Pick of the Pics

International Photo Contest winners announced

UNC Asheville’s Study Abroad program has announced the winners of its International Photo Contest, an annual competition open to university students, faculty and staff. The photographs collected in this year’s competition offer glimpses of communities around the globe, as members of the UNC Asheville family traveled to locations on every continent except Antarctica.

Psychology major Sarah Gahm (‘14) took “Best In Show” honors for an image shot from a “mokoro,” or hand-carved canoe, as she toured the shallow waters of the great Okavango Delta in Botswana. In the company of some local villagers, Gahm joined a group of international students to view hippopotamus, zebras, and other wildlife not so easily seen from the bigger boats frequented by tourists.

We want to encourage serious photography among our UNC Asheville
travelers, to help them see their new surroundings more deeply.”
– Cara Gilpin, adviser, Study Abroad Program

“That picture doesn’t fully express how beautiful it was up there,” she said of her trip into the expansive natural areas of northern Botswana. The camping trip was one of several excursions she made during a semester of study at the University of Botswana in Gaborone.

“It was an eye-opening experience,” she said. “African Studies classes at UNC Asheville teach a lot about Africa—the culture and political issues—but what you don’t learn in the classroom is how to interact with people from different cultures, in their environment.”

Contest organizer Cara Gilpin, adviser at UNC Asheville’s Study Abroad Program, says the judges look for images that are especially thoughtful and creative, while depicting scenes that are unambiguously out-of-the-country. This year’s contest received 43 entries. Volunteer judges from the UNC Asheville community selected first-, second-, and third-place winners in three categories (portraits, landscapes, and general subjects).

“We want to encourage serious photography among our UNC Asheville travelers, to help them see their new surroundings more deeply and create a photographic record of their experiences,” Gilpin continued. “Sharing these overseas opportunities with the UNC Asheville community helps bring the world to Asheville and enables us to better understand our students’ experiences.

All photos will be displayed in Blowers Gallery of Ramsey Library in April 2013.  A reception will be held on Tuesday, April 9 from noon to 1 p.m., with the photographers on hand to relay stories about their travels and the photos.

And the winners are…

“I hesitate to use the word ‘winners,’” said Cara Gilpin, adviser with UNC Asheville’s Study Abroad Program, “since all photos submitted will be on display in Blowers Gallery for the month of April. But the top 10 will be enlarged significantly for display.”

Best In Show

“Afternoon Mokoro” by Sarah Gahm (Botswana)

Portrait

1st Place: “A Smile is Universal” by Emma Bussard (Nepal)
2nd Place: “Old Man with Two Canes” by Jethro Waters (Portugal)
3rd Place: “Umit and the Road to Istanbul” by Ian Montgomery (Turkey)

Landscape

1st Place: “Point of No Return” by Matt Farr (Ghana)
2nd Place: “Untitled” by Gray Barrett (Norway)
3rd Place: ”La Vista y la Cruz” by Chelsea Hall (Argentina)

General

1st Place: “Colorful Contemplation” by Ann Hyett (Nepal)
2nd Place: “Underneath the Eiffel Tower” by Lauren DeBoer (France)
3rd Place: “Sights from El Camino” by Sam Boehms (Spain)