The 2019 International Photography Exhibition on display in the Great Hall of the Ohio Union features 40 original photographs taken overseas in 21 different countries by 32 Ohio State students, staff, faculty and alumni. The exhibition features a diverse selection of images captured in Canada, China, Croatia, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Namibia, Nepal, Oman, Peru, Portugal, Senegal, Spain, and Thailand.
Vinay Ravi, an alumnus, earned the Best in Show award for his submission “Making of a Mandala” that he photographed in India. Captured in Egypt, studio art major William Yuan won 1st Place in the People category for his image “Eyes of Wonder.” Alumnus Steven Hirsch earned 1st Place in the Places category with his entry “Churieto Pagoda, Fuji” captured in Yamaguchi, Japan. Alumna Vanessa Burrowes won 1st Place in the Arts & Culture category with her photograph “Face in the Crowd” taken in Puno, Peru.
Not only are the photographs international, but many of the photographers are also students or alumni who hail from different countries. 12 international photographers have entries in the exhibition, including six from China, three from India, and one each from Mexico, Spain and Taiwan. 11 of the photographers are undergraduate students, five are graduate students, nine are alumni, four are staff and three are faculty at Ohio State.
Photographs in the exhibition were first submitted in three categories to the International Photography Competition, an annual contest open to all members of the Ohio State community. Over 275 members of the campus community submitted more than 675 photographs across three categories: People, Places and Arts & Culture. As part of the competition, Ohio State Buckeyes from 32 countries submitted photographs taken in more than 70 countries. The Places category had the most total submissions with 263 photos entered. Over 250 photographs were submitted in the People category and more than 160 images in the Arts & Culture category.
The place winners and best in show photographs were selected by a three-person judging panel of students and staff at Ohio State. The judges honored one selection with the overall Best in Show award and selected first, second, and third place winners in each category. The judges also awarded honorable mention recognition to 30 photographs.
The 40 images selected for the exhibit were entered into an online People’s Choice vote through the Office of International Affairs Facebook page. More than 5,600 votes were cast and People’s Choice winners were chosen by the public in each category. Staff member Dan Reeve won the People’s Choice award for in People for his “Gates Of Heaven” image, Angshuman Kapil won the People’s Choice in the Places category for “La Bellissima Venezia” and “The Orthodox Vision” by graduate student Eleni Volas was the People’s Choice selection in Arts & Culture.