Photo Contest
We are thrilled to invite all Fall 2024 - Summer 2025 study abroad returnee students to participate in our Education Abroad Content Contest. This is your change to showcase your experience abroad, relive those once in a lifetime experiences, inspire future Terps and win amazing prizes.
Categories
For this competition, we are accepting photo submissions in the following categories:
The World Is Your Classroom
Capture how your learning extended beyond the traditional classroom. Show moments where you engaged deeply with your host culture in ways tied to academics—fieldwork, classes abroad, research, service learning, site visits, academic excursions, or hands-on cultural activities connected to your studies.
Terrapin Pride
Highlight how you represented UMD abroad and built global community. This includes UMD gear, moments with fellow Terps, friendships with local students or international peers, and snapshots reflecting your Maryland spirit across borders.
The Spirit of Study Abroad
Showcase transformative moments that shaped your time abroad. These may include cultural experiences, personal growth, volunteer work, meaningful encounters, unexpected discoveries, or interactions that broadened your worldview.
Prizes:
Education Abroad staff will select one winner from each category to participate in a community vote on Instagram (@maryland.global). The grand prize winners will receive a $100 Terrapin Express gift card, and the runner-ups will receive $50 Terrapin Express gift cards.
By participating in this competition, you are giving permission to the University of Maryland to use your photos and videos in marketing materials to promote study abroad. This might include advertisements, program flyers and on the website.
Contest Rules & Guidelines:
Eligibility
- Must be 18 years or older
- Must have studied abroad on a UMD program between Fall 2024 and Summer 2025 (short-term programs included)
Photo Requirements
- High resolution (minimum 1200 x 1600 pixels)
- Original content — you must be the copyright owner
- One form per photo; multiple submissions allowed
- Photos must be free of alcohol, cigarettes, vaping, illicit substances, or reckless behavior
- Content must be culturally respectful, appropriate, and free of discriminatory or offensive imagery
- All identifiable individuals must have given consent to be photographed
- Please do not submit the same photo in multiple categories
Focus on People & Experience
While landscape and city shots can be beautiful, they don't convey your study abroad story. We strongly encourage submitting photos that highlight you and your experience—interactions with community members, meaningful moments, cultural engagement, academic activities and scenes that clearly show what studying abroad felt like. Photos featuring students in action are far more compelling and have a greater chance of being selected as finalists.
Usage Permissions
By entering the contest, you agree that your photos may be used by the University of Maryland Education Abroad office for marketing and promotional purposes. This includes materials such as program flyers, social media, the EA website, and print or digital advertisements.
Submit Your Photos
📅 Submission Deadline:
Thursday, December 11, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.
Selection & Voting Timeline
- December 12: Education Abroad staff selects finalists
- December 15: Finalists announced on Instagram (@maryland.global)
- December 16: Community voting (open until midnight)
- December 17: Winners notified and announced
