The 2022 International Photography Exhibition on display in the Great Hall of the Ohio Union features 40 original photographs taken overseas in 25 different countries by 35 Ohio State students, staff, faculty, visiting scholars and alumni. The exhibition features a diverse selection of images captured in Albania, Austria, Cambodia, Canada, China (five images), Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Ghana, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco (three images), Myanmar, Peru, Russia, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Tanzania, and Thailand.
Jynel Casey, a staff member, earned the Best in Show award for her submission “Dirty Jobs” that she photographed in Morocco. Captured in Italy, visiting scholar Emanuele Gravante won 1st Place in the People category for his image “Community.” Undergraduate student Nathan Peachman earned 1st Place in the Places category with his entry “Kish e Thethit” captured in Theth, Albania. Staff member Kelly Hays won 1st Place in the Arts & Culture category with her photograph “To the Teahouse” taken in Kyoto, Japan.
Not only are the photographs international, but many of the photographers are also students or alumni who hail from different countries. The Buckeye photographers featured in the exhibition are from 10 countries including: Austria, China, Ghana, India, Italy, Russia, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom and United States. The photographers include 11 alumni, one faculty, six graduate students, six staff and two visiting scholars and nine undergraduate students.
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. 300 members of the Ohio State community submitted 600 photographs across three categories: People, Places and Arts & Culture. As part of the competition, Ohio State Buckeyes from 42 countries submitted photographs taken in more than 70 countries. The Places category had the most total submissions with 259 photos entered. Over 160 photographs were submitted in the People category and more than 175 images in the Arts & Culture category.
The place winners and best in show photographs were selected by a three-person judging panel of faculty 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 and Instagram feed. More than 5,780 votes were cast and People’s Choice winners were chosen by the public in each category. Graduate student Taylor Shade won the People’s Choice award for in People for her “Little Girl in Cambodia” image, undergraduate student Peter Wandtke won the People’s Choice in the Places category for “Tatoonie” and “Dirty Jobs” by Jynel Casey was the People’s Choice selection in Arts & Culture.
Organized by the Office of International Affairs, the international photography competition and exhibition has taken place for more than 20 years. View the current exhibition or browse past photography exhibitions.