Photo Contest
The PCC Ed Abroad Photo Contest allows returned students to share their experiences through photography and writing. Enjoy these amazing images captured by PCC students during their study abroad program! The Summer 2025 Photo Contest winners are below.
Categories
Embracing New Cultures
- 2025 Winner: “Budding Wall Poets” by Anthony Lutheran.
Description: Graffiti is everywhere in Reykjavik; it’s a part of the city’s identity. Burgeoning in the 90s, it was primarily relegated to abandoned buildings and the Miklabraut Road underpass, Hlíðargöngin tunnel. After it propagated to more visible spots, authorities began cracking down, erasing the street art and arresting the youth. But then they realized a bigger problem: soon, they would be arresting all their neighbors’ children! Now, street art is celebrated as a key part of Reykjavik’s saga; murals, tags, “Wall Poetry,” and all.
Program: Peace and Conflict Studies in Ireland and Iceland 
2025 Runner Up: “Invading Our Heads” by Steven Shipman.
Description: “This was taken at one of the bars on our tapas tour through the Raval district. I feel the image in the background represents Barcelona culture embarrassing us and invading our heads.”
Program: Statistics in Barcelona
Self Discovery
2025 Winner: “Aurora’s Brief Goodbye” by Anthony Lutheran.
Description: “My long-standing wish to see the Aurora was fulfilled one midnight. Our [API on-site program] instructor, Chris, texted us about the lights in the western sky. I rushed up to the rooftop, barefoot and in shorts, hoping to catch a glimpse. Montana, my roommate, decided to join me, and we both agreed to move to the other side. It was in that moment, with Montana’s presence and suggestion, that I saw the Aurora and captured it in this shot. It made me realize how much sweeter those fleeting moments are when shared with good company.”
Program: Peace and Conflict Studies in Ireland and Iceland
- 2025 Runner up: “Beyond the Archway” by Keith Kunze.
Description: “This photo was taken in one of the many gardens surrounding Hampton Court Palace. There were many archways and structures created by plants; this peaked out and I found it mesmerizing. It’s almost like a game of hide and go seek and poking your head out of these floral tunnels can get you a beautiful view of the vast gardens.”
Program: Shakespeare in London
Ed Abroad Office Choice Award
“Facing the Future” by Kaitlin Kazanjian.
Description: “This photo is from Herculaneum, a town destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD. Hundreds of skeletons were found in the boat storage areas along the sea, in a failed attempt to flee the eruption. On one of the last days of my study abroad trip, the homesickness and exhaustion catching up to me, I found a moment of peace. Staring face to face with the remains of all these people who tried so desperately to survive, my life and my perceived problems were dwarfed in comparison. I realized that no matter what happens to me in this life, if I conquer my fears or if my fears conquer me, it will all be the same in the end. I found immense comfort in that certainty.”
Program: Life and Death in Ancient Italy
Photo Contest Rules and Submission Instructions
- The categories of the Photo Contest are Embracing New Cultures and Self Discovery
- One photo submission per student per category, and the same photo may not be submitted to more than one category
- Photos must be accompanied by a title and brief description (1-3 sentences) of the photo’s significance to the student
- Student must have participated on a 2025 PCC study abroad program
- EAO reserves the right to use the photo for marketing purposes (we will give photo credit)
- Photos must be the property of the contest participant and must not violate any intellectual property rights
Submit your photos by emailing the Ed Abroad Office (studyabroad@pcc.edu):
- In the subject line, write: Photo Contest Submission
- In the email body, please include: your name, contest category, photo title, and photo description. All photos must be accompanied by a title and brief description (1-3 sentences) of the photo’s significance to the student.
- Please attach the photo in JPG or PNG format.
- Deadline to submit photos is Friday, October 10, 2025