The 2025 International Photography Exhibition features 40 original photographs taken overseas in 24 different countries by 29 Ohio State students, staff, faculty and alumni. Over 390 members of the campus community submitted more than 785 photographs across three categories: People, Places and Arts & Culture. The exhibition includes a diverse selection of images captured in Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Cuba, Ecuador, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Panama, Peru, Spain and Vietnam.
Alumnus Richard Michael Smith earned Best in Show for his “Juwiring Umbrella Painter” photographed while traveling in Indonesia. WOSU staff member Ryan Staples earned First Place award in the People category for his portrait, “Cat Nap in Katmandu” captured in Nepal. Undergraduate student Ethan Liu was award Second Place for “Barred Light of Solace.” An international graduate student from India, S. Snehil Pulluri earned Third Place in the People category for “Maintenance at Dusk.”
The top photo in the Places category was “Dutch Windmill” by alumna Linda Teufel. Second place went to “An Uncomfortable Perspective” by graduate student S. Snehil Pulluri. Captured by alumnus Shin Wong, “Fishing Village In Senja Island” was awarded Third Place in the Places category.
Taken by an international graduate student from India, “Absorbed in his art” earned the First Place award in the Arts & Culture category for Anuvab Sarkar. “Time and Tobacco” earned the Second Place award for alumnus John Butterfield. Jiazheng (Jayden) Zhu an undergraduate student from China won the Third Place award for “Circumambulate” in the Arts & Culture category.
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 4,300 votes were cast and People’s Choice winners were chosen by the public in each category. Graduate student S. Snehil Pulluri’s photo “Maintenance at Dusk” was honored in the People category. Captured by Chinese graduate student Shaoru Cheng, “Sydney Opera House with a Crown” won the people’s choice honor in the Places category. “Absorbed in his art” earned the people’s choice award for graduate student Anuvab Sarkar in Arts & Culture.
The 29 exhibition photographers represented a cross-section of Buckeyes including: eight undergraduate students, three graduate students, nine staff members, one faculty member, and eight alumni. Not only are the photographs international, but many of the photographers are as well. Twelve photographers are international and hail from five countries: Afghanistan, Canada, China, India and South Korea. Six of the photographers are from China.
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. As part of the competition, Ohio State Buckeyes from 41 countries submitted photographs taken in 79 countries. China topped the list with 68 international photographers and 24 were from India, more than 200 photographers from the United States submitted images.
The Places category had the most total submissions with 340 photos entered. Over 215 photographs were submitted in the People category and 227 images in the Arts & Culture category.
The place winners and best in show photographs were selected by a three-person judging panel of creative Buckeyes including faculty member Jonathan Combs-Schilling, staff member Corey Wilson and last year’s Best in Show winner Jen Heaton. 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 2025 International Photography Exhibition is on display in the Barnett Center for Integrated Arts and Enterprise from November 3 - December 18, 2025. Open hours Monday-Wednesday, 2-5 p.m. and Friday, 3-5 p.m. The Barnett Center is located in Sullivant Hall at 1813 North High Street Columbus, OH 43210.
Organized annually by the Office of International Affairs, the international photography competition and exhibition has showcased Ohio State’s top international photography for more than 20 years.