Photo & Video Contest

Contestants may submit one photo for each of the following categories:

Architecture and Landscape 

Images that share the beauty of the place, a breathtaking landscape or cityscape, artful and interesting shots of buildings, monuments, landscape, architecture, nature, etc. Feel free to show yourself, friends, professors in your photo, or just focus on the scenery – it’s up to you!

Local Customs & Traditions 

Photos that capture cultural engagement with clear references unique to the location. This may include participation in cultural events, activities or holidays;  highlighting regional customs, cultural differences, unique traditions, etc. Focus your attention on distinct cultural perspectives.

Bruins Abroad/Away

Creative photos of you or your peers wearing or displaying UCLA gear abroad/away. This includes apparel or any other branded item showing an identifiable UCLA logo. The photo should be taken in a unique location or setting that includes landmarks.  (i.e. Student(s) wearing a UCLA T-Shirt in front of the Louvre).

Photos can be taken on a camera or your smartphone. You may lightly edit your photos using photo editing software or filters but remember that less is more! Try to make your photos as natural as possible.

Images must have high quality resolution (ideally 300ppi – typically 2MB—2048×1536 pixels) and should be submitted in JPEG (.jpgs) or PNG (.png) format. Low-quality images may be disqualified.

Contestants may submit one video for each of the following categories:

Global Bruins: Study Abroad Snapshots

In less than a minute, show us what you gained from studying abroad/away or interning abroad. Create an Instagram Reel or TikTok video (vertical footage) highlighting your study abroad/away or internship experience (engaging in the local culture, participating in program-related activities, showing a meaningful experience that influenced your life or changed your perspective).

Have fun and feel free to use trending audio, music, text to speech, voiceover, etc. To submit, download your video (publish as private) from your personal TikTok or Instagram account.

The World is my Classroom

In just two minutes, tell us the story of your study abroad or internship journey and how it has impacted you. This is a trailer style video (horizontal footage) and you must include a voiceover describing your experience.

Example of topics to include:

• • Personal narrative reflecting on the challenges, growth, and transformative impact of your study abroad/internship program;
  • Reflection on your learning experiences in the classroom or on internships, cultural excursions, school events, or around campus;
  • New life skills acquired from your study abroad/internship experience;
  • What you learned and how this experience changed you for life;
  • Connections with the local community and experiences you had emphasizing cross-cultural understanding.
  • Interviews with classmates, faculty or professionals in your field of study. (Make sure the person you are interviewing signs the waiver form, if not a UCLA student/faculty).

Things to keep in mind:

• • Trailer style (video recorded horizontally);
  • If background music is used, make sure that the volume is low enough so that the voiceover can be easily heard;
  • Make sure the music you use is royalty-free. Do not include songs that are copyrighted. Here are some resources for royalty-free music:
    • YouTube Audio Library
    • Creative Commons
    • Free Music Archive
    • Music you have composed and created;
  • Videos must be your own original work and cannot be AI-generated;
  • We encourage you to wear UCLA gear for portions of the video, but it is not required.

Remember to keep the videos educational and focused on your study abroad or internship program (no partying, clubs, alcohol, smoking, or drugs) – imagine a future student watching your video as they decide whether to participate in UCLA Study Abroad. What would you want to show them? How can you depict the diversity of your location? How would you motivate future participants to study abroad?

Videos should be submitted as .mov or .mp4.

All UCLA students who participated in a study abroad/away or international internship program during the 2024-2025 academic year (Fall 24, Winter 25, Spring 25 and Summer 25) are eligible to enter the contest. Participants must be eighteen (18) years of age or older.

• You may submit one photo per category (three total) and one video per category (two total). You can choose to submit only photo(s), only video(s) or both.
• Photos/videos submitted for the contest must be taken while on your study abroad program.
• Confirm that you have obtained all necessary photo/video waivers (if applicable) and can provide them upon request.
• Please include a title, location, and a short caption/description for each photo/video.
• Contestants are limited to only one prize.
• Photos/videos that do not meet requirement can be disqualified.

Submissions may be shared on IEO’s social media accounts and website.

Official Contest Rules (Terms & Conditions)

The deadline to enter the 2025 Photo & Video Contest is September 14, 2025 at 11:59p.m. PT. Winners will be notified on October 10, 2025 via email and posted on the International Education Office (IEO) website.

• Photo: There will be one first prize for each photo category and each first prize contestant will receive a $75 Amazon gift card.

• Video: There will be one first prize for each video category. The winner of the “Global Bruins: Study Abroad Snapshots” category will receive a $150 Amazon gift card and the winner of the “The World is my Classroom” category will receive a $300 Amazon gift card.

Up to three (3) Honorable Mentions will be showcased on the IEO website and/or social media.

Submissions that include the image of individuals who are not UCLA students/faculty and are clearly visible (“other subjects”) will require a waiver (permission to use their image). You are responsible for obtaining such photo/video waivers. Photo/video waiver form can be found here.

Do’s/Don’ts of Creating Content for the Study Abroad Photo & Video Contest

• Do show your personality and unique perspective as a UCLA student!
• Do have fun with your content and make it exciting.
• Do portray UCLA IEO and studying abroad in a positive light.
• Do use good judgment on what is appropriate for a university account. The focus should always be on studying abroad (no photos/videos of partying, clubs, alcohol, smoking, or drugs).
• Don’t use content or music that contains explicit or offensive language.
• Do let us know your social handles so we can tag you in your posts.
• Do think about what makes study abroad educational outside of the classroom.
• If individuals who are not UCLA students/faculty appear clearly visible in your photos or video (“other subjects”), please have them sign the photo/video waiver. Do avoid including celebrities, or making other subjects the focus of your photos/videos.
• All photos/videos should be original and taken by you or taken with your phone/camera.