Send us your best snapshots from your study abroad, domestic study away, or international internship to enter into UW-Madison’s Study Abroad Photo Contest!
Guidelines
- Submit your best captioned photos in our photo categories online by 11:59 p.m. CT on Monday, September 29, 2025.
- Win a Badger Bundle filled with goodies from the UW Bookstore and study abroad swag! Winners will be notified on Monday, November 10.
- View all winners and runners-up at our gallery starting during International Education Week (November 18 – December 4)!
To submit your photos, click the button below and navigate to the “Share My Experience” tab.
2025 Photo Categories
Submit up to five (5) photos in each of the following categories:
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Live like a Local
Highlight your home away from home! Share how you connected with the culture you were living in – whether through new friends and host families, experiencing food and cultural traditions, or discovering your very own corner of town! Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Favorite Spots in Town
- Homestays & Housing
- Friendships Abroad
- Food
- Cultural Traditions & Holidays
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Badgers Abroad
From wearing Badger red to flashing “finger W’s” – we want to see how you’re showing off your UW spirit wherever you are in the world! Examples include:
- Wearing visible UW-Madison apparel
- Posing with your hands in the W motion
- Photo of a Bucky plushie or UW flag in your program location
-
Global Classroom
Your classroom abroad may have look different than studying here at UW. Show us what classes and campus life look like on your program! Here’s some options to consider:
- Fieldwork
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- Research Labs or Projects
- Internship Sites
- Campus Events & Buildings
- Student Organizations
-
Humans and the Environment
Your time abroad might have made you more aware of the world around you, whether through observing sustainable practices, engaging in conservation efforts, or appreciating natural landscapes. Share a photo of a moment or experience on your program that was impactful and explain why.
Examples:
- Conservation efforts in action
- Sustainable infrastructure (transportation, recycling, renewable energy, etc.)
- Native (or invasive) wildlife and plants
- Ecotourism and its impact on the environment or the local community
- Connection to local landscapes
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Postcard Perfect
Have a postcard quality photo from your time abroad that doesn’t fit into any of these categories? Enter it here and share why it’s meaningful to your experience abroad!
To submit your photos, click the button below and navigate to the “Share My Experience” tab.
Eligibility
Who can enter?
- UW-Madison students who have or are currently participating in a UW-Madison study abroad, domestic study away, or international internship program.
What photos can be submitted?
- Photos taken during your program experience.
- Photos taken by you (the person submitting the photo).
- Photos in which subjects have granted permission for their photo to be taken and submitted to UW-Madison for promotional purposes.
What photos cannot be submitted?
- Photos containing the following are not eligible for consideration in the Study Abroad Photo Contest
- Photos including identifiable minors
- Photos of people engaging in activities that are not covered by the university’s CISI insurance
- bungee jumping
- parasailing
- hang gliding
- sky-diving
- mountain climbing
- operating an aircraft, watercraft, or automobile
- racing by horse, motor vehicle, or motorcycle
- Photos taken in countries where the UW-Madison study abroad offices have no approved programs
- Photos that show alcohol and/or drugs
What should I include in my description?
- Describe who or what is in the photo, and where it was taken. How does this relate to your program and why is it meaningful to you? How does this relate to the category?
How do I submit photos?
- Submit your photos through your MyStudyAbroad account. Select the “Share My Experience” tile and click the link under the “Submit Photos and Videos” section. To add a photo:
- Click the “Add Photo” button and upload your .jpg, .png, or .heic file.
- Add a photo caption in the “Photo description (caption)” field.
- Select the submission type “Photo Contest – Preferred Category” (i.e. Photo Contest – Live like a Local, Photo Contest – Badgers Abroad, Photo Contest – Global Classroom, Photo Contest – Postcard Perfect).
- Input the location and date (month, year) the photo was taken.
- Submit to enter!
Submission Guidelines
- Eligible participants may submit up to five (5) photos per category.
- Images must be at least 1 MB in size with dpi 300 or higher.
- Photos must be in their original digital file (no Facebook photos).
- Entries must be submitted online using your MyStudyAbroad portal.
- Each submission must include the following information:
- Your name
- Your contact information
- Your study abroad program name and year of study
- Photo title
- The location the photo was taken in
- If there are multiple students in the photo, please include their names
- A brief description (30-120 words)
- Photos may not be digitally altered beyond basic color correction.
- Photos can be color or black & white.
- Photo file types accepted are .JPEG, .PNG, or .HEIC.
- Filenames must be formatted accordingly:
Country_City_PhotoTitle_Category_FirstNameLastName.jpg- Please do not use special/extended characters
Judging
Entries will be judged based on how they capture the category description, as well as their artistic expression, creativity, originality, image quality and photo caption description. A good caption will describe the following: who or what is in the photo, and where it was taken; how does this relate to your program and why is it meaningful to you, and how does this relate to the category?
Our panel of judges will review the photos and their captions, and choose a winner and two runners-up for each category. Winners will be notified on Monday, November 10, 2025, and will be honored in a photo gallery starting during International Education Week from November 18 – December 4, 2025.
Cultural Sensitivity
Photography is a useful tool to help convey an experience or a memory, but it is important to recognize the power photos can have and to share them ethically. Photos must be culturally appropriate and sensitive.
- Please avoid submitting images that
- Stereotype
- Exploit
- Disrespect
- Make false generalizations
- Lead to inaccuracy or misrepresentations of the host country, people, or setting.
- When submitting photos of people, think less like a tourist and more like a local who is communicating what it is like to experience day-to-day events and activities.
Terms and Conditions
By entering the contest, you are giving University of Wisconsin–Madison or its assigns permission to use your photo(s) and other information/comments submitted in various marketing activities, publications and/or the web for the purpose of promoting study abroad at UW-Madison. All photos, not just winning photos, may be used by University of Wisconsin–Madison or its assigns for the purposes noted above.