Stanford Global Studies unveils the winners of annual student photo contest
Stanford Global Studies (SGS) has unveiled the winners of its eleventh annual student photo contest. More than 100 photos, taken from a variety of vantage points in more than 20 countries around the globe, were entered into five categories: animals, people, photojournalism, the natural world, and travel.
Grand Prize
“Citadel” by art history major Halima Ibrahim (Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies)
“This photo was taken during my trip to Egypt in July 2021. My parents and I took a taxi ride after visiting a museum. The hand in the photo belongs to the taxi driver. From the highway, the citadel is visible, giving the perfect view of Muhammad Ali mosque.”
Animals
“Gatekeeper” by international relations major Kate Bradley
“This photograph was taken in a market near Chiang Mai, Thailand. I was visiting for a water filtration project. I took this picture because I thought the dog looked longing as she watched marketgoers pass her by — it is an easy characterization to empathize with. As a French bull, its personality makes it a likely gatekeeper, but the reality is that it’s the one kept within the gate, a slightly poetic inversion.”
People
“Elephant and a photographer in Antelope Canyon” by East Asian studies master’s student Machi Saito
“This is a photo taken in a trip to Arizona that I had during the spring break. I visited the lower Antelope Canyon and was amazed by the view below the ground. I had seen many photos of Antelope Canyon before I visited there but seeing the view with my eyes was so different.”
The Natural World
“Unknown Beauty of Wales” by Latin American studies master’s student Holly Henry
“I visited Wales every year as a child and never explored far enough into Snowdonia to discover these incredible series of waterfalls. The water was ice cold, but the view was worth it!”
Photojournalism
“Volcanic Escape from COVID” by Latin American studies master’s student Holly Henry
“When Covid was declared a pandemic in March 2020, The Philippines announced a national lockdown of all land, air, and sea transport. At this time, I was on the island Luzon, in a small town called Donsol which is known for its ethical research of Whale Sharks. I had 24 hours to book a flight to the capital if I had any hope of leaving the Philippines before international travel was restricted. As everyone scrambled to get on the last plane out, I noticed the sun rising over Mayon Volcano, an active volcano which has erupted multiple times since 2000. I couldn’t help but take a photo to capture this beauty amongst all the chaos.”
Travel
“Tip Toe Through the Top” by international relations major Ziva Berkowitz Kimmel
“What is it about this unforgiving rock that inspires us to seek its approval? We claim mountains as our own, developing and commercializing their faces. Is this mutualism? Or are we just parasites, harming the mountains of our choosing? We build chairs to take us to what feels like the top of the earth, allowing more humans than ever to climb more of a mountain than otherwise possible. I like to imagine that at the end of every ski day, when these chairs sit empty, the summit’s ghosts return and the mountain gets to rest.”
Honorable Mentions
“Defensive Display” by earth systems master’s student TJ Francisco (Center for Latin American Studies)
“I love seeing which reptiles and amphibians we share campus with, and I was delighted to stumble upon this sharp tailed snake near the Stanford Dish. The snake has rolled over to display its patterned underside as a defensive behavior. Afterwards, it curled up into a tight coil which makes it more difficult for predators to swallow.”
“The Beauty of Dust” by Latin American studies master’s student Holly Henry
“After a day of cycling around the vineyards in Mendoza, Argentina, I stopped on the side of this dusty road to watch the sun set in the distance. As a car drove by, the clouds of dust made this photo imperfectly perfect.”
“A Cat Nap in Marrakesh” by Latin American studies master’s student Holly Henry
“I couldn’t help but stop and fondly smile when I passed by this cat taking a nap on the seat of a motorcycle in Marrakesh. I was visiting for a few days before taking a trip to the Sahara Desert.”
“Volcanic Eruption” by Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies master’s student Saga Helgason Morris
“The photograph shows the volcanic eruption in Iceland on the Reykjanes peninsula, by Fagradalsfjall mountain. The volcanic eruption lasted from March 19th until September 18th, 2021. Living in Iceland at the time before coming to Stanford, I hiked up to the volcano a number of times. This photograph was taken on May 7th, 2021. I captured the image as it shows the sheer power of nature through the lava explosions from the crater.”
“Hello” by earth systems master’s student TJ Francisco (Center for Latin American Studies)
“I took this photo in February 2021 as part of my thesis investigating reptile and amphibian responses to diversification of oil palm farms in Costa Rica. Red-eyed tree frogs are incredible creatures, and they are surprisingly somewhat tolerant of altered habitats, like smallholder palm farms. Still, we found twice as many of this species in the diversified polyculture farms compared to their paired monocultures. I love the blue highlights on their hands.”
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