The global journeys of Rice University students were on display March 27 as the Office of Study Abroad hosted the 2026 Study Abroad Photo Contest Exhibition, celebrating photographs captured by students during their international experiences and the cultural insights they brought back to campus.
Fifteen undergraduate contest winners gathered with members of the campus community for the exhibition’s opening reception in the hallway outside Rice Coffeehouse in the Rice Memorial Center. The one-hour event invited attendees to meet the student photographers, learn about their study abroad journeys and view the images selected from submissions by students who participated in Rice Study Abroad programs throughout the previous year.
Organized annually by the Office of Study Abroad, the contest invites students to submit photographs that reflect meaningful engagement with the places where they lived and studied. Rather than snapshots of tourist landmarks, the contest emphasizes images that capture deeper cultural understanding — moments that illustrate daily life, community and the perspectives students gain while immersed in another country.
The winning photographs were selected from students who studied abroad during the 2024-25 academic year and throughout 2025, including spring, summer and fall programs. The exhibition offered the photographers an opportunity to share the stories behind their images with fellow students and passersby in one of Rice’s busiest campus spaces.
The photographs will remain on display at the Rice Memorial Center through May 10, allowing the broader campus community to view the images and read the accompanying captions throughout the spring semester.
“This is a chance for study abroad alumni to visually share their journeys with the Rice community and for prospective students to get a glimpse of the study abroad experience through programs offered by the Office of Study Abroad,” said Beata Loch, director of the Office of Study Abroad.
