Affairs use of the photographs in displays related to the contest and in other printed and electronic publications. Efforts will be made to credit the entrant when possible.

6. Judges from the Office of International Affairs will select 40 photos based on artistic expression, creativity, originality, photo commentary and the quality of the image to be on display at our photo exhibition in the Ohio Union. Photos chosen for the exhibition will be printed, displayed and framed as an 8"x10" image. The judges will also choose a first, second and third place entry for each category, which will be announced at the 2023 Photography Exhibition Reception.

7. If your photo is one of the 40 chosen for the exhibition, you will be notified via email. Your photo will then have the chance to win the People’s Choice Award through the Office of International Affairs Facebook page. All photos that made it to the exhibition will be posted in a categorized album on Facebook for you to share and encourage others to vote. The photo with the most likes from each category by November 6 at 12 noon (EST) will win People’s Choice.

For questions, please contact Victor van Buchem, van-buchem.1@osu.edu.

Past Exhibitions on Facebook