Previous Years
Open a section below to view the winning submissions from years past.
2015 Contest Winners
First Place Winner: Julie Vang
Protect and Defend Indigenous Samburu—Laikipia, Kenya
I interned with the Samburu Women’s Trust (SWT) during my time in Kenya. SWT advocated for both human and women rights of Samburu women and girls. After a 4 hour drive through harsh conditioned roads, I finally made it to one of the Samburu villages. The SWT’s team engaged everyone in a dialogue forum pertaining to gender based violence. From this meeting, I realized that the Samburu was more than just the beautiful beadings that they wore, it was the challenges and frustrations they faced by their harmful cultural practices that undermine and stigmatize them, without confidence to speak out.
Second Place: Evi Susilowati
Almost Sinking—Panggang Island, Kepulauan Seribu, Indonesia
One of the places I visited during my backpacking trip around Indonesia last summer was Kepulauan Seribu (Thousands Island) a chain of islands located on the off-shore of north Jakarta. As we walk around Panggang Island (which we can do for only 2 hours), we will see some scattered abandoned fishing boats lining upon the shoreline. While we did our community service with the local children, they told us that when the ship finished serving the fishermen, it changes its function as the source of childhood memory of the children on the island.
Third Place: Riley DuBois
UMN Pride in London—Parliament Square in Westminster
Sporting my UMN spirit in front of iconic Big Ben and the red phone booth in Parliament Square in the Westminster neighborhood of London.
2016 Contest Winners
Friends Category: Nathan Manske
Thailand Hill Tribe Stay—Chiang Rai, Thailand
A homestay a Thailand hill tribes village—wearing the tribe's traditional clothes
Gophers Abroad Category: Madeline Schwartz
Spring Break in South America—Machu Picchu, Peru
Two UofM students enjoy the view of Machu Picchu at the end of a 5 day hike of the Salkantay Trail in Peru.
Instagrammable Category: Jack Rodgers
Beneath the Milky Way—Lake of the Woods, Ontario, Canada
While on a fishing trip in Canada this summer, I took advantage of the fact that there was almost no light pollution to try and capture some long exposure shots of the night sky. Taken just before the sent went down, the nebula of the Milky Way can be seen emerging overhead an island cabin as the people who live there began to settle in for the night.
2017 Contest Winners
1st Prize Winner: Mary Grace
La montaña de 14 colores—Hornacal outside of Humahuaca, Jujuy, Argentina
After an incredible bumpy and long drive through the mountains on dirt paths, we finally arrived to the Hornacal. The view was breathtaking and well worth the journey.
2nd Prize Winner: Monica Delgado
A Sliver of Home—Agra, India
Halfway around the world and still showing that Minnesota Pride! I brought a little representation of the University of Minnesota to one of the most beautiful landmarks in India.
3rd Prize Winner: Adam Wegren
A Happy Uyghur Child—Kashgar, China
Kashgar must be one of the most beautiful and culturally vibrant places on the planet. It is the westernmost city in China, thousands of miles from the densely populated eastern seaboard, bordering Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to its West and separated from the rest of China to it's East by the vast abyss of the Taklamakan Desert. This photo captures a fleeting moment of joy between my friend Gabby—who is one of the most gentle-hearted, high-spirited people I've ever met—and a jubilant local child, thrilled at the sight of the friendly foreigners. It happened as my fellow travelers and I were suddenly overrun by a group of totally adorable tiny Uyghur children as we were exploring the cobblestoned backstreets of this ancient and picturesque city. In this moment, no language was needed to understand one another.
2018 Contest Winners
1st Prize Winner: Vicky Yang
Language of Laughter—Moua Clan Village in Maguan, Guizhou, China
Speaking Hmong has always been a struggle for me. But here in this moment, I realized that it was absolutely okay that I couldn't, because despite not knowing how to speak Hmong "perfectly," nothing unites a group of people more than the language of laughter.
2nd Prize Winner: Greta Fix
Eiffel Tower Sunset—Paris on the Arc de Triomphe
After a rainy, dreary day in Paris full of culture shock and jet lag, we decided to climb to the top of the Arc de Triumph and saw the most stunning sunset I have ever seen (and probably ever will see).
3rd Prize Winner: Kelsey Sathe
The Shepherd—Denkanikota, Tamil Nadu, India
On our way from a nearby village back to Navadarshanam, the farm we were staying at for the weekend, this shepherd and his flock passed by us on the road. Although we did not exchange any words, and would not have understood each other if we had, we exchanged smiles, and I was lucky enough to capture his.
2019 Contest Winners
1st Prize Winner
Rainbow Mountain — Rainbow Mountain in Cuzco Peru
This photo was taken on top of Rainbow Mountain at roughly 17k feet. In the foreground is an alpaca wearing a necklace. In the background you can see the minerals that color the mountain which give it its name.
2nd Prize Winner
Quilotoa volcano crater lake — Quito, Ecuador
This photograph was taken at a volcano crater lake called Quilotoa right outside of Quito, Ecuador. The students and I took a bus there and hiked to the lake and back.
3rd Prize Winner
A Gopher snowshoeing the Alps — Aigle, Switzerland
A well needed break after snowshoeing up a mountain. It was slow going but the view was definitely worth it