Student AffairsMany thanks to all who submitted photos to this year's Contest!
Congratulations to the 2025 Contest Winner, Sai Zom Leng, BEng, on Exchange from the University of Hong Kong (HKU), international student from Myanmar. 'Through the Darkness' Category: Expressions of Culture. Place taken: Bangkok, Thailand.
“The tradition of Buddhist lanterns is prevalent in Buddhist countries, particularly at monasteries and pagodas. These lanterns symbolize the dispelling of darkness and the pursuit of enlightenment, and the lotus often represents purity. In Burmese culture, donating a lantern signifies a wish for wisdom. This photo was taken during my first reunion with family in over a year. As a Buddhist, visiting a place deeply connected to the traditions I grew up with provided me a glimpse into my past and a tiny hint of my future.”
2nd Place: Hamid Reza Ghaneei, PhD in Cultural Studies (2nd year), international graduate student from Iran. 'Threads of Culture' Category: Expressions of Culture. Place taken: Isfahan, Iran.
"Threads of Culture captures the timeless art of traditional carpet weaving, which forms an important part of Persian culture and Iranian art. The image shows a master artisan at her loom, interlacing vibrant threads of hand-dyed colors into a tapestry of remarkable detail. Each color hanging from the loom tells its own story, from the soft blues symbolizing serenity to the bold reds reflecting passion and strength."
3rd Place: Yuxuan Zhao, ConEd '25, international student from China. 'Dafo Temple' Category: Expressions of culture. Photo taken in: Guangzhou, China.
"This beautiful Buddhist temple was originally built in 1649 during the Ming dynasty. It is situated on one of the busiest streets in Guangzhou, and the temple stands out from all other modern buildings. It provides a space for people to visit and worship. I decided to submit this photo as it is rich in culture and history."
The People's Choice vote is open on QUIC Instagram until 11:59pm Feb. 20. The shortlisted entries photographers are (alpha by first name): Allen Tian, Amrinder Badwal, Anusuiya Chaulagain, Dusiying (Ami) Jin, Eliana Joaquim Ho, Esther Odan-Egwurube, Hamid Reza Ghaneei. Neeraj Nainwal, Niusha Mouchani, Pooria Ahmadi, Rhea Poddar, Sai Zom Leng, Wenqiang Wang, and Yuxuan Zhao. Overall, more than 50 students contributed their photos and stories this year.
The QUIC runs this annual contest to share the diversity of student experience, the richness of student talent and the many facets of international education. The contest invites current Queen's University international students and students who studied abroad / had an international experience to share their photo(s) showcasing international and intercultural learning and experiences.
Submission deadline was FEBRUARY 2, 2025.
Categories:
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Landscape and Nature
- Expressions of Culture
- Student Life
- Critical Global Issues
- Students may submit up to 2 photos PER PERSON.
- The Contest includes an Instagram vote for the winner.
- By submitting their photo(s), entrants consent that they have read and understood these Terms and Conditions.
- Photos must be taken by you within the last 2 years.
- Each high-resolution photo must be submitted with your full name, your Queen's University email address, the Category (eg 'Expressions of Culture'), the photo's title (eg 'Sunset in the Desert'), location and when taken (eg 'Saudi Arabia, 2024'), and a short description or story (eg 5 sentences) on why you have taken the photo, what does it mean to you, etc.
- Photos from Kingston and Canada are welcome.
- When choosing photos, students are advised to consider issues of privacy, respect, dignity and potential vulnerability of the individuals depicted.
- By submitting your photo, you are confirming that general consent of individuals in the image was obtained when their photo was taken by you.
- QUIC reserves the right not to consider any entry it deems to be inappropriate.
- Students who entered the Contest may be asked for more information or clarification of their submission if needed.
- By the means of participation in the Contest, students are giving their consent for their name, study program, photo description and the image to be shared/published.
- QUIC reserves the right to use all or part of winning photos in promotional materials, websites and social media.
- Shortlisted photos will be published on QUIC social media (Instagram and Facebook) for the Winners vote.
- Winning photos may be published on QUIC and University media to promote international education and showcase student creativity.
- QUIC is not responsible for low resolution, damaged, incomplete, lost or late entries.
- Entrants release the QUIC from liability in connection with the production of photo(s).
Winning photos from past years are available at Flickr galleries.