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Fall 2019

CIS Abroad Photo Contest

See the Fall 2019 Winners!

CIS Abroad Photo Contest:

Each Spring, Summer, and Fall, CIS Abroad holds a photo contest for the students and interns who go abroad that term. It’s a fun way to share your international experience with us (and maybe win some money to help fund future travel).

FOUR winning photos:

Staff Favorite
Best Intern Photo
Best Academic Photo
Crowd Favorite

How do I win?

Keep reading to learn how each category is judged and an FAQ that explains how to enter (and how to win!)

Use our Social Media Toolkit to help turn out the vote for your photos!

And check out the winners from our Fall 2019 contest:

📸Staff favorite: Dante Borgese, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, Semester in Florence – Florence University of the Arts – Fall 2019
📸 Best Intern Photo: Elizabeth Link, Queens University, Intern in South Africa – Fall 2019
📸 Best Academic Photo: Guerline Pedilus, University of Florida, Semester in Japan – Kyoto University of Foreign Studies – Fall 2019
📸 Crowd Favorite: Lindsey Barrett, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, Semester in Thailand – Mahidol University – Fall 2019

CIS Abroad STAFF FAVORITE

CIS Abroad Staff will look at all photos entered in the contest and vote for their favorite photo. The one with the most votes will win “Staff Favorite.” Learn more about our lovely staff members on our Meet the Team page.

TIP: Let your program coordinator and site director know when you enter the contest so they know to vote for your photos.

BEST INTERN PHOTO

CIS Abroad staff will vote for the photo that best captures what it’s like to intern abroad. The one with the most votes will win “Best Intern Photo.” Learn more about our lovely staff members on our Meet the Team page.

Extra points go to photos that depict any of the following:

You hard at work at your internship (can totally be a staged “candid” shot)
You with your supervisor or coworkers
What it’s like to balance life and work abroad

TIP: Let your program coordinator and site director know when you enter the contest so they know to vote for your photos.

BEST ACADEMIC PHOTO

CIS Abroad staff will vote for the photo that best captures the STUDY part of study abroad. The one with the most votes will win “Best Academic Photo.” Learn more about our lovely staff members on our Meet the Team page.

Extra points go to photos that depict any of the following:

You hard at work in the classroom (can totally be a staged “candid” shot)
You studying at your favorite homework spot
You on a classroom excursion learning in the field
What it’s like to balance life and school abroad

TIP: Let your program coordinator and site director know when you enter the contest so they know to vote for your photos.

CROWD FAVORITE

We’ll post all the submissions on our Instagram account on a rolling basis as we receive them at

Media @ CISAbroad (dot) com

Each person’s photos will be posted in a carousel-style Instagram post along with their name, Instagram handle (if provided), home university, and international program name.

The post that has the most likes by the end of the last day of voting will win the “Crowd Favorite” title. All winners will be announced the following day.

TIP: Submit your photos early and send all your friends and family to like your photo(s) on our Instagram page to get more votes!

Who can enter CIS Abroad's photo contests?

CIS Abroad participants are eligible to enter CIS Abroad’s photo contest held the term they study or intern abroad.

For example, January and Spring 2020 study and intern students can enter the Spring 2020 photo contest.

What kinds of photos are NOT allowed?

We’re sure you wouldn’t, but please DON’T include photos of the following in your submission:

Alcohol or drugs (including marijuana)
You out at a club or bar
Profanity
Parent-stressor activities (like driving, bungee jumping or skydiving)

How do I enter the photo contest?

Email your photos (full resolution) to Media @ CISAbroad (dot) com using the subject line “Spring 2020 Photo Contest” by the submission deadline.

Please include your full name, Instagram handle (if you have one), home university, and the name of your study or intern abroad program in the body of the email.

How many photos can I enter?

You can enter up to 10 photos from your time abroad. They must be entered all together at one time, and for the “Crowd Favorite” category on Instagram they’ll be judged together as a set. Photos will be judged independently for the other categories.

How do I win?

With 4 winners each term, there are 4 ways to win:

Your photo is chosen by the CIS Abroad staff as the “Staff Favorite“
Your photo is chosen by the CIS Abroad staff as the “Best Intern Photo“
Your photo is chosen by the CIS Abroad staff as the “Best Academic Photo“
Your photo is chosen by our Instagram followers as the “Crowd Favorite” by getting the most likes on the CIS Abroad Instagram page the last day of voting.

Learn more about how each category is judged.

How to turn out the vote for the winners chosen by staff:

Reach out to your program coordinator, university relations rep, and site director to make sure they vote for your photo! They’ll love to know you entered the contest!

How to turn out the vote for the “Crowd Favorite” photo:

There are lots of ways for you to maximize your photo submission’s likes on Instagram.

Share your photo(s) on your social profiles and urge your friends and family to go to our Instagram page to vote for your photo on the CIS Abroad Instagram account. *Note: likes must be on the CIS Abroad Instagram page to count toward the contest.*
Tag your home university and your study abroad office to let them know you’re participating in the contest. Kindly ask them to share and help you turn out the vote.
While you’re at it tag @CISAbroad too so we can see 🙂

Social Media Get Out the Vote Toolkit:

Want help turning out the vote in the Crowd Favorite category? Download these social images to share on your accounts alongside your submissions.

Square Social Media “Get out the Vote” solid image
Square Social Media “Get out the Vote” overlay (layer it on top of your image using a program like Canva [it’s free!] for maximum effect)

Hashtags to Use:

#CISAbroad #PhotoContest #MyWorldMyView #CISphotocontest

Sample Post:

Vote for my photo(s) with your “like” on the @CISAbroad Instagram account by [date] so I can win “Crowd Favorite” in their photo contest!

What about PRIZES? Are there Prizes??

Yes! Each winner will receive a $100 Amazon Gift Card via email.

Participants may win ONLY once. For example, if your photo is chosen as the “Crowd Favorite” it may not also win “Staff Favorite.”

Social Media Get Out the Vote Toolkit:

There are lots of ways for you to maximize your photo submission’s likes on Instagram.

Share your photo(s) on your social profiles and urge your friends and family to go to our Instagram page to vote for your photo on the CIS Abroad Instagram account. *Note: likes must be on the CIS Abroad Instagram page to count toward the contest.*
Tag your home university and your study abroad office to let them know you’re participating in the contest. Kindly ask them to share and help you turn out the vote.
While you’re at it tag @CISAbroad too so we can see 🙂

Want help turning out the vote in the Crowd Favorite category?

Download these social images to share on your accounts alongside your submissions.

Square Social Media “Get out the Vote” solid image
Square Social Media “Get out the Vote” overlay (layer it on top of your image using a program like Canva [it’s free!] for maximum effect)

Hashtags to Use:

#CISAbroad #PhotoContest #MyWorldMyView #CISphotocontest

Sample Post:

Vote for my photo(s) with your “like” on the @CISAbroad Instagram account by [date] so I can win “Crowd Favorite” in their photo contest!