Photo & Video Contest

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

Program Highlights 

Photos that capture memorable moments and experiences from your internship or study abroad/away program. You should focus on the cultural, educational, and personal experiences that made your program meaningful, such as excursions, classroom activities, community engagement, or everyday student life in your host city. You should include yourself and/or fellow participants in the photo to showcase the shared experience of the program.

Bruins Abroad/Away

Creative photos of you or your peers wearing or displaying UCLA gear abroad/away. This may include apparel or any item featuring a recognizable UCLA logo. Photos should be taken in a distinctive location or setting that highlights your program destination through notable landmarks, architecture, or landscapes (e.g., students wearing UCLA apparel in front of the Louvre).

Local Customs & Traditions 

Photos that capture meaningful cultural engagement and showcase traditions, customs, or experiences unique to the location. This may include cultural events, activities, festivals, or holidays, as well as moments that highlight regional practices, cultural differences, or distinctive traditions. Focus on capturing authentic cultural perspectives and experiences.

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

Bring your study abroad/away or international internship experience to life in a fun, engaging video under one minute! Create an Instagram Reel or TikTok-style video (vertical format) that captures the highlights of your journey abroad from unforgettable moments and cultural experiences to friendships, travel adventures, academics, or everyday student life.

Get creative and make it your own using music, voiceovers, text, transitions, or trending audio. To submit, download your video (publish as private) from your personal TikTok or Instagram account.

The World is my Classroom

In a short video, tell us how your study or internship abroad has impacted you. You MUST include a voiceover describing your experience and what you have gained or learned while abroad/away.

Topic Suggestions:

• • Three things you learned while abroad/away.
  • Reflection on the challenges, growth, and transformative impact of your study abroad/away or 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/away or internship experience.
  • How this experience changed you for life.

When  creating your video(s), keep in mind the following:

• Videos must be your own original work and cannot be AI-generated;
• When using voiceover, make sure the background music 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;
• 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 2025-2026 academic year (Fall 25, Winter 26, Spring 26 and Summer 26) 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 UCLA Study Abroad’s social media accounts and website.

Official Contest Rules (Terms & Conditions)

Entries for the 2026 Photo & Video Contest must be submitted by October 4, 2026 at 11:59p.m. PT. Winners will be announced during International Education Week on November 16, 2026, and notified via email. Winning photos and videos will also be featured on the UCLA Study Abroad 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 and each first prize contestant will receive a $150 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 Study 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.